Pursuit Marketing is a Glasgow-based tech company providing demand generation and digital marketing services to the technology industry worldwide - they’re navigating the challenges of growing internationally with the help of the GlobalScot network.

Scottish company Pursuit has an appetite for internationalisation, opening their first office in Malaga in 2019. Since then they have grown their business in Italy, Germany, and now look to expand into Turkey and the US with the support and advice of GlobalScot on local recruitment, employment law, data and privacy law, and working through cultural differences.

Pursuit Marketing helps companies grow. They work in demand generation and communications across the technology space. Chief Operating Officer Lorraine Gray explains the current recruitment challenges in their sector, and the benefits of connecting with the GlobalScot network when entering new markets or recruiting local talent.

“Recruiting the right people is always a challenge and we have been fortunate because we’ve developed a good employer brand in Scotland and our international locations. It's picking the right locations where we can get access to the talent we need. So I think we'll probably be relying on the GlobalScot network more heavily in the months ahead as we find out where those bases would be.”

Finding the best people for the job

Lorraine has worked with Managing Director and Pursuit Marketing co-founder Robert Copeland for over twenty years, and they experienced the best and worst of workplace cultures within the industry. Therefore, when Pursuit was created, a key priority was to build teams and create work environments that prioritise the happiness and health of employees. While Pursuit have succeeded in creating workspaces that value their people, she explains one of the biggest challenges Scottish tech companies are currently facing is recruitment.

There may be a shift in the market after the pandemic, but sourcing, recruiting and retaining talent has become more difficult. As a result Scottish businesses in the tech industry are finding one of their biggest challenge is resourcing. A shared difficulty that Pursuit plans to resolve by entering markets across Europe, Asia and the US – made easier with help and advice from the GlobalScot network.

Getting the right people is becoming more challenging. GlobalScot will become more important to us because we need to leverage the learned experiences of our peers in other markets in order to choose the best possible locations for our new sites”

An unbiased, independent source of expertise

The GlobalScot network has helped Pursuit to navigate challenges with employment law, data and privacy, and gaining the right permits to work in Turkey. Pursuit connected with GlobalScot, Jonathan Blythe, as they developed plans to enter the Turkish market.

Jonathan’s experience and understanding of Turkey and the difficulties of getting the right permits, or finding a suitable location for their offices, has helped smooth the path for Pursuit to establish and grow their business in the country.

Lorraine feels one of the biggest benefits of engaging with the GlobalScot network is meeting people who have been on the same journey and understand the complications around various laws and regulations, and any potential pitfalls, in unfamiliar markets.

“We were introduced to Jonathan Blythe as a GlobalScot and he was fantastic. Jonathan had a few meetings with us and gave us sound advice around opening in Istanbul, taxation, regulations and things to watch out for.”

Growing beyond Scotland

Pursuit’s engagement with GlobalScot has provided the company with unbiased, independent advice from experts with connections to the locations the company plans to enter. Lorraine credits the organisation with making knowledge around employment law, taxation and recruitment more accessible.

Lorraine says GlobalScot reduces the barriers of consultancy fees for small businesses and gives them a place to start as they begin to grow beyond Scotland.

“Whether you’re in the position to look at internationalising your company, or exploring other opportunities to innovate, evolve or diversify, GlobalScot provides opportunity to gain some independent advice from business leaders who’ve been on a similar journey and can give you sound advice without any other agenda. Pursuit helps companies to grow by creating opportunities to increase market share in new territories, or with new products, therefore we’ve lots of synergy with the GlobalScot network – who can give practical advice to put your growth plans into action.”

What’s next for Pursuit and the GlobalScot network

Pursuit is planning a market visit to Turkey to meet some of the contacts that Jonathan recommended. They’ll be taking Jonathan’s advice on key partners such as employment lawyers, accountants and solicitors as they navigate their way into this territory and ensure all local legislation is understood and adhered to, as well as looking at new office locations. They plan to have up to 50 staff in Istanbul within the next six months.

Pursuit are incredibly proud to provide services to the world’s largest technology companies, such as Google and Sage who are among their impressive portfolio of clients. Their ambitions to expand and add to their growing client list is reflected in their engagement with GlobalScot and plans to enter the US market in 2023.

“We've reached out to GlobalScot recently to start having operational conversations about the US. There are even options for face to face meetings with US GlobalScots such as Robert Dewar when they visit Scotland, as well as the connections that can be made online via the website. It’s such a big territory and we need to be sure we make the best decisions as each state has its own regulatory and cultural factors to consider. We’re engaging with GlobalScot to get the best guidance and advice.”

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