This episode is a crash course on entering Europe from Robbie O'Connor. Robbie had led the local charge for Google, Dropbox, Asana, and now Notion, and in this interview, he reflects on the best practices he's learned first hand, from setting up the team, segmenting the continent, and localizing the go to market approach. We also discuss how each of these things have evolved, and what's coming next. Below is the full list of topics we cover:

What Notion does, and the responsibilities placed on the GM of Europe
Benchmarking Notion's presence internationally users, geos, and headcount as of June 2021
How to prioritize geographies when a company has clear product market fit and plans to be everywhere eventually
The pre-req's and milestones your company should achieve before expanding internationally
The advantages of setting up a European hub in Ireland - talent, tax, and regulatory benefits
The current funding environment in Europe, and other talent hubs on the continent
Ways to segment Europe into sales territories - initially and as your team grows
The amount of localization that's currently required to succeed as a SaaS company in Europe
Whether a single sales methodology works in all markets around the world, and the right way to adapt the sales approach for each market
The pros and cons of starting with a functional leader such as a sales leader versus a general manager when entering a region
The challenges and soft art of being a regional leader
Best practices and tactics for staying aligned with HQ and building bi-directional communication
What companies can do to set their regional leaders up for success
Knowing what good looks like when you are getting started in Europe
The importance and impact of data privacy laws in Europe, and what companies should know before entering
The mentors and opportunities that helped Robbie build his international leadership skills
Expectation setting and preparing for the bumpy road when going into new markets