How to Get Started in the US: What European Companies Need to Have in Place Before Hiring

For many European companies, the US represents a natural next step for growth. The market is large, innovative and full of opportunity. But while the potential is significant, getting started in the US is rarely straightforward.

Hiring your first employees, building a local presence or even testing the market requires more than copying what has worked in Europe. The US is not just a bigger version of a European market. It operates under different assumptions, structures and expectations.

This article outlines what European companies should consider before making their first hires in the US and what typically needs to change once the decision has been made.

The US Is Not One Market

One of the most common mistakes European companies make is treating the US as a single, homogeneous market. In reality, the differences between states, regions and even cities are substantial.

Key factors that vary across the US include:

Availability of talent and competition for specific roles
Salary levels and compensation expectations
Employment laws and compliance
Cultural norms and ways of working

Being successful on the East Coast does not automatically translate to success on the West Coast. A setup that works in New York may be completely misaligned with expectations in Texas or California.

Understanding where you want to operate and why is just as important as deciding that you want to enter the US at all.

Before You Decide to Start: Organizational Readiness

Before hiring your first employee or sending someone across the Atlantic, it is worth pausing and assessing whether the organization is truly ready.

This readiness typically includes three core areas:

Financial and strategic clarity

Do you have a realistic budget for US salaries, benefits and advisory costs?
Where are your customers located and how close do you need to be to them?
Is this a long-term investment or a short-term experiment?

Roles, responsibilities and expectations

Job titles, scopes and seniority often mean something different in the US than in Europe. A role that might be broad and flexible in, for example, a Danish context often requires clearer definition and authority in the US.

It is important to be clear on:

What the role is responsible for today
How it is expected to evolve as you grow
What decisions the role can and cannot make independently

Access to the right talent

The US labor market is competitive and fast-moving. Some roles take significantly longer to fill than companies expect, especially in tight or highly specialized markets.

Assuming that “we will just hire when we need to” often leads to delays and missed opportunities.

Trust the Process and Invest Locally

A recurring theme among companies that succeed in the US is a willingness to invest early in local expertise.

This might include:

Legal and employment advisors
Local HR or recruitment partners
Market-entry specialists

While this can feel costly upfront, it often prevents far more expensive mistakes later. The US market rewards preparation, clarity and compliance and punishes assumptions.

Trusting the process also means accepting that things will not move or look the same way they do in Europe. Decision-making, communication and leadership expectations are different and adapting to those differences is part of the investment

Once the Decision Is Made: Your First Boots on the Ground

Once you have decided to move forward, the focus shifts from readiness to execution. This is where many companies underestimate the organizational implications.

Mandate and decision-making

A critical question is: Who actually has the authority to act in the US?

Who can make hiring decisions?
Who owns budget responsibility?
How many stakeholders in Denmark need to be involved?

Too many decision-makers back home often slows progress and creates frustration locally. Clear mandates are essential.

Culture and ways of working

Culture does not automatically travel well. European leadership styles are often implicit, built on trust and autonomy with an expectation that people will figure things out.

In the US, expectations are typically more explicit:

Clear goals
Frequent follow-ups
Direct communication

This is not about micromanagement. It is about alignment.

Compensation and flexibility

Candidates in the US often expect:

Clear compensation structures
Defined benefits packages
Transparency around growth and change

Especially in early-stage setups, it is important that candidates are change-ready. Roles, responsibilities and working hours may evolve as the organization scales and this needs to be communicated clearly from the start.

Geography, Distance and Reality

Physical and cultural distance matters more than many companies anticipate.

Time zones, travel time and local networks all influence how effectively teams collaborate. Leading a US-based employee from any European country requires intentional communication and structured follow-up.

What works in a small, co-located European organization rarely works by default across continents.

What This Means for Leadership

Perhaps the most important shift for European companies entering the US is learning to let go intentionally and thoughtfully.

US-based leaders and employees need:

Trust to make decisions locally
Freedom to adapt to the market
Clear expectations rather than constant approval loops

Hiring people you do not trust to lead locally is one of the fastest ways to fail in the US market.

Summary: Three Key Takeaways

If you are considering hiring or establishing a presence in the US, keep these three points in mind:

Start with readiness, not structure
Be clear on strategy, budget, roles and geography before you hire.
Invest early in local knowledge
Advisory support is not a luxury. It is a risk mitigation tool.
Trust the people you hire
Give clear mandates, communicate explicitly and allow local leadership to lead.

How Slater Consult Can Help

At Slater Consult, we work with Danish and European companies that are entering or scaling in the US. We help translate strategy into practical decisions around organization, leadership, hiring and local setup.

Whether you are preparing for your first hire, building your initial US team or reassessing an existing setup, having the right structure and expectations in place from the beginning makes a decisive difference.

Getting started in the US is a significant step. With the right preparation, local insight and trust in the process, it can also become a strong foundation for long-term growth.