With the advent of social media, our world can at times, feel smaller than ever. Perusing through posts, checking tweets, and reading emails gives us constant insight into what friends and families are up to—even if they are located halfway across the planet.
In an increasingly globalized economy, it’s easy to think that these diminishing barriers also apply to business practices and norms. But even today, variations in legal practices, trade policies, as well as differences in cultures still loom large in shaping our intertwined economic environment. Perhaps no sector showcases some of the challenges such nuances are able to bring forth more than the current surge of web 2.0 companies currently conquering the globe. Google, Facebook, Uber, and Airbnb have all encountered various bumps in the road throughout their campaigns to broaden their reach beyond US borders.
But setting up or expanding an enterprise abroad requires more than just being aware of macro trends, like those mentioned above. It’s often easy to forget the smaller, more workaday details when establishing an international presence. One interesting example that highlights the need for keeping up with such fine points is use of an Impressum (Latin for “printed”) in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.