Michelle Rodger: Scots around the world can unite and conquer

Published on Saturday 23 January 2010 13:17

THERE'S an entrepreneurial backbone to Scotland that spans centuries and has contributed to much of the world as it is today.

The global opportunities for Scottish businesses know no boundaries, except perhaps imagination, determination and ambition. We have those qualities in spades, yet we still don't seem to be breaking into the big time and knocking on foreign doors.

Since the GlobalScot Conference last November, I've been listening, reading and contributing with great interest to the global conversation about Scots abroad. Much has been blogged and tweeted about the Scottish brand, mostly that it's a tremendous but seriously undervalued and under-tapped asset.

Business owners across the globe are engaged in dialogue about how best to promote the brand – and of course our Scottish products and services. There's comprehensive agreement about the value of such an exercise, but there doesn't seem to be much cohesion in actual activity.

I stumbled across a conversation between three men, previously strangers both to me and to each other, on social networking website LinkedIn. Under the heading "Scotland is a Tremendous Brand", Allan Sayers kicked off the blog with the comment: "Wherever I am in the world there is a pretty high regard for what the Scots have achieved. We could really build Scotland into a powerhouse in Europe and the world. We have what it takes."

As a Scot who does business in more than 100 countries, publishing chief Sayers says he has benefited greatly from his Scots education and his Scots accent. He believes the time is right to do something for the land of our birth and would love to get involved in an exhibition that took Scots wares around the world.

"Just think what a party it could be as well as raising international awareness of our unique culture, heritage, brains and sheer ingenuity," he said.

Clark Wilson, an international patent attorney whose father hails from Paisley, agrees but highlights the fundamental problem facing Scots abroad: self-promotion. Wilson says both Asian and Eastern European countries, and Ireland as well, do lots of promotion in south-east America where he lives, and have reaped the rewards.

He says: "I know it goes against traditional Presbyterian modesty, but if people do not know about Scottish capabilities how will Scotland benefit?"

Paul Clark of Innovar Partners, himself a GlobalScot, agrees with Wilson's point about Ireland, adding that the country does an outstanding job of branding in the US.

He cites a lot of discussion about Scotland's brand but precious little action over the long term and thinks that most of the Scottish Government agencies appear to function in blissful ignorance of each other's existence.

"I have met great people with GlobalScot, SDI and the Scottish Executive but they have got to work together and sustain the momentum," says Clark. "Collectively these agencies could be a force to be reckoned with."

Clark is right about the myriad organisations stepping up to the challenge. There's GlobalScot, SDI, Scottish Chambers, ScotsIn and the newly funded and soon-to-be-launched Kiltr, to name but a few. Are there too many? Do too many cooks spoil our Scotch broth?

Possibly. My belief is that there should be one big, slick all-singing, all-dancing network engaging with successful entrepreneurs and matching them carefully with aspiring ones. That doesn't mean there's no role for the other organisations to play, maybe just that they need to focus on a more niche approach, working with GlobalScot to address aspects of the process that GlobalScot doesn't.

Admittedly, GlobalScot is going to have to work a lot harder if this is to be the case. It has clearly failed to raise its profile, to the extent that new organisations believed there was nobody out there doing it and that they should therefore give it a go.

Irene Johnstone recognises this awareness issue and since taking responsibility for GlobalScot two years ago has been working to hone the database while simultaneously boosting the organisation's profile both at home and abroad.

The demand from business in Scotland is also quite low and Johnstone's goal is to ensure GlobalScot becomes front of mind. But she's confident her business model is the right one to drive economic success in Scotland, connecting Scots to real economic opportunities.

The process is not yet perfect, but it's true there's a great willingness from Scots all over the world to help their fellow Scots business folk just waiting to be harnessed. And with some smarter networking, and more regular and dynamic events, Johnstone will have the chance to prove her business model.