Unlock the key to building successful businesses in challenging markets
Why do so many investors fail in frontier and emerging markets? How can entrepreneurs increase their odds of success in developing economies?
In The Culture Key, Curt Laird argues that entrepreneurs and investors in these markets struggle not because they lack business acumen, but because they do not develop intercultural intelligence. Laird is a seasoned entrepreneur who has worked in over 30 countries and built successful businesses in Afghanistan - including a billion dollar mobile phone company. In this book, he unpacks the underlying cultural principles that govern business in these geographies and offers a roadmap forward.
Buy hereLEARN MOREIn The Culture Key, Curt Laird argues that entrepreneurs and investors in these markets struggle not because they lack business acumen, but because they do not develop intercultural intelligence. Laird is a seasoned entrepreneur who has worked in over 30 countries and built successful businesses in Afghanistan - including a billion dollar mobile phone company. In this book, he unpacks the underlying cultural principles that govern business in these geographies and offers a roadmap forward.
“A great resource—I couldn’t agree more with the concepts Curt so clearly
communicates here.”
Gregg Fairbrothers
International entrepreneur and founding director of the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network
Gregg Fairbrothers
International entrepreneur and founding director of the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network
“Don’t invest in frontier and emerging markets until you read The Culture Key.”
Ghulam Destageer Haidari
Chief Sales Officer, Roshan Telecoms, Kabul, Afghanistan
Ghulam Destageer Haidari
Chief Sales Officer, Roshan Telecoms, Kabul, Afghanistan
The Belief Tool
Success in frontier and emerging markets depends in large part on the degree to which you understand and are able to effectively navigate the beliefs that drive business behaviors and decisions. There are, of course, core principles or ‘rules’ of investment and entrepreneurship. The way that they are executed, however, can vary dramatically across cultures and people. Foreign businesses too often pay cursory attention to these differences, to their detriment.
What you do not need is a list of do’s and don’ts! These may help you avoid major gaffs in your first days in country, but they will not equip you to analyze a market, negotiate effectively or build a profitable company with a high-performing team.
You need a tool to help you peel back the mystery and confusion that you encounter when faced with decisions that defy (your) belief. You need a tool that will help you to interpret and respond effectively to the beliefs that underpinned that decision – and that will help you predict, prepare and executive business decisions deftly. You need the Belief Tool!
LEARN MOREWhat you do not need is a list of do’s and don’ts! These may help you avoid major gaffs in your first days in country, but they will not equip you to analyze a market, negotiate effectively or build a profitable company with a high-performing team.
You need a tool to help you peel back the mystery and confusion that you encounter when faced with decisions that defy (your) belief. You need a tool that will help you to interpret and respond effectively to the beliefs that underpinned that decision – and that will help you predict, prepare and executive business decisions deftly. You need the Belief Tool!
CURT LAIRD
Curt Laird is one of the most experienced foreign entrepreneurs in frontier markets. Having worked in over thirty countries, he spent fourteen years in Afghanistan, where he was a founding executive director of Roshan, Afghanistan’s largest mobile phone operator; launched his own fifty-employee training company; and founded the Business Innovation Hub, a business accelerator at the American University of Afghanistan. He is currently consulting for startups in Nigeria.
During his time in Afghanistan, Curt met his future wife, Katrina, a British-Finnish international development professional working on conflict and security sector reform. They have two children, Soraya Kaija and Josiah Jaya, each of whom have four citizenships and the same peripatetic life their parents grew up experiencing.