Chicago INSEEC: How Centigrade Start his Business in the United States ? By David PIOCHE

Doing business in the United States is easier than in France. If you want to start your businesses in the US you can check on the internet how to do it. There are several websites like the US Small Business Administration. Then you can also ask someone to be your mentor, and he will helps you with your business. For instance, he can helps you for a show

Centigrade Logo

or a blog. You have many ways to start your business in the United States, that’s why the United States are a unique country, but also why everyone says that in the United States everything is possible. We are going to talk about Centigrade which have been created 16 years ago by Chris WARD (Vice President) and Julie BARNARD (President Americas and Joint CEO). Centigrade is an international company marketing and communication agency. Today, this company works with clients across 33 countries. In the first part, we are going to speak about Centigrade in general thanks to the interview with Julie. Then, we are going to talk about the development of Centigrade thanks to mentoring, volunteering and networking.

Centigrade North America Headquarter in Detroit

When they started their business in the United States, Centigrade set up their company in Detroit, Michigan. They started their company because Bentley Motors needed support for their operations in the United States. They choose the name Centigrade because it was fitting with every standards that they wanted. Indeed, they wanted to have one word linked to their marketing and communications services. Moreover, they worked with experts to make a name that correspond with their vision, voice and identity. Furthermore, it was important that the website contains “.com” in relation with their customers. In fact, their customers need to see when they go on the website that the company is a top level domain for commerce. Afterwards, they choose to be in Detroit because they wanted to be close to their customers, but also to have an easy access to the UK and Europe. They also wanted to be downtown, that’s why they started their company there. At the creation of the company, they set up a business plan. With time, they changed it because objectives are different from time to time. Julie said that businesses change shape, and it is important to

recognize that your initial goals and objectives will remain however the economy, your clients, your people and the needs change therefore you have to be flexible. Centigrade have been financed thanks to the Centigrade shareholders. In addition to that, they had bank support, but most of the time, it depends on their needs because profits are reinvested back in the company. Centigrade Inc. is set up as a C corporation, which means that Centigrade is an individual entity and that they are separated from their shareholders. Concerning business licenses and permit, Julie told me that it is not hard to have it, but it takes times and resources. Indeed, they had to prove by laying out clearly that they were offering something special as a foreign company, but also that they had customers in Europe that wanted to extend their business in the US.

Networking is important in the US. In fact, Centigrade have been created thanks to

networking because European companies needed an agency in the United States that can

Lamborghini World Final Race in Sebring

helps them in the goal of growing their businesses. Since 16 years, they have grew considerably their number of customers, particularly in the automotive and luxury industry. Thanks to the increasing number of customers, they widen their services like events, digital, Motorsport, Press Relation or Customer Relationship Management. Moreover they also enlarge their businesses. Indeed, they have offices in Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City and Atlanta. Julie said that networking is a key to a successful business because people come back to the company because they are glad of the work done by the company, and those persons are going to recommend you if you do a good job. Consequently, for Julie, it is very hard to grow your business without networking. However, the key of success is also about the work atmosphere. You need people who can work together, learn from each other, and push each other forward, even if friends of Julie and Chris have always been supportive to their company. Learning from someone else is mentoring. At the beginning, Centigrade asked help to organizations working in the lawful sector out of London and New York. Those companies helped Centigrade with the E2 Visa registration process. Every five years, they do again a visa application paperwork, build a new business plan and make investments into the USA. Centigrade is part of a business partnership, it helps them to mentor each other. That means that each person in the team works with external individuals who influence and guide the company. The best value of this business partnership is that they are linked to different people. In fact, they count on legal persons, financial persons, business owners, coaches, local groups, friends and families. To Julie’s mind, mentoring is very important, and it is something you should continue throughout your life. Centigrade is also making sure that their employees support voluntary groups and local charities. Volunteering is essential for a business because it shows that you are integrated in the society and you are not selfish, you think about the others and you help them. A company which is doing volunteering will always be well recognize when someone will talk about it. That’s why Centigrade initiatives include domestic violence support, animal shelters, youth groups, sponsored events and partner programs.

To conclude, if you want to start your business in the United States, you have to think about a lot of things like the name of your company. Nevertheless, it is easier to start your business in the US than in France. Moreover, you can grow your business easily thanks to

networking, volunteering or mentoring. Then, you need a good team that knows how to work with each other. The example of Centigrade was a good one because they are questioning themselves concerning their way of managing their business. They are doing a new business plan every five years and they reinvest their profit in their offices in the United States. Thanks to their success, they are going to build a new office in Toronto which is going to expand their Business in the United States. Then, Centigrade goal for the next 5 years is to grow through organic sales and agency acquisition to create $1M of EBIDA (Earnings before Interest, Depreciation, and Amortization). Afterwards, for the next 10 years, they want to do a management buyout or a merger. Consequently, Centigrade is well established on the American market and they will expand their Business in the next few years.

“You mustn’t wait for opportunity, you have to create it,

The United States is the country were everything is possible” David PIOCHE

Lamborghini Super Trofeo 2015 : World Final in Sebring :