Meet Ceridwen Koski, an immigration lawyer specializing in European and Nordic companies. Although she calls Denver home, Ceridwen conducts business across the USA from NYC to Silicon Valley and became an Amcham Finland member in November 2014; almost immediately after the New York City office was established.

Choosing not to limit herself to a single industry, Ceridwen conducts business across a diverse and broad sampling of companies and individuals ranging from software companies to designers.

According to Ceridwen, the main thing to keep in mind when you start doing business and want grow in the U.S is to network and to establish a long-term plan. “You learn by doing, but creating connections and partnering with locals helps to adjust to the local ecosystem,” Ceridwen asserts.

We got the chance to have a chat with Ceridwen and this is what she had to say!

Ceridwen, what value do you find in the Amcham Finland organization?

I think the most important thing is the network and the common goal which is facilitating business in the United States. Amcham is an embedded network and it has a great reputation here.

Building business in the U.S is smart, but the most important thing is to have good timing. The market is huge; there is a broad range of consumers here and people have very different tastes, but relatively speaking, it’s not expensive to do business here.

How do you plan to tap into Amcham’s resources in the future?

Amcham Inc. is a way to connect with loyal and trusted providers, contacts and partners.

I’m really happy about the New York office and interested to see the future of Amcham Finland here. It would be wonderful to learn more about the Amcham Finland member companies throughout the U.S too.

Most successful growth company owners are entrepreneurs who have connections and experience doing business here in the U.S. However, there are still so many things you just can’t know before-hand; it’s a different culture so it’s always live and learn-mentality. Businesses are conducted in a certain way in certain settings; so to succeed, businesses have to be dynamic, open and responsive to their target markets.

Which, if any, of Amcham’s members have you worked with? What kind of experiences have you had working with them?

I have worked a lot with service providers and other law companies. I am open about my expertise and I like to brainstorm. Lawyers often specialize in one field of operation – my practice focuses entirely on immigration.

How do you see the global business community evolving over the next five years and how do you fit into that equation?

I find the future of business to be very interesting. People have more knowledge; they want cleaner and simpler products and services. When business becomes more global, it can make things both easier and harder at the same time. Amcham helps to overcome these challenges by aiding in the establishment of lasting relationships and personal connections that will continue to be an integral part of the business world for the foreseeable future and beyond.