The Road Less Travelled: Debbie Millin Shares How Female Founders can Scale Their Businesses Globally
“A friend of mine recently asked me to create a ‘title’ for my career. I decided on ‘The Road Less Traveled’ because I have always done what felt right for me even if it was not what people considered a traditional route - and that is what keeps it interesting.” Today’s woman dreamer, Debbie Millin, is a Boston business leader to know, a founding member of the executive team at Globalization Partners, a company enabling businesses to quickly and easily expand across the globe. In this inspiring interview, Debbie shares her drive to work with organizations that “feed her soul”, such as being a board member of the Special Olympics of MA and an advisor to The Commonwealth Institute. An inspiring international business woman, Debbie shares her top tips that every female founder must think about as they scale their businesses globally. Enjoy her insightful story!
1) Tell us your story. You have had quite a dynamic career. You were most recently the COO of Globalization Partners, a leading company in global employment solutions. How did you become the leader you are today?
Careers are never a straight line - you need to look for opportunities along the way, take smart risks, and be ready to shift from your original vision. A friend of mine recently asked me to create a ‘title’ for my career. I decided on ‘The Road Less Traveled’ because I have always done what felt right for me even if it was not what people considered a traditional route - and that is what keeps it interesting.
Early in my career I volunteered for every new and difficult assignment that came along. Not only did this help keep me challenged and learning, it also got the attention of management and built my reputation of being someone who took on tough projects and got things done - that led to new opportunities.
Leadership is a life-long journey. The best leaders I’ve seen are those who are genuine, supportive, honest, and know they can’t possibly know everything. They surround themselves with great people, and then let them do their jobs - that is incredibly empowering to employees and is critical for the company to scale.
I’ve had the privilege of working at amazing companies throughout my career. I started my own company in 2012 - I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur, but having my own business has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my career. In fact, that is what led me to Globalization Partners. The CEO and I worked together at a previous company, and she reached out to have me help them scale from 3 people to 5 people - as they say, the rest is history! I soon joined full-time and in less than 6 years we grew from $17 Million in revenue to $1 Billion in ARR and a $4.2 Billion valuation, while maintaining an award-winning culture. I recently stepped out of the COO role to take on an advisory role with the company and begin a new chapter of my career. I am delighted to support my colleagues and the organization in a new way. What this team has done is truly remarkable - I am so proud of what the company has already accomplished, and I am incredibly excited for the future.
2) You recently wrote an article on the 4Cs of International Growth, and the role of remote work in expansion. Tell us about this. What are some of your top tips for female founders looking to globalize their company?
The #1 tip to any founder is to find a trusted advisor to guide you. I like to say global expansion and remote hiring is a team sport - there is so much to navigate, especially with rapidly changing regulations in the pandemic, so don’t try to go it alone. Working with Globalization Partners allows you to hire people quickly and compliantly around the world, takes the administrative burden off your team’s shoulders and lets you focus on growing your business.
I would encourage leaders thinking of hiring a remote global team to read the full article (link here) but below is a quick summary of my tips from the 4 C’s of international growth:
Culture: Standing out as an employer and retaining the best and brightest is no longer all about offering a good salary. They want genuine work-life balance and a healthy company culture. As you hire people globally, be aware of cultural differences and look for ways to connect all your team members to form your overall corporate culture.
Compliance: It is critical to hire your international team members compliantly - you will protect your company from substantial penalties and be seen as an employer of choice by your candidates by demonstrating that you understand the local regulations and market norms in that country. It is also important to have a remote work policy if you have people working outside an office location.
Cost: Be aware of the total cost of employment - each country has social charges that can vary widely and can sometimes surprise US-based companies. In addition, if you are relocating employees as a shift to remote work becomes more prevalent, make sure you understand the costs of relocation.
Capability: When expanding internationally, assess the skills of your internal HR team and don’t expect them to know everything about every country - it is not possible, and is why I like to say that expansion is a team sport. Find a trusted partner to help you grow quickly and compliantly.
3) You do a lot of volunteering on Boards of the Museum of Science and Special Olympics. Tell us more about your volunteer work, and what inspires you.
I love to work with organizations that feed my soul. I was on the Board of Directors at Special Olympics of Massachusetts, and when my term expired after 9 wonderful years I joined their Advisory Board to stay involved. I am also on the Corporate Advisory Board for The Commonwealth Institute - an organization focused on women’s leadership, professional development and personal success. In 2021, I joined the Board of Advisors at the Boston Museum of Science, and am so excited about what they have planned to bring a life-long love of science to everyone at the pace of change - here is a link to recent article in The Boston Globe about the new Life Sciences Center.
The theme that connects these organizations is a vision of making the world a better place - that can be bringing a positive moment to one person’s life, or bringing people together to solve a problem facing our world.
4) As the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream?
My next big dream has a few pieces. First is supporting multiple companies as they scale in my roles as a board member and advisor - I have already started this and love it. Next, I am honored to be attending a program at Harvard Business School this spring that brings together the highest-level executives from companies around the world. Finally, I will be continuing my work with non-profit organizations that strive to make the world a better place.
As I enter this next chapter I hope I can demonstrate to others that regardless of where you are in your career path, there is always more to learn and experience. I am so excited for what 2022 will bring for us all.
Thank you Debbie for sharing your inspiring story with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!
WHO WE ARE
WOMEN WHO WIN IS THE GLOBAL ONLINE MEDIA PLATFORM AND NETWORKING GROUP FOR WOMEN, WHERE WE SHARE THE DREAMS OF DYNAMIC WOMEN ACROSS THE WORLD, AND THE INSPIRATIONAL SECRETS BEHIND THEIR SUCCESS.
CO-FOUNDED BY DR. MANJU SHETH, DR. DEEPA JHAVERI, SHALEEN SHETH.
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