How do we help startups scale their business in Sports?
Our services includes a mix of business strategy, business development and strategic positioning.
Business Intelligence & Strategy
Through an extensive and practice-market-oriented approach with high-profile experience, we have acquired a clear and holistic understanding of the European market, allowing us to best help startups in their European development. We provide the strategic thinking for startups to guide their approach to organizations. We subsequently suggest a tailor-made roadmap to each of them based on the organizations that we consider pertinent. Since time is precious for a startup, we try to maximize the efforts. Reaching out to the sports organization is one step, but how to do so is another. The European sports industry is a specific market, added to these cultural codes, it can be dangerous for startups to not approach them in the right way.
Our expertise permits us in this case to support and educate them, in order to avoid losing opportunities right from the beginning.
Business Development & Introductions
With a high-level network built over the past years, we are able to get startups in contact with relevant sports executives within prestigious sports organizations. Considering access to decision-makers is highly complicated within the sports industry, it is one of our services that brings the most value to the startups we are working with. Of course, it is not about quantity, but rather quality. You have to knock at the right door, at the right time with a clear added-value to make the introduction successful. Doing volume for the sake of doing volume can prove counterproductive on both sides, which is why we make sure to frequently align our strategies and outreach to ensure we meet startups’ expectations in accordance with the market reality.
Understanding the current challenges, business needs and opportunity window of each sport organization is mandatory to introduce startups to the right organizations that can leverage their solution.
Market Positionning & Brand awareness
Positioning your brand in a new market is also not an easy step, but it is probably the most important one for success especially in a very conservative and traditional industry like sport where you need to evangelize the market. It creates clarity around who you serve, and explains to your target audience why you are the best company for them and what sets your products or services apart. In short, brand positioning is vital. As a brand, you need to display to your ideal audience what you do and have them invested in it. Brand positioning increases the strength of the company. It is less quantifiable than other marketing activities, but it is required to educate the market about the solution you provide and the need you address.
At LaSource, we leverage the uniqueness of your brand to best position it in the European Market, and consequently bring new business opportunities.
Going further: your Sales Office in Europe
Now that you have the guidance to lay the foundation of your business in Europe, what are the best extensions to create growth?
The main options are either to build an offshore team, to externalize the service, or create a hybrid model. The option doesn't really matter, but the way you will execute it is key. The market evolves fast, and it is often essential to get people up and running as quickly as possible. As startups are not based in Europe, we know that time difference can be an issue, especially as it is necessary not to lose business momentum. This is why we propose to our partners to be part of their European sales, customer success and marketing teams at the same time. A great example of this is how we have helped Slate to build their European emailing marketing strategy before to let them fully autonomous.