Tobias Griebel and his wife sold everything. Quit their jobs. Packed up their two boys and spent almost a year traveling the world — looking for the place where hard work still pays off.
They chose the United States. Greenville, South Carolina, to be exact.
It wasn't easy. It still isn't sometimes. But Tobias — now Managing Director of MTB Recycling in the US — has distilled years of experience watching German and European companies succeed and fail in America into a framework that's surprisingly direct: get the right people, spend money in the right places, and be ready to fight.
Here's what that actually looks like.
Hire Local — But Choose the Right Germans
When German companies ask Tobias whether to hire locally or send people from headquarters, his answer is layered.
"Always hire locals," he says. "That's the baseline. They have the cultural understanding. They've lived here their whole lives."
But he goes further: even within the US, hire for the region. "Someone from New York will have a hard time selling in California. Local for local — that's the right approach."
That said, Tobias doesn't dismiss the value of sending Germans over — with one critical condition: "It depends on which Germans you send."
He's seen too many executives arrive as what he calls "the big messiahs" — convinced they're there to show Americans how things are done. "Let it go," he says plainly. "You destroy more than you win."
The Germans worth sending are the open-minded ones. The ones who are genuinely curious about the culture, willing to adapt, and humble enough to recognize that American business has been working very well without their input for quite some time.
"Europeans are actually better trained to adapt to a new culture than Americans," Tobias observes. "If you think you can come to the US and say 'I'll show you how things work' — it will not work. At least not today. Twenty years ago, perhaps. Not anymore."
The ultimate goal is a cultural bridge between headquarters and the US subsidiary. "Whether a company succeeded or failed in the US always came down to that bridge," he says. "Not the price. Not the product. The bridge."
Where German Companies Waste Money
Tobias has watched company budgets get burned in remarkably consistent ways.
Lawyers and consultants. "In one of my companies, the lawyers and consultants cost three times my entire travel budget," he says. "That makes no sense." Contracts matter — but trust and relationships come first in American business. Many deals worth millions are built on handshakes long before anyone opens a lengthy agreement.
Prestige locations. Manhattan sounds impressive. It's also brutally expensive. Tobias has seen companies burn their setup budget on premium addresses that add nothing to their sales results. Better to operate lean and redirect those funds into actual market-building activity.
German events in the US. Flying a team from Germany to an industry conference that's mostly attended by other Germans — paying thousands in participation fees plus flights — and coming home with no real leads. "A nice talk, but no real movement forward," he says. The better investment? Local US events where actual buyers are in the room.
Global marketing instead of local. "Many companies spend all their marketing budget in Germany on global campaigns," Tobias says. "Then they wonder why their US customers can't find them." A German website that ranks on page 50 of Google in the US is, effectively, invisible. The US market requires a US-specific digital presence — optimized for American search behavior, in American English.
Where German Companies Under-Invest
The flip side is equally consistent.
Salaries and benefits. "A good sales manager in California can earn more than a CEO in Germany — because the cost of living is completely different." Tobias uses a simple illustration: an evening out in a small German town might cost €8–10 for a pizza. The same evening in Charlotte, South Carolina? Around $45 including tip. If you pay your US team on European scales, you won't keep them.
Training. "I hear it so often: let's see if they stay six months, then maybe we'll send them to Germany for training." Tobias is direct: "If we don't train them, how should they do their job properly? They're thousands of miles away from headquarters." The cost of a delayed or underprepared employee far exceeds the cost of a flight.
Travel expenses. Visiting customers in the US is not the same as a German rep driving to the next city and coming home for dinner. Domestic flights, rental cars, and hotels — even for regional travel — add up fast. Budget accordingly or your sales team simply cannot do their job.
Local merchandise. "In Germany, there's a lot of nice merchandise that fits the local market — but doesn't fit the US." Golf balls, quality tumblers, items that resonate with American buyer culture. Small details that signal you understand who you're selling to.
The First 90 Days: Mindset Before Mechanics
When Tobias talks about the first 90 days, he doesn't open with a checklist. He opens with a mindset.
"Rule number one: be open to adapt. And don't have too high a risk aversion — because that will slow everything down."
He's watched German companies lose their first-mover advantage not to competitors, but to themselves — trapped in cycles of planning, legal review, and double-checking. "If you spend 45 of your first 90 days getting lawyers to check what other lawyers already checked, you've already lost."
The American market doesn't wait. Customers expect you to be ready before they place the order — not that you'll get ready after. "You need to have the factory before they give you the order. If not, you will not receive the order."
His own US entry was a masterclass in finding solutions under pressure. Applying for an E2 investment visa required opening a bank account — which required a social security number — which you can't get without already being in the country. A seemingly impossible loop. "We went to bank after bank until we found a loophole," he says. "That's the first 90 days. Don't accept a no. Find solutions instead of complaining about how bad everything is."
Practically, that means:
- Have a rough business plan — not a perfect one
- Be prepared to work 14–16 hour days to overcome unexpected hurdles
- Treat failure as information, not defeat — in Germany, failure carries stigma; in the US, it's part of the process
- Stay flexible enough to adapt the plan as reality reveals itself
"What's the perfect plan for the first 90 days?" Tobias summarizes. "Be prepared. Be ready to fight. Have the right mindset."
Preparing Your CEO for Their First US Sales Trip
If you're an export manager taking your CEO on their first US customer visits, Tobias has clear guidance: brief them on cultural reality before they land.
Start with the reminder that the US is not the US. Different regions, different buyers, different expectations. Then address the myths — especially the dangerous one about Americans being less sophisticated. "They will be nice to you and everything," Tobias says, "but they are very clever. They know how to do business."
For a more structured preparation framework, Tobias points to the Hofstede cultural model — a practical tool for understanding the key dimensions of American versus German culture before walking into a meeting room.
And above all: coach your CEO that a warm, enthusiastic meeting is not a closed deal. It's the beginning of one.
Planning your US market entry? Download the StateMinded 11-Step Checklist and book a free 30-minute consultation to map out your first 90 days.