If you want your startup to go global, ignore your country completely

[Note: I write this from the perspective of a tech blogger from Vietnam, but I’m sure these principles hold true across Asia. The country is interchangeable in this article. Of course, take these opinions with a grain of salt.]

In Vietnam, arguably, there are two types of startups: domestic players and global players. In terms of domestic players, there are the obvious big three: VNG, VC Corp, and Vat Gia. And in terms of global players, there’s just a few well known ones. DotGears, creator of Flappy Bird, is the biggest of the batch. But there are still others that fly under the radar: Not A Basement, TOSY, Misfit Wearables, INKredible, Adatao, KMS, and more. Some of them don’t even want to be associated with the local Vietnamese ecosystem. It’s part of their modus operandi to be so profoundly focused on their startup and their product that they ignore distinctions between local markets and abroad markets.

Even these small startups are the envy of the big three, who are so entrenched in the local market that they have a very hard time transitioning into other markets. It’s a parallel to the innovator’s dilemma. If one company is so deep in the Vietnamese market, how can the leadership begin thinking about the global market? It’s profoundly difficult. You’d have to hire all new staff and redesign your strategy.

Two startups that are based in Vietnam but maintain a global focus told me, “I don’t care about Vietnam at all. Just ignore it.” Although it might sound harsh, maybe this is exactly the mettle a company needs to go global. Vietnam is a distraction. That’s just the first piece of advice for those wanting to break out of their homes.

1. Totally ignore your surroundings

The way of thinking, the ways of managing, the ways of making money, the education, the people are inhibited by the environment of Vietnam. But if you want to be successful abroad, you need to think outside of the box. If you want to win outside of Vietnam, you cannot be of Vietnam, just in Vietnam. Your thinking and methodology must come from somewhere else. Don’t get hampered down by the surroundings.

2. Get foreign friends, mentors, and investors

The best way to get out of a Vietnamese environment is to network and befriend foreigners. In Ho Chi Minh City, it’s always the people with foreign friends that have the best English. Likewise, the people most aware and in touch with what’s going on around the world have foreign connections. For example, look at Nguyen Ha Dong, the creator of Flappy Bird. He spent almost a year studying with Japanese game designers. It was during that period of exposure that Nguyen could come into his own and find his specific style. Foreign exposure will give you the insight you need to get out of the box.

3. Have a foreigner or educated-abroad Vietnamese on your team

If you really want some outsider perspective, you need to “Trojan horse” your own company. That means hire a foreigner or another Vietnamese person that studied abroad into your company. No doubt, you’ll clash with this person. Your ideas will be different and your culture will certainly be different, but that’s exactly what you need. You need perspective. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck in your own way of thinking.

4. Be great at design and product

In Vietnam, what’s scarce is design and product. There’s certainly a strong development and engineering culture, but design and product are new areas. That’s because the technology scene is young and there’s lack of appreciation for designers in the community. If you observe most Vietnamese products, you’ll see they’re chalk full of features that are not necessarily validated by users or product managers. This does not fly if you want to go global. Global products have characteristic focus and more often that not, a killer app that is prioritized above tons of features.

5. Hire people that you don’t have to train

This might be hoping for too much. But the people you hire should need a minimal amount of training. They need to be self-driven and they need to be smart enough to build products on the global stage. If you are already not at the global level, and you have to waste your time training a young tyke without drive, you’re wasting your own time. In Vietnam especially, people are not proactive. They fear being wrong and entry-level people need to be constantly reminded of tasks they need to complete. Don’t hire these people. Hire people that can stay up with you all night building a product because they want to. These are the people that are ready to get on a plane with you out of Vietnam.