CEO of Star-CaT, a Middle Eastern Advisory, Training and Consulting Company
By JULES LAVALLEE
For more than 20 years, Corina Goetz has worked with Leaders from the Gulf, Royal families and businesspeople who trust her implicitly. One of her many achievements is to help a company grow from 0 clients from this region to 6 million annual turnovers.
As a German and non-Arabic Speaker, she knows how hard it is to understand a culture that is so different to the West. Since creating Star-CAT her mission has taken her all over the world educating and assisting companies doing better business in this dynamic region that is the Gulf.
Share your background and what it was like to learn the culture of the Middle East.
I started in hospitality, specifically in 5 star hotels. But back then there wasn’t much information, the internet was slow and social media hadn’t started yet. This then meant I had to rely heavily on Mentors. Luckily my manager at the time had been in business for 30 years and he taught me everything he knew: who was who, how the families were related, how to read the names and so on. Additionally I learned about the culture that was so different to my own. At that time I started looking after Royals, Head of States, larger families etc and because this was all new I paid a lot more attention to things like hierarchy, what was important to them, taking notes, and remembering for the next time I would meet them.The most important skills I developed during this time were: listening, taking notes and building relationships. For everyone who wants to succeed in business now in Saudi or in the Gulf – this is something they can’t afford to miss – you need to get prepared.
Tell us about Star-CaT and what you offer to clients.
When I worked in hotels, I could already see how many Europeans or Westerners were unfamiliar with the Gulf culture (as I was initially) and that often led to misunderstandings, miscommunications and frustrations on both sides. For companies this is a huge problem because they can lose clients and employees which is bad for business.
Star-CaT bridges this gap by helping professionals understand what they need to be prepared for and how this can be used in business. The result of the training and online resources we offer is that their teams feel better prepared, can close deals more confidently but also adapt their Sales and Marketing Strategies accordingly.
We regularly update our content and training so our clients always have the latest information whether this is who is in power or what different countries want to achieve. Furthermore I serve as a Board Advisor to organisations to help them shape trade missions and provide insider knowledge about the Gulf.
What makes the Gulf the ideal place for big business?
This has to be because of their visionary leadership. The fact that every single country in the Gulf has at least Vision 2030 and many have looked further ahead such as the UAE with Vision 2071 makes it ideal to understand what their goals are and what they want to achieve. This then means there is a lot of room for innovation, new technologies or strategies than anywhere else in the world so companies with new products and cutting-edge ideas have a fantastic market there.
Share a client achievement that you are most proud of.
There are quite a few. We helped a fashion brand during Covid triple their orders with our Social Media strategy even though their shop was closed and Gulf clients couldn’t come to London. We worked with a law company to ensure their team was confident executing an event in Saudi when many of their team were initially fearful of doing this. And finally we helped a large hotel chain to shape their Sales and Marketing Strategy for the coming year without budget for Sales trips and they still got great ideas of touching their clients in the Gulf from the US. The clients that have the most success are the ones that action what we share – taking action beats perfection every time.
What will people notice when working with you?
I share everything I know. What strategies work, what doesn’t work – which mistakes I have made and they should avoid. We don’t believe in gatekeeping – we really want to make sure that we can accelerate their growth. But it only works if they keep an open mind and implement.
The Gulf is such a fast paced environment and it is vital to keep up with news, trends and what is happening – it is so easy to miss an announcement. But if you have the right information, this will go a long way with Gulf clients. Take for example UAE National Day this year which was just changed to Eid Al Etihad this year – so your messaging needs to change accordingly. It is always the details that make the biggest impact and we are here to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
Share your key to success.
There are several pieces – the first one I would say is mindset. Being an entrepreneur is 80% mindset and only 20% skill. And then of course you need to be open to learning and never think you have all the answers. There is so much that I still discover even after all these years because I am naturally curious. I continue to travel the region, test new social media strategies and am always on the lookout for new resources which is what I then pass on to my clients. Whatever worked yesterday might only work tomorrow and you may have to find new innovative ways to do what you have always done. I do have to say that we are so lucky to have so many incredible tools for communication, connection and information so this makes it a lot easier.
What is next?
I think more speaking engagements because my mission is global and I want more people to understand the beauty of the Gulf but also specifically what has changed in Saudi.
I do often sound like a tourist advert, but I really love what they have accomplished in such a short time and it is exciting to witness all this progress. To think that prior to 2018 there wasn’t a tourism industry and now Saudi has just passed 100 million tourists is incredible.
For me this means in this past year I went to some new destinations such as Al Ula and Taif and it surpassed my expectations. So if I can help more people around the world to understand this beautiful culture – my mission is on target.
