Open the US office with someone who has opened one.
New York is where many overseas companies plant their first American flag. Most stumble on the execution: the entity, the first hires and a sales motion that works on this side of the Atlantic or the Pacific.
What makes landing in New York harder than it looks
The plan holds up on paper. The first year on the ground is where it gets tested:
One hire makes or breaks the year
The first local leader sets the culture and the pipeline, and a bad choice costs a year. Hiring here also means a published pay range for the role, which both candidates and your first employees will read.
Home-market tactics do not travel
The pitch, the pricing and the sales cycle that worked at home meet buyers with other habits and a lot of local competitors.
Entity and payroll decided from afar
Structure, state registration and payroll choices are simple to get right at the start and expensive to unpick a year later.
Head office reads the wrong signals
Weekly reports say the right things, and the real picture only appears when a customer calls head office.
Put a fractional executive in New York and you have a senior person in the market within weeks, with the permanent country head decision left until the opportunity is understood. They stand up the office and run it. Once the launch is done the work moves to a permanent hire, or the executive tells you clearly that New York does not support a second round of spend.
Who this is for, and who it is not
Best for
- International companies opening their first US entity
- Entrants who need speed and local knowledge from day one
- A launch that needs commercial, finance and operations led at once
- Businesses testing the market before committing to a full local C-suite
- A distributor or partner in place, but no one owning the market strategy
Not for
- A pure legal or licensing task an adviser should handle
- Businesses with no product or offer ready for the market yet
- A one-off market study with no intention to enter
- Companies wanting a nominee rather than an operating leader
A launch partner that stays on
Landing in New York takes more than a good hire. We match an operator who can run the US side and keep governance around them as the entity grows.
Involved after day one
We review progress with headquarters and the executive on a fixed rhythm, and adjust the brief as the US picture changes.
Answers from across the collective
Your executive can draw on our collective of 800+. A question about the first hire that turns out to be about the entity meets someone who has been there.
The brief stays with us
If your US lead has to step away, we reopen the search ourselves with everything learned since landing, and run the transition.
Fluent in both offices
Someone who can explain the home office to New York, and New York to the home office, is worth more than a famous name. We match for that range.
Market entry works in phases, not a single launch
From pre-entry setup to an established business, with the scope adjusting as you go.
Pre-entry: setup and strategy
Entity structure recommendation, regulatory navigation, early relationship building, and market intelligence gathering, before you arrive.
Landing: first 90 days
Commercial engagement begins. Operational infrastructure established. Team building starts. Financial and compliance framework is operational.
Traction: months 3–12
Commercial pipeline develops. Operational model proves out. Team grows. Leadership needs evolve and scope adjusts.
Establishment: months 12–24
Business is established. Revenue is evidence-based. Specific functions may transition to full-time hires. We advise on when and how.
The market-entry leadership stack
Most entries need more than one function led at once. Start with the one under most pressure, then add others as you establish.
Market entry needs leadership across commercial, finance, operations and people
Start with the function under the most pressure, then add others as the entry matures.
Our executives bring market-entry experience from
