Sewon Yoon, Head of Market Development & Innovation, “logical ability, communication, self-motivation are the most important competencies”

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Nov 19, 2020

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Sewon is responsible for expanding Dable’s business through new market development and strategic partnerships with external business partners. He is in charge of business tasks including market research that determines which countries to branch out, global recruitment, product localization, initial sales, and corporate establishments. Prior to joining Dable, Sewon has worked in the media partnership team at Google Korea and Google Japan and has participated in various global projects to improve the usability of Google’s advertising products. He has also managed business operations at a startup as a founding member.

Please tell us about yourself

I got into computers a little earlier than others. When I was in middle school I became interested in the world wide web (WWW) and I thought about the potential the web can offer. I naturally became interested in IT services and startups, and in high school, I had a vague goal that I would one day start a business in the relevant field. This being the case, I decided to attend a university where I could gain opportunities to meet potential colleagues who could help achieve this goal.

Although I majored in two different engineering degrees for a BS, I wasn’t very talented nor interested in the subject. Therefore, I decided to work in an IT company based on my understanding of IT technology, not as a developer but as a business operations employee.

In university, I joined a startup as a founding member to gain experience in business management. Later, I worked for a global IT company where I got a closer look at how a company is operated as well as how it impacts the world. Going forward with this background, I’m currently in charge of new business and market expansion at Dable.

What brings you to Dable?

I have kept my eye on Dable for a while. First, I saw Dable as a company built on a solid foundation as it generated revenue from its early stage. In addition, I believed that it possessed the ability and potential to expand its business globally based on its technological competitiveness of ‘Personalization’. I still believe this to be true.

In the past, when I was working in a foreign company, I had a desire to make a Korean company successful globally. With the belief that my dream can be fulfilled at Dable, I decided to join the company.

What is your role at Dable?

I am in charge of expanding Dable’s global business through new market development and strategic partnerships.

My tasks can be regarded as establishing a strong foundation to drive future revenue for Dable.

In terms of global expansion, I have been carrying out various tasks including market research that determines which countries to branch out, media partnerships, corporate establishments, and global team recruitments. In addition, I have also promoted the integration of numerous global DSPs and led the Ad Exchange partnership with Google.

Personally, when it comes to new market development, it is most exciting to start from the bottom of the ladder. Since it is starting from scratch, I do feel at loss as to where to begin, but the sight of making new business partners as well as making the business grow is remarkable and rewarding.

In particular, the first members who join our global offices are very special to me. When people start their first business in a new country, it certainly can be overwhelming with a ton of work such as the localization/internationalization of products, administrative procedures related to the establishment of a corporation in the country, the documentation and translation of the business introduction, and conducting sales. Unlike working at the head office, it is lonely and difficult to execute all these tasks with limited support at the branch office. That being so, this process of making progress, one step at a time, working through difficulties with them means so much to me.

What are the required capabilities for someone to enter a new market?

I think logical ability, communication, self-motivation are the three most important competencies.

Perhaps, logical ability and communication go hand in hand. A task cannot be completed alone. This means that team members have to be able to think and communicate logically to find the best solution through discussions. Also, since logical thinkers quickly and systematically organize and absorb new information in their own way, they have a steep learning curve. With that said, we prefer someone who can approach problems logically and have the ability to carry out rational conversations with others, even if the person may not be knowledgeable about the industry right now.

The competency of each founding team member in the country is critical to carve out a new market. so we are trying to recruit highly self-motivated people who can voluntarily search and carry out tasks they deem necessary without any special guidance.

How is it like working at a startup?

I was asked a lot of questions on why I joined a startup. I think they seem to ask me more because I left a reputable company to join a startup.

I think working at a startup as just a ‘different’ option.

Some people enjoy making progress while others like to maximize their capabilities on an existing foundation. People should think carefully about their preferences and join a startup if they think it is suitable for them.

One of the pleasures of working at this startup is that I can contribute to creating culture. I have introduced a good program from my previous workplace to Dable, and I also made a completely new suggestion to take root in Dable. It is quite pleasurable to see the process of establishing a new corporate culture by suggesting new proposals in a variety of ways to create a better company as well as culture, and discussing those suggestions.

What are your goals at Dable?

This may sound obvious, but I hope to lead on Dable’s constant growth and make a successful exit.

As a team lead, my goal is to create an exciting work environment for my team members. We spend more than a third of our time at work daily, and being at work must not feel miserable. I believe my role is to create a work environment where they can feel excited and passionate for given tasks and help them grow together. Ever since we started our overseas business, I personally feel proud that almost all of our international members trust us and are continually willing to work with us. I hope to work with Dable’s brilliant team members happily for a long time.