“The American market pays off! It’s like a good sports game – you need a ticket to get in but it’s worth it” – using this colorful metaphor Ivo Konstantinov, AmCham’s Director of the U.S. Office of the chamber in Washington D.C, made his thorough presentation of the pathways for market entry on the American market.
Ivo had the key presenation at the Explore U.S. Conference – a much-expected forum for showcasing success stories and experience of Bulgarian trade, manufacturing, and service providers that have made their breakthrough across the Atlantic. Utilizing his 10+ years of experience as professional diplomat and leader of the Commercial Service of the Bulgarian Embassy in the United States, Ivo collected all available information in data-based, experience-enriched and full of examples slide deck that can inspire everyone that has decided to expand its business or to probe a fresh start in America.
All indicators show the American market as highly saturated, competitve and mature, uet growth-yelding and profitable, a catalyst for expansion not just in the US, but globally from there as well. Europeans or Bulgarians percieve it as a single entoty, yet, despite some common features and characteristics, it comprises of 50 different markets, clustering around fuve main distinct regions.
“AAn entrepreneur should figure out the American mindset to make it. A newcomer enters a saturated market with a streamlined chain of added value where the product “jumps through several hoops ” to reach the shelves of a supermarket,” – Ivo explained. “Each person’s strategy should include not only basic marketing and quality basic requirements, but it should encompass will, passion, patience, and out-of-the-box thinking. You should sow, cultivate, wait and then reap.”
Ivo’s point is a global one. His work was focused to educate and inspire Bulgarian producers of goods and services to make the first step towards their pursuit of their American dream. A skillful educator, he always says that America is not that far away: there are well-developed land and maritime routes, excellent shippers, digital monitoring, and quality control. “We should stop whining about what was “lost” in 1989, the so-called “Vast Russian Markets”, focusing instead on the new opportunities to create added value to our economy. In America the end client is the most important: a single rupture in the packaging can cause outflow of clients despite the excellent quality of our cheese, veggie spreads, wine, etc.”
In his words – proven by many other successful products and services – if anyone succeeds on the American market, they have already succeeded globally. And this can be achieved with hard work, inspiration, compliance, trust and consistency
