Scaling up and diversifying a company’s offerings presents a challenge for even the most seasoned companies. Unsure about where or how to begin, an up-and-coming, US-based small drone manufacturer with notable results in the US defence field reached out to Samuel Associates, looking for support in expanding into the Canadian public safety sector. The results-oriented team at our firm worked with the company to make this happen in a mere nine months.

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Searching for a Cross-border Breakthrough

Although a newcomer to the field, the company had already accomplished a lot. In addition to winning challenges with the US government, the company had landed large institutional clients, including the US Air Force and the US Department of Defense.

Still, the firm’s presence remained confined to the US and the defence sector. Eager to grow, it wanted to enter the Canadian market and form partnerships with a broader range of governmental agencies.

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Creating and Capitalizing on Buzz

Regardless of its accomplishments in the US, the firm had to generate and sustain buzz on this side of the border. That meant engineering opportunities within the Canadian context to heighten visibility and allow the product—and its clear benefits for the national good. We drew on our experience and expertise to pinpoint relevant industry exhibitions and readily secured the company’s involvement

Meanwhile, demonstrating the product’s exemplary public safety applications required raising awareness among those working in that sector. To do so, we consulted the company on putting the product in front of relevant parties through several private technology showcases. These events allowed the company to exhibit its product and prove its value to Canada’s public safety sector.

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Securing and Captivating an Audience

Through our assistance, the once-obscure company achieved brand recognition in Canada. In less than a year, it went from a small American start-up to a company that could hold a senior government agency audience in Canada’s capital.

Moreover, the company saw a viable pathway to diversifying its offerings and contributing more to North American security. The fruitful conversations with key players in the Canadian public safety sector that we helped to bring about translated into meaningful product displays. Ultimately, the company enjoyed the sales-generating opportunity to engage these entities in private use-case testing.