My 5 top tips for successful exporting and international expansion
Over my career I’ve researched, set up, managed and even sold on companies in 15 countries, and I’ve travelled for business or pleasure to nearly 140. So, unsurprisingly, business people that I meet always ask why, where and how to get started with exporting or international expansion of their own.
Love of Flying
I’m happy. I’m flying. I’m on a plane from Madrid to London, observing the clouds below me and thinking about the place I left a few hours ago, Oviedo, 39000 feet below me. Instead of flying one short 90 minute non-stop flight, I’m making a connection that involves “going backwards”
Delivering B2B Media Content for International Business
Without sales, there’s no business – and so it’s easy to argue that one’s sales force are amongst your most important employees. Any executive will tell you that it’s hard enough hiring, motivating and retaining good sales people in your home country – but when setting up an international subsidiary, it’s that much harder.
Hiring a Global Sales Manager
Without sales, there’s no business – and so it’s easy to argue that one’s sales force are amongst your most important employees. Any executive will tell you that it’s hard enough hiring, motivating and retaining good sales people in your home country – but when setting up an international subsidiary, it’s that much harder.
Joint Ventures – Gaining Benefits and Avoiding the Unexpected
Many SMEs have lots of paperwork or admin or customer service activities that have come to account for a high proportion of their staff costs. There’s an obvious advantage to doing that abroad, is that it can be much cheaper than with labour in your own country.
Bilingual Skills – Outsourcing in Palestine
One territory that definitely qualifies as “off the usual business radar” is Palestine. It’s clearly not a valuable export market. But, for businesses active in the Middle East, or looking at expanding there, there are some real opportunities to take advantage of its positioning as a hub.
Finding a Business Partner Abroad
Do first impressions lie? On paper, the company looked impressive. Out of the six potential partners that we’d shortlisted, and that I’d travelled to Mumbai to meet, this one looked the best on paper. Rajesh, the young CEO who came to meet me at my hotel looked the part too – immaculately dressed, well spoken, and clearly well organised, as he laid out paperwork and photos on the table in front of us.
Free Trade Agreements – What are the Real Opportunities for the UK?
Those politicians who are enthusiastic about Brexit are always talking about the UK having great opportunities for trade after leaving the EU. Those who oppose Brexit – and many who are on the fence – dismiss those potential opportunities, at least for the short term, and say that the loss of EU trade would more than outweigh any new benefits.
Free Trade Agreements – Past Successes and Failures – Can Lessons be Learnt?
For this series, I’ve been reading up the studies that have been done into their impact – the successes and failures – to see what can be learnt. Such lessons are useful from two points of view.
Free Trade Agreements – World Trade Organisation, Gatt and Other Players You Need To Know About
Episode 2 – We’ll look at the recent history of trade deals, cut through the jargon, look at the key principles and, after all of that, get a pretty good understanding of why FTAs are so difficult to negotiate.