Carlos Valez poses some interesting questions about doing business cross-borders as a small company or solo practitioner. Most people only hear about the mega-offshoring deals. When I step back to think about the companies I have worked for and consulted to, it seems like I have worked with a more diverse set of people overseas when with a smaller company as compared to when with a larger company. Whereas I primarily did international business in Canada and Indonesia while working for larger companies, I have worked with folks from the UK, Germany, France, India, Australia, Japan, and Latin America when working with smaller companies or as a freelance consultant. Although there are likely several factors in play, I suspect a lot of the explanatory power has to do with the increase in virtual collaboration and networking technologies.
Professor of Practice of Behavioral Economics