Change your values to suit your location

Twenty one years ago, when I left Perth, I planned to return in two years because that was where my home was. Despite not being born there, I had become an adult in Perth and it was where all my “forever friends” are. You know, the ones you don’t have to speak to for years, but you know you are still mates.

It’s been about five years since I was last back there, so I really enjoyed the five days or so I have just had. One day working and four days playing. But the thing that surprised me this visit, was that it was the first time I looked at Perth with alien eyes. Sure I could still mostly get around without turning the Satnav on, but everything just looked and felt strange.

The sunlight was much harsher, despite being the middle of winter. There was sand everywhere not soil and outside the major cities and towns, buildings were one story high.

And after enjoying a fair amount of alcohol with old friends, I realised their values and aspirations were subtly different. It took me awhile to remember that Perth is the most isolated western city in the world, and this is reflected in everyday attitudes. Even shopping for groceries, there is fierce brand loyalty to WA sourced produce. At it’s core there seems to be a belief that WA made a mistake in agreeing to become part of Australia at the start of the last century.

So why am I rambling on about my trip? Well, it reminded me of one of the major takeaways from a Churchill Club event a couple of years ago. I had Simon Baker – ex-Realestate.co.au, Syd Low – ex-Freeonline and Silvio Salom – ex-Adacel, talking about “Going Global on a Shoestring”. They all agreed that the best design for a foreign office was to have an Australian financial controller sent over to main financial control, but you must recruit a local CEO. A local CEO has local values and understands how to alter your value proposition and best engage with local customers.

The thing I realised while drinking red with old friends, is that this is also an important lesson for eastern states companies looking to expand to Perth.

The changes in values are subtle, but critical if you want to launch a successful operation. It’s too easy to be branded an eastern states company and never gain traction.

Brendan Lewis is a serial technology entrepreneur having founded: Ideas Lighting, Carradale Media, Edion, Verve IT, The Churchill Club and Flinders Pacific. He has set up businesses for others in Romania, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Vietnam and is the sole Australian representative of the City of London for Foreign Direct Investment. Qualified in IT and Accounting, he has also spent time running an Advertising agency and as a Cavalry Officer with the Australian Army Reserve.