• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Submissions
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Aug 12, 2022
  • Startup
    • Creating a Plan
    • Funding a Startup
    • Franchise Center
    • Getting Your Office Ready
    • Making Your Business Official
    • Marketing Your New Business
    • Personal Readiness
  • Run & Grow
    • Customer Service
    • Human Resources
    • Innovation
    • Legal
    • Operations
    • Risk Management
  • Leadership
    • Best Practices
    • Communication
    • Green Initiatives
    • Open Culture
    • Strategic Planning
    • People Skills
  • Sales & Marketing
    • Advertising and Lead Generation
    • Marketing Innovations
    • Marketing Plans
    • Online Marketing
    • Relationships
    • Sales Activities
  • Finance
    • Budgeting and Personal Finance
    • Payments and Collections
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Pricing Strategy
    • Working with Investors
    • Working with Lenders
  • Tech
    • eCommerce
    • Hardware
    • Software
    • Security
    • Tech Reviews
    • Telecom
  • Shop

SmallBizClub

Helping You Succeed

Home / Leadership / Strategic Planning / The Essentials You Need for International Expansion
The Essentials You Need for International Expansion

The Essentials You Need for International Expansion

1575 Views

Apr 10, 2017 By Zak Goldberg

Once you’re successfully up and running on a national scale, you might want to think about where you can go next to turn your small business into something bigger and better. A great way to do this is to move onto the international scene and get your goods and services sold overseas.

There isn’t a magic wand you can wave though that makes this possible, there are certain things you need to have ready and in place beforehand. Here’s what to think about:

Market Research

Much like any business venture, you need to carry out market research first to fully understand the situation. With this, you need to look to the international scene to get a clear idea of where there is demand for your goods/services around the world.

The Right Contacts

Once you’ve done the research, you also need to network and make connections with other businesses and investors in these countries to firstly to make your presence known, but secondly to help you set up your trade operations.

Their insight can be valuable, as can their potential financial support. So if you can, head over to international trade fairs or look on networking platforms like LinkedIn and make enquiries with any relevant individuals or companies.

Managerial Expertise

As an SME, it’s likely that your operations are relatively modest at this time, but the truth is that to head abroad you need managerial experience to deal with the move.

You can seek external support with this, but there’s nothing to stop you handling this either. A quick look online can find lots of useful resources, like this international business guide from TNT for example. These can help you with everything from day-to-day management to ways to target foreign clients for trade.

Look at your Logistics

Building on that last point, once you’re ready to start shipping abroad, you then need to think about the logistics of this. Ask yourself questions like:

  • How will I get my goods abroad?
  • How will I handle any returns?
  • What are the rules and procedures in the different nations?

Again, this is where it makes sense to seek external advice, as the last thing you want is for your items to be held or seized before they reach their destinations—as this certainly won’t be good for business!

With all the above ready and in place, you should be putting your SME into a prominent position to get trading around the world. So, if you’ve yet to get started, act now and good luck!

Filed Under: Strategic Planning Tagged With: Growth, International, Planning

Zak Goldberg

Zak Goldberg

Zak Goldberg is a Law & Business Graduate from the University of Leeds and has chosen to follow his aspiration of becoming a publish author, offering expert advice and commentary of all areas of law and business economics.

Related Posts

  • How Relevant Is Italian Dual Citizenship For Business Owners
  • Why a Second Passport Is Important for an International Business Owner
  • Could Your SME Obtain Corporate Finance To Boost Growth?

Primary Sidebar

Random

Why and How to Align Your Team Through Brand Values

Aug 11, 2022 By Luke Britton

Why Businesses Should Treat Employee Burnout as a Risk Management Issue

Aug 11, 2022 By Andrew Deen

From Beat Cop to Entrepreneur: A Unique Startup Story

Aug 10, 2022 By SmallBizClub

a-startup-goldmine--combining-healthcare-and-technology

‍9 Tips for Making Your Healthcare Business More Successful

Aug 9, 2022 By Charlotte Sylvester

employment-practices-liability

‍5 Business Liabilities That Can Cause You A Ton Of Trouble

Aug 9, 2022 By Jeremy Bowler

Footer

About Us

Small Biz Club is the premier destination for small business owners and entrepreneurs. To succeed in business, you have to constantly learn about new things, evaluate what you’re doing, and look for ways to improve—that’s what we’re here to help you do.

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2022 by Tarkenton Institute, Inc. All Rights Reserved | Terms | Privacy