TINC Silicon Valley Culture

What You’re Here To Learn 2 The business culture in Silicon Valley Do’s and Don’ts about doing business Things to know about presenting to your audience How to prepare for meetings and what to expect Why understanding culture is so important to your business

Why This Is Important 3 Your company must be able to function in a global environment Every business is dependent upon relationships with someone Effectively communicating within a culture enables you to get funding Understanding cultural differences helps you to acquire customers

US Culture  US culture emphasizes individual and personal achievement Present your company so that your prospective client or partner can clearly understand how your value proposition benefits  Americans prefer a direct style of communication. Be direct, concise and respectful in all communications.  Americans value politeness and appreciate being appreciated. Be polite (please). Always express your appreciation for any time or effort made on your behalf. SOURCE: Doing Business in the USA: US Social and Business Culture, Communicaid Group Ltd, 2009

Prepare for meetings Set an agenda and objectives for a meeting Know who you are meeting with If you are presenting, prepare a presentation your audience wants to hear Keep your number of people down in meetings

Introduce yourself at the start of a meeting Make an effort to personally greet and exchange business cards with every person in the room If you have done so earlier, move to the agenda Avoid sensitive topics Do not ask about or discuss politics, age, religion or race Do not interrupt others while they are talking This is considered rude and unprofessional If you do interrupt someone in advertently, apologize and let them continue Be sensitive to the people around you Do not speak Norwegian to your colleagues while in a meeting with non-Norwegian speakers If someone requires a translator to understand something, simply call attention to the fact that the person requires a translation Meeting Etiquette I like what you have to say!

Presentation Etiquette Get your audience talking and establish a dialogue!  Know your audience  Know how your product provides value to your audience  Know your time limit  Sell your product and vision  B UT MOST IMPORTANTLY …..D ON ’ T READ YOUR SLIDES

B USINESS B USINESS C ASUAL Dress to Impress  Generally speaking you should dress one level above the company norm  When in doubt always dress more formally than less  Regardless of dress code always ensure your clothes are clean, pressed and do not show signs of wear.

 Be punctual & respect deadlines  In the US, “time is money”.  Respect office hierarchies  Know who you are talking to and where they fit in the chain of command. These often vary by organization  Do not underestimate the power and importance of networking  Take any and all opportunities to introduce yourself and your product offering Dos and Don’t of Doing Business

The Silicon Valley Company  Success has a formula  Most companies in Silicon Valley operate by  Forming an experienced team  Formulating an idea for a product  Validating the idea  Raising capital  Setting aggressive milestones (Its better to fail fast than slow)  Course correcting as needed  Look for the “exit” Shut Down Grow Revenue Take an Exit

The Silicon Valley Company  Ignite and Burn Fast  Most start-ups set aggressive schedules and work extremely fast  Most experienced entrepreneurs will tell you  “Its better to fail fast than slowly”  Articulate a Plan  Successful startups can clearly articulate  Value Proposition  What problem they are solving  Who else is trying to solve the problem  All of the key executives should be able to openly discuss this

The Silicon Valley Company  Coaching  Silicon Valley is a culture of coaching  Team Building  Teams drive success in the valley  Good teams get good funding  Team members are used to wear multiple hats  Risk Taking  Not afraid of making mistakes but learning from them  Risk in a performance organization is generally followed by reward

San Francisco & Silicon Valley  Be aware of what you say. The Bay Area is small and news travels fast and everything is on record.  Sarcasm does not work in California. Leave it at home when you walk out the door.  Be confident in demonstrating what your product or technology is able to offer.  Don’t criticize speakers and meetings.  Be strategic in how you approach prospective clients or partners. Many have extensive experience in the industry and can offer you considerable insight.

Regional Business Cultures

Although country wide generalizations are helpful in understanding key aspects of US business culture it is important to recognize that cultural variations do exist from state to state and region to region.

The US by States & Regions Map Source: P ACIFIC N ORTHWEST W EST C OAST R OCKY M OUNTAINS S OUTHWEST M ID -W EST OK & TX S OUTH N ORTH E AST & E AST C OAST LA

US Stereotypes Map: The US by States & Stereotypes

Even Americans disagree on how they view their Country Texan’s Map: Calfornian’s Map: americans-see-americans/ americans-see-americans/

East Coast  East Coasters are known for being direct and straightforward. Don’t take it personally.  In Boston business casual is the norm.  In New York formal business attire dominates.  Intense rivalries exist between New York & Boston. Especially in terms of sports. When in doubt don’t assume any allegiances.