Exploring a new international market can bring uncertainty, particularly for an entrepreneurial business with a new or distinctive model. Knowing who to speak to, understanding what is happening on the ground and testing plans with someone who has relevant experience can make all the difference.

For Brian Donaldson of Orla Energy, GlobalScot provides access to targeted advice and international connections that help the business approach new markets with greater confidence.

The challenge

Orla Energy has ambitions to take its business model into international markets, including the US. However, political and market uncertainty prompted the company to reconsider the timing of its American plans.

Like many businesses developing something new, the team must also build confidence in its model and communicate its potential convincingly. For Brian, learning from people who have followed similar paths can help make an ambitious international journey feel more achievable.

The GlobalScot support

Through GlobalScot, Brian has been able to speak with experienced people who understand the markets and sectors Orla Energy wants to explore.

One conversation connected Orla Energy with a GlobalScot based in Houston. Hearing directly about what was happening in Texas helped Brian reconsider opportunities in the US and gave the company greater confidence about potentially attending a show in Houston. The discussion also highlighted a possible connection to Canada and provided positive validation of Orla Energy’s distinctive business model.

Brian believes that GlobalScot complements the wider support available through Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International. It allows a business to access specific, targeted help relating to a particular country, niche or area of interest.

What changed

The conversations gave Orla Energy renewed confidence in its ability to explore opportunities internationally.

Instead of relying only on assumptions about a market, the company could hear directly from someone with relevant local knowledge. That insight helped turn uncertainty about the US into greater confidence that opportunities may still exist.

The experience also reinforced the value of speaking with people who understand both the commercial environment and the challenges of pursuing an entrepreneurial idea. Access to their experience helps the company validate its thinking and communicate its model with greater conviction.

Brian explained:

“By accessing the GlobalScot network, I know that I’m going to get specific, targeted help that is useful to me.”

For Orla Energy, this combination of international knowledge, targeted advice and a willingness to help makes GlobalScot a valuable resource when considering where the business could go next.

Advice for other Scottish businesses

Brian believes businesses should use GlobalScot to access people who understand the countries, sectors and challenges they want to explore.

The network offers something that can be difficult to find elsewhere: experienced people around the world who are willing to share useful knowledge and help Scottish businesses make connections.

His message to other Scottish companies is clear:

Use the network to build confidence and access targeted international insight.

Speaking to the right GlobalScots earlier in Orla Energy’s journey could have helped the team learn from people who had undertaken similar international or entrepreneurial journeys. That outside perspective can make an ambitious goal feel more achievable and help a business speak about its plans with greater confidence.