Some business owners and entrepreneurs can be cavalier when expanding abroad, relying on their education, professional experience, connections and street smarts. Founder and CEO Sophie Lechner launched GCE two years ago; it prepares U.S. and foreign companies for business expansion abroad, which includes cross-cultural training and capacity building. “We don’t plan for them,” asserts Lechner, who was born in Pakistan, raised in France and arrived in the U.S. to attend Columbia Business School. They partnered to pitch a global executive MBA program to a private French business school. She stresses that businesses expanding abroad needn't lose their identity and assimilate, but simply be aware of cultural nuances in order to conduct business effectively.

Source: Forbes November 21, 2017 15:11 UTC