In 1980, Irmgard Lafrentz was increasingly curious about careers in the United States, so she arranged for her employer in Germany to send her on a short-term expatriate assignment to work in one of their reseller’s offices in New York. Two months later, Irmgard returned to Germany with a new work perspective and a determination to return one day to America’s friendlier, less rigid work culture.
Fast forward four years and Irmgard was back in the U.S., with stars in her eyes and a new husband in tow. Based in Silicon Valley, Irmgard quickly approached the likes of Cisco, Sun and Intel, confident that her 11 years of public relations experience in the technology industry would convince these global players to give her a marketing and communications role that would interface with her region of expertise – Europe. Unfortunately, Irmgard’s dream job never eventuated. So she boldly, but terrifyingly, created it herself.
Since that time, Irmgard has built herself an excellent reputation as a successful global matchmaker between U.S. high technology companies and the international trade and business media. Her business turns over six (and sometimes seven) figures, and Irmgard Lafrentz is living proof that passion and hard work can indeed lead to great success abroad.
Expat Women's Interview with Irmgard
Expat Women:Irmgard, you have an impressive portfolio of experience working across different countries and with business people from different cultures. What are some of the main differences you experienced between the German work culture and the American work culture?
Irmgard: Communication: The most obvious cultural difference for me was, and is, communication style. In the German business world, people say what they say, directly, without much pussyfooting around. People are not so concerned with offending the other party. In the United States however, my experience is that people will not say directly that they disagree with you.
For example, in Germany it would sound like this (include a sharp, bordering-on-impolite, tone): “Did you say the shipment cannot arrive here by next Wednesday? This is not acceptable!” The same scenario in the U.S. would likely sound like this: “The shipment can’t arrive here on Wednesday? Wow, this is much later than we had hoped for. How can we work on this together and make the shipment arrive on time?”
Dress Code: When I came here in 1984, businesswomen still wore only skirts, white blouses with a bow and half-knee skirt, panty hose and heels. At that time in Germany, women would wear pants, tank tops, fashionable jackets and accessories. This has changed a lot, but I think European/German businesswomen are a little more chic and adventurous.
Expat Women:How does this compare to some of the Asian work cultures and business people that you have liaised with in Asia? Irmgard: I have worked with Asia for about 15 years. I work with journalists and editors from China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan. In the mid 1990s, communication was terrible. In the beginning, we had to hire interpreters because the young reporters were so eager to communicate. I remember the editors from China telling me that they were hiring tutors secretly or listening to English training tapes that they had obtained from someone. In the meantime, Chinese and Korean editors can communicate well. They are so unbelievably polite. Some people say that they never know what the Asian people really think, but that has not been my experience. They tell me politely when they do not like something in our projects. Dress code in Asia is not as important. They dress well for business meetings, but more casual than the Europeans.
Expat Women:Can you tell us more about your company, Globalpress Connection? Irmgard: We are an international public relations agency, which I founded 26 years ago. My business elevator pitch says, “We are experts in doubling press coverage for our clients globally at a tenth of the time and a tenth of the cost”. This describes the result of our service. Another way to look at it is “matchmaking” (see video). We know which media from Europe and Asia is important to our clients. We are considered a boutique agency here in Silicon Valley, with about 100 accounts and only three team members. We have developed our own process and service values, which have sustained us throughout the downturns.
Expat Women:What are some of the key challenges that you have experienced in your company, and how have you overcome these?
Irmgard: Challenges, what challenges? Just kidding. If you cannot overcome the challenges that life and business throw at you, you will not survive in America. This country is full of challenges, but even greater opportunities.
I think the biggest challenge for entrepreneurs and businesswomen is always related to money. This is the most capitalistic society: if you have money, the banks throw credit at you; if you are in a cash flow crunch, they will not even talk to you.
One of the greatest challenges for me was underestimated tax liability. I found myself with $50k in taxes owed. That meant I had to put another mortgage on my house to pay the taxes. Although things are much better now, I still have to guarantee every business loan with my personal assets. Globalpress Connection, Inc. is a corporate entity, but as the sole shareholder, banks will not even give me short-term loans. The other constant challenge was finding sales people. So I abandoned the search and changed my strategy to cooperation with other U.S. public relations agencies instead. I would rather share profits with agencies, if we add value to the clients.
Expat Women:What are some of your favorite business highlights?
Irmgard:I cannot count all of the highlights, so here are just seven:
1.
Coming up with the concept of the ‘Reverse Press tour’;
2.
Turning this idea into a sustained business with substantial revenue;
3.
Having 70 percent of my clients return year after year;
4.
Knowing that 100 percent of our industry’s publications trust us;
5.
Receiving such good support within the business community and beyond (with only a few exceptions);
6.
Having friends all over the world, who truly welcome me when I visit their country; and
7.
Having raised my son as a single parent through the wild years of 2000 – 2010.
Expat Women: Irmgard, what top five tips can you offer to women wanting to set up their own business, at home or abroad?
Irmgard: This is not easy to answer, but...
1.
The most important thing is to believing in yourself and your idea and never giving up;
2.
Take the time to thoroughly research the competitive scene;
3.
It is very important to save enough money so you can take the time to develop your business;
4.
Looking back, I believe that my strict German upbringing, education, and professional life prepared me for success. I bring to the table a true dedication and a never-give-up attitude;
5.
But most of all, I truly care for the success of my clients and my global editors. You must care about what you are doing and go the extra mile every step of the way.
Expat Women: Irmgard, thank you very much for your time and insights. We congratulate you on Globalpress Connection’s achievements and wish you nothing but success in the future.
