Business Without Baggage #1: Doing Business With The French, what they don’t teach you in school.

Apr 16, 2025

01:27:02

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EP 380 - This week we're trying a cultural experiment - to start an occasional series called Business Without Baggage that helps people understand the nuances of doing business across different cultures.

To kick us off, we invited accomplished French corporate Lawyer and expert on cultural intelligence Olivier Lopez onto the show. We asked him to explain the nuances of doing business with the French and also got some expert hints about how different cultures operate around the world.

We chatted about how you can trace many of France’s cultural instincts and attitudes back to a revolutionary spirit, the application of logic and an abiding need to feel Liberté, Egalité et Fraternité in all of their dealings as well as finding a balance in life.

We also put these attitudes in a wider cultural context - amazingly a lot of it is to do with food, but not in the way you think. But we do have some fine wine and lovely cheese along the way.

We’d love to do more in this occasional series, so if you want to talk about what it’s like to do business with your fellow country folk (even if you’re only from Yorkshire) get in touch. You’ve got a lot to live up to on the food front mind.

*For Apple Podcast chapters, access them from the menu in the bottom right corner of your player*

Spotify Video Chapters:

00:00 BWB with Olivier Lopez

01:00 Special Episode: Business Without Baggage

01:29 Meet Olivier - Legal Expert and Negotiation Teacher

02:16 The Path to Becoming a Lawyer

04:58 Cultural Identities in French Business

08:42 Regional Differences Within France

14:34 Negotiation Tactics Across Cultures

42:52 The Role of Lawyers in Business

46:45 Invoice Payment Practices in France

47:51 Hierarchy and Flat Structures in French Business