Today we meet with Joe Blake, CEO of Artomatix, an Irish based tech company that helps studios create 3D content quicker than ever. He has always had his eye on the US market and expanded there very early on. However, although they have staff on the ground in America, they do not have a main office there and Joe explains why this is. He emphasises the importance of knowing your target audience and being able to visit your clients. He explains the high costs involved with opening an office in America, and how often if you have money to invest in your business it can be spent better elsewhere. We are now in a world where business is global, and through technology and the internet you can still build a solid relationship with many clients without having a physical office where they are. Finally, Joe talks about the importance of conferences, how they can add an immense amount of value to your business, and provide you with quality time to build relationships with your customers. ”It’s less about the logistics of opening an office, and more about the resources, and the people.” – Joe Blake Time Stamps: 01:52 – Who Artomatix are and what they do. 02:53 – How 3D modelling is moving into other markets other than gaming. 05:22 – Automating 3D modelling and its benefits. 06:08 – The history of Artomatix. 08:43 – The importance of the US market, and how it is Artomatix’s target market. 10:36 – Opening up offices in America. 12:57 – Focusing research on the West Coast. 13:47 – Raising funding and finding investors. 14:25 – Which staff they have based in the US and why. 16:46 – Taking their product to market. 18:15 – The IRS and the importance of doing your taxes properly. 21:27 – Whether you really need an office in the US. 24:35 – The importance of focusing on your target audience. 28:32 – Where sales people aren’t necessarily who you should be using to make sales. 30:05 – How time difference can make offering support more difficult. 32:17 – Questions you should ask yourself when thinking of moving to the US market. 36:14 – How conferences can add an immense amount of value to your business. Resources: https://artomatix.com Nvidia www.mtbonnell.com Episode Transcript Connect with Joe Blake: LinkedIn [email protected] Email us at – [email protected] Twitter – @mtbonnell Connect with Sebastian Sauerborn: Website Connect with Nastaran Tavakoli-Far: LinkedIn