Pierre-Olivier Carles

January 20, 2022

Coming from France, I co-founded my first company in the United States 15 years ago.

I've learned a few things about doing business in this country, that I'd like to share with you.


Here's a quick list for you 👇🏻

👉🏻 Opportunities are everywhere - The first thing you need to learn is "How to say No" to new opportunities. Making deals in this country is in everyone's DNA.

👉🏻 Talent means money - If you're good at what you do, you get paid big money as long as you bring value to the table.

👉🏻 It's OK to be different - I thought I had to balance my French origin by forcing myself into "the American way of doing business".

It failed.

Then, I had my "Fuck it! I'm going to be myself!" epiphany, and it started working.

No one actually cares as long as I bring value.

👉🏻 Your vision matters - I had people following me with a second-to-none work ethic and loyalty because they understood clearly where I wanted to go and shared my vision.

👉🏻 Be nice and positive - It helps. People remember.

👉🏻 Loyalty makes you family - While it is not true with everyone, loyalty and playing the long-term game are rewarded. Anyway, so far, it has worked pretty for me.

👉🏻 Money is never the problem - If you're good at what you do, money comes to you, as a consequence.

👉🏻 Optimism is all around - Even people who have failed at almost everything they have tried think that they will be in a better place tomorrow. And guess what, they often end up in a better place.

That's it.
I hope it will help those of you who consider building a business in the United States.

About Pierre-Olivier Carles

De mon parcours fait d’entreprises, d’investissements, de succès et d’erreurs, je tire des pensées personnelles que je partage ici, en français maintenant. Documenter ce voyage peut en inspirer d’autres, mais, à vrai dire, c’est d’abord à moi que cela apporte quelque chose.