Selling in a Foreign Language: Founder Lessons from Building heva

Building a successful cross-border healthcare platform requires overcoming significant language and cultural barriers. As heva's CEO, I've learned valuable lessons about founder-led sales when you don't speak your customers' primary language—Spanish—which is essential for serving healthcare providers across Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

This founder story explores practical strategies for building international business relationships, leveraging team strengths, and creating sustainable growth when language barriers initially seem insurmountable in the healthcare industry.

What challenges do founders face when selling in a foreign language?

Selling is challenging when you don't speak your customer's language—I mean this literally, not figuratively. I do not speak Spanish fluently, yet Spanish is the primary language of our healthcare provider base across Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

Founder-led sales typically relies on nuance, clarity, and personal connection. When constrained by language limitations, this process becomes especially daunting. Building trust in healthcare—an industry where relationships and communication are paramount—requires overcoming these barriers strategically.

How did heva overcome early language barriers?

In heva's early days, I leaned heavily on our Co-founder and CTO, Hector Terrero, to help drive sales. While not a typical CTO responsibility, his roots and fluency in Dominican Spanish bridged gaps I simply could not. Our strategies included:

• Live Translation: Google Meet calls with real-time translation support
• AI-Assisted Communication: ChatGPT tuned to Dominican Spanish for WhatsApp outreach
• Co-founder Collaboration: Leveraging Hector's cultural and language expertise
• Technology Integration: Translation tools and AI to bridge communication gaps

I quickly realized that while I couldn't execute this task alone, as a team we had the combined skills to succeed. This led to hiring Account Executives with local cultural and language expertise, building a sales team across the Dominican Republic and Mexico that's embedded with our providers and their patients.

What strategies work for building cross-cultural business success?

While I lacked the skills to directly execute all sales activities, I was able to appreciate the right process, lean on a capable co-founder, and bring on the right talent for long-term execution. What seemed like a fundamental barrier to serving as CEO became surmountable through strategic team building.

Key strategies that enabled our success include:

• Recognize Limitations: Be honest about what you can and cannot do effectively
• Leverage Team Strengths: Build a team that complements your weaknesses
• Hire Local Expertise: Cultural and language fluency are invaluable assets
• Embrace Technology: Use translation services and AI to bridge communication gaps
• Commit to Learning: Continuous improvement in language and cultural understanding

What lessons apply specifically to the healthcare industry?

As we continue to expand our provider network and serve more international patients, these lessons remain central to our approach. The healthcare industry is inherently personal and trust-based, making cultural competency essential for success.

Healthcare-specific considerations include:

• Trust Building: Healthcare decisions require deep trust that transcends language
• Cultural Sensitivity: Medical practices and patient expectations vary by culture
• Regulatory Knowledge: Each market has unique healthcare regulations and standards
• Local Partnerships: Embedded teams understand provider and patient needs better

Frequently Asked Questions About Cross-Cultural Healthcare Business

References

• AI at the Front Desk, Clinicians at the Bedside
• Medical Tourism on the Rise: Solving Healthcare Challenges in the US & Canada with Technology
• Trust Is The Hardest Product To Build

Disclaimers

Business Experience: This article shares personal founder experiences and business lessons. It is not professional business advice. Individual results may vary based on market conditions, team capabilities, and execution strategies.

Platform Information: heva is a healthcare coordination platform connecting patients with providers—we do not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All business strategies should be evaluated based on individual circumstances and market conditions.