Pond Business, my latest book, releases today! This is a book that has been 30 years in the making. Ever since immigrating to the US from the UK, I have been driven by a desire for others to see the opportunities that exist a short hop across the Atlantic, or The Pond as I and many others refer to it.
These opportunities are many. They are economic, they are diplomatic, they are cultural, educational, research-inal … you get the point, I hope. I am fully convinced that to access Europe, even post-Brexit, the United Kingdom is the best place for a US company to look to for setting up shop or trading. I am also fully convinced that the trade relationship between the UK and the US can be, and will be, stronger than ever in the future. Even in the midst of what has been a rather dynamic and shifting Brexit debate, Britain continues to be one of the strongest economies in Europe. My encouragement as you look at the seemingly chaotic scenes in Parliament is to also realize that the UK is one of the strongest performing economies in Europe and that in the midst of Brexit drama, the UK is seeing incredibly high levels of foreign investment.
I am also fully convinced that British companies looking to continue Britain’s global business leadership should look to the US, and the Midwest specifically, as their gateway to North America. The US, for the past seven years, has been the place where the world’s global business leaders want to invest and grow according to the A.T. Kearney annual FDI Confidence Index. The UK, as an aside, has been ranked at number four in the world for the past three years, despite the uncertainty that has come with the Brexit negotiations.
And I would contend, maybe controversially, that the Trump administration may be one of the best times for UK companies to invest in the US due to the President’s affinity for the UK, his support for increased trade and investment, and his predictability. Yes, predictability.
President Trump, when you look at him through the lens of internationalism as defined by Lady Thatcher in her Downing Street Years autobiography, is committed to acting in what he defines as the best interests of his country. And knowing where he is coming from, makes it easier to make business decisions that can benefit from the current administration’s plans and actions. He is focused on America first, rather than globalism first. And he seems to be working down his list of campaign promises in order to fulfill them. With that in mind, regardless of your view of the politics involved, you can come to pretty good conclusions about where he wishes to take things and make educated decisions as to where the business opportunities may lie.
Add to that the Global Economic Policy Uncertainty Index I will discuss further in the final chapter of this book, and the UK and the US both look incredibly attractive today.
This book’s entire purpose is to start you on your journey of Pond-crossing business. It’s not an in-depth tome with all the necessary legal guidance on how to run a multinational company. It is simply a guide book, kind of like a tourist guide for your business dealings.
The content comes from 30 years of interesting cross-Pond interactions. Being involved in economic development, marketing, international diplomacy, and cultural promotion has given me a perspective that has caused me to find the good in both the US and the UK. And it’s also created some amusing circumstances over the years that I hope you can learn from and from many interviews with business leaders and government officials on both sides of the Pond.
My hope is that this book is informative, slightly entertaining, and a valuable tool as you look at expansion or trade with the other country. And beyond these pages, if there is anything else I can assist you with, regardless of whether you are looking east or west, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Together, we can make the special relationship between our two countries the most powerful economic and trading relationship of the 21st century.
I encourage you to pick up a copy of Pond Business on Amazon or in bookstores everywhere. You can find the links to order at www.PondBusinessBook.com.