Top 3 Key Points & Learnings for Business Leaders
1. Rethink U.S. Market Entry: It’s About Clusters, Not States
- The U.S. is a patchwork of specialized industry hubs, not a uniform marketplace.
- Success depends on identifying and entering regions where your industry’s buyers, suppliers, and talent pools are already concentrated.
2. Speed and Efficiency Come from Targeting the Right Industry Hubs
- Choosing the correct cluster reduces travel time, accelerates deal cycles, and increases early wins.
- Examples: Wichita for aerospace, Minneapolis for medical devices, Texas for clean energy—each outperforming “obvious” choices when aligned with the product and target market.
3. Ask the Right Strategic Questions Before Choosing a Launch Point
- Where are the most active and future-proof clusters for your industry?
- What local conditions (procurement, regulations, decision-making culture) will accelerate or hinder you?
- How close can you be to your top customers and decision-makers to build relationships faster?
Read the full article here:
European executives often talk about “the U.S. market” as if it’s a uniform, 50-state playing field. That assumption will quietly drain your budget, slow your growth, and in many cases, stall it entirely.
The reality? The U.S. is not 50 equal markets—far from it.
- Wyoming has a population of under 600,000.
- Los Angeles County alone has more people than 40 U.S. states—and an economy larger than every single country in Africa.
- California is divided into 58 counties, each with its own procurement systems, regulations, and industry presence.
- The U.S. has 27 cities with populations over 500,000, and 346 cities with over 100,000.
And within those numbers are industry clusters that will make or break both your U.S. launch and your growth trajectory.
The Industry Cluster Reality Check
You wouldn’t open an office in Oslo if all your customers were in Madrid. So why would you set up in Silicon Valley when the critical industry cluster for your solution is in Wichita?
If you’re in aerospace manufacturing, Wichita is a global hub. If your sector is medical devices, Minneapolis might outrank Boston in opportunity. For clean energy, Texas can be faster to deal close than California despite the state’s green reputation.
When you see the U.S. through the lens of where your industry’s decision-makers are concentrated, the map changes dramatically—and so does the logic behind your expansion plan.
Why This Matters for Both Launch and Growth
The current trade framework between the EU and U.S. is predictable for now—but that’s no guarantee of long-term stability. Whether you’re entering the market for the first time or scaling from a foothold to a national presence, you can’t afford to plant resources in the wrong place.
Choosing the right location—at launch or during expansion—means:
- Shorter sales cycles through customer proximity
- Lower travel costs and higher deal conversion
- Early wins that build credibility and fuel the next phase of growth
From States to Clusters: The Right Questions to Ask
- Where are the strongest concentrations of my target industry—today and in the next 3–5 years?
- What local factors accelerate or slow deals? (procurement rules, regulatory environment, decision-making culture)
- What’s the travel time to my top 10 prospective customers?
If you can’t answer these questions with precision, you’re not ready to choose your U.S. launch point—or your next growth market.
Traksjon’s Approach
At Traksjon, we use Market Sequencing to break the U.S. into targetable opportunity zones—not just states. We map:
- Industry cluster concentration
- Customer density
- Decision-making structures at the local and regional level
The result? A location strategy that’s rooted in where you can win fastest, whether you’re landing your first U.S. customer or accelerating growth into your second or third region.
Bottom line: Stop treating the U.S. like 50 equal states. Start treating it like a landscape of economic ecosystems—each with its own rules, players, and velocity. Land where your industry’s heartbeat is strongest, and you’ll build traction that fuels both a successful launch and sustainable growth.
📩 Let’s map your U.S. opportunity zones: www.traksjon.com
Industry clusters group buyers, suppliers, and talent in one region, enabling faster market entry, stronger networks, and better growth opportunities than a state-by-state approach.
By locating near a concentrated hub of your industry, you reduce travel time, shorten sales cycles, and quickly build relationships with decision-makers.
Leaders should ask: Where are the top clusters now and in the future? What local conditions support fast deals? How close can we be to our top prospects?
