In a recent article, we showcased Beyond, a San Francisco startup with European headquarters in Barcelona, and we talked to them about the benefits they have brought to the city and their team. This time we wanted to go deeper and understand how Beyond has achieved such a successful expansion in the European markets from their Barcelona base, especially in a world where many US companies fail to achieve their “European dream”.
We went right to the source and interviewed Maria Flores Portillo, Director of EMEA at Beyond, in order to understand what happens behind the scenes. Having joined the company earlier this year, Maria is directly responsible for the growth of the region and looks after all commercial functions to make that possible.
In our conversation Maria quickly attributed their steady growth to one fundamental factor: from the very beginning, Beyond understood that launching a business in this region is extremely different from launching it in the States.
EMEA is not a single market, but rather a combination of countries that have their own nuances – and in many cases, they are fragmented themselves.
Selling into or servicing a client in Paris is very different than in Cornwall, Malaga, or Milan. Beyond’s willingness to acknowledge these differences and to invest in each market has been the key to their success.
Maria explained to EU Startups that each market launch involved three parallel aspects:
- Localising the product, meaning they ensured that the product speaks the country’s language and is tailored to the country’s currency or necessary features.
- Translating all supporting communications for each market – that entails localising the website and support articles in order to help clients use the platform
- Beyond built a team of native speakers that understand their market’s nuances and trends. They’re considered to be their market specialists and their job is to understand the pain points and opportunities for their clients, in order to develop a unique approach to sales and support tailored to each region.
The Beyond EMEA team now consists of 2 lovely offices, one in Barcelona and one in Lisbon. As Beyond is remote-friendly, there are also employees working from other countries such as Greece, India, Hungary, and Uganda amongst others! Beyond gives all their employees a “Work from Home” budget, enabling all Beyonders to have great home office setups. Don’t believe us? Take a look at their recent TikTok video showcasing their home offices around the world.
@beyond_pricing Welcome to our Barcelona office! #beyond #barcelona #barcelonaoffice #barcelonajobs #revenuemanagement #barcelona_spain ♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim
Maria also highlighted how Beyond’s success has been fueled not only by this market-level investment but the wider support from the company towards the region, from product and finance to human resources and operations. Maria told EU Startups that she feels extremely lucky about the fact that the entire Beyond team is 100% behind the European venture and that there is a great support structure for the region.
Growth is not possible without hiring the right team.
Maria stated that there are a couple of things that have been very important to keep in mind. First, preserving Beyond culture when adding new people to the team and ensuring any new joiners connect with the company values. In her words: “We are growing very fast, so maintaining that culture of kindness, collaboration, and aptitude to innovate and get things done is crucial for the future of the business”.
Last but not least, they have invested in in-person connections to boost motivation and productivity. Whilst they are a remote-friendly company, the fact that they have a great office in Barcelona with lots of different perks encourages employees to come into the office on a regular basis and meet the rest of the team. And this doesn’t apply only to the European team. All Beyonders are encouraged to meet, collaborate, and learn from each other. This has created an environment of collaboration and engagement and makes working at Beyond EMEA a lot of fun.
Find out more about Beyond’s company culture here and check out their current open positions.
