A Home for International Business

A Home for International Business

Here at CoMotion I’ve interacted with start-ups and small business of a mighty wide variety. But a recent stroll through the halls revealed this is also a space where International businesses can find opportunity.

Even after being here for over a year, I still find I discover new things about CoMotion on the regular. Granted, I don’t have the entire directory memorized, but every once in a while you hear about a business here that has stop and think, “that’s kinda cool!”

Today I got to have a chat with Veronica Richards. Veronica is the COO of CALLS, a Mexican-based company that specializes in business-to-business lead generation campaigns. They boast a call centre with over 200 agents that work with major international companies like Dell, HP, IBM, Ricoh, Oracle and others. From Mexico, they provide services in all Latin-American countries and can communicate in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

The invitation to Canada

Their arrival in Canada is a cool story, too. They were invited by the Canadian Embassy to investigate opportunities to invest in Hamilton and gain presence in the Canadian market. Veronica and her partner jump on this chance and began the process setting up shop here in Hamilton. Currently, she is the Vice President of CALLS’ Canadian operation. The opportunity enabled them to offer services to Latin-American companies who are also looking to invest in the Canadian market. And, conversely, they are also helping Canadian companies gain a foothold in Latin America.

Once they arrived in Hamilton, our friends over at Hamilton Economic Development introduced them to CoMotion and a few of the partners. They liked what they saw and, since space was available right away, the decision was an easy one.

The advantage of CoMotion

The ability to accommodate an international business that’s, more or less, testing the Canadian market made CoMotion very appealing. The membership-by-the-month ensured they could keep their overhead low and manage their investment while they generated some momentum. Veronica notes that the space, itself, is exactly what a small operation like hers requires. “It is a place where I can get everything I need; I have my own space, there are meeting rooms, it’s a great place to colaborate and it has an excellent location.” From a cost and available-resources perspective, Veronica adds, “This really is a perfect place to start your business.”

Making the most of coworking

Another perk that Veronica took advantage of was marketing CALLS to fellow members of CoMotion. She cites our monthly assemblies as a great opportunity to introduce her business to other members. This, alone, resulted in multiple requests for proposals.

But beyond the business opportunities, Veronica also mentions her fondness for the intangibles of CoMotion – even the friendliness and effectiveness of Operations Manager, and CoMotion-partner, Larissa Drobot. “I really like it here. It’s a place I feel comfortable,” Veronica explains. “The people here are fun to be around and Larissa is extraordinary – always happy to help.”

As far as welcoming an business from another country and culture, that’s some very high praise. Veronica sums up her experience here as perfect as I’ve ever heard:

“It’s like a mix of having a great place to work, but feeling cozy  – as if you were in your own home.”