In an effort to ease the entry of foreign small- to medium-sized firms into the United States, an alliance of four Atlanta companies has chosen to launch its first “Global Success Center.”
Although at first glance the center’s objectives appear similar to those of a business incubator, its co-founders Dawn Ely and Mike Gomez, call it a “nesting site,” and not an incubator, because incubators are primarily associated with start-ups and offer fewer services than their center.
The Global Success Center is geared, they told GlobalAtlanta, for helping more established companies succeed in entering the North American market by localizing their business as quickly as possible. The center supports their entry to the extent that it can even provide an experienced management team to help with the expansion.
Ms. Ely is an Atlanta attorney who founded in 2007 Palladium Client Legal Officers, which offers ongoing part-time and interim legal executives to help companies save on the costs of hiring full-time employees.
Mr. Gomez is president of Allegro Consulting, a business growth specialty firm that provides market and development consulting services.
The center is to provide foreign companies with strategic, business development, legal and financial advice in a fully equipped office space.
Joining Ms. Ely and Mr. Gomez’s companies in the venture are Regus plc, a global network of equipped, furnished and staffed office spaces, and TechCFO LLC, which provides financial counseling to businesses ranging from start-ups to publicly-traded technology and technology-related companies.
The Regus facility at 5555 Glenridge Connector at the Perimeter was selected because of its central location and the cluster of companies engaged in international business in the immediate area.
The small and medium-sized internationally based companies enrolled in the center will be seeding their U.S operations in the shadows of some of Atlanta’s largest corporations including United Parcel Services Inc., First Data Corp., Newell Rubbermaid Inc. and Global Payments Inc.
According to the founders, the small- to medium-sized companies entering the U.S. are generally an endangered species with 90 percent of them failing.
“Interestingly, we found that most allocate sufficient funds for the venture,” said Ms. Ely. “However, they burn through their cash on various items, services and sales paths that don’t lead to success.”
One of the main expenses on which money is spent unwisely is new office space. “We address this by proviing a turn-key office solution with a professional support staff, computer, fax and phone networks that will allow the firm to immediately focus on sales,” said Spencer Langford, vice president of corporate accounts for Regus.
The Global Sucess Center also will help a new entrant with financial and legal needs and provide in-depth sales strategy assistance as well as access to its business network.
For more information, Ms. Ely may be reached by calling (678) 249-4894 or Mr. Gomez at (678) 908-8433. The center’s website may be found at www.globalsuccesscenters.com
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