Tips to Take Your Business International

Let’s face it; every small business wants to move beyond the boundaries of their own town or city and show the world what they’ve got. Thanks to the internet, this has never been more possible, and even the smallest company can become a global player if they have the right attitude and if they’re willing to work for it.

If you’re hungry for global success, here are some tips that will help you take your business international:

Wait for Success

Although you might be raring to go global and increase your profits, there is little sense in expanding internationally until you have found some success at home. International trading is often riskier, so if you can’t make a go of things at home, your time might be better spent improving your business first.

Have the Right Capabilities

With doing business abroad, comes a whole set of complications that you will need to be able to handle if you want to be successful. If you’re an online store, for example, you’ll need to be able to answer queries, send out documents and set up websites in a range of language, which means spending on a company like The Translation People,  who will ensure your objectives are understood, and that’s before we even get to the storage and shipping issues! So, before you put yourself out there, take a step back, look at your business from every angle and get your stuff together before you launch internationally.

Start Slow

Instead of jumping fully into the global market, it might serve you better to dip your toes into trading with one or two countries who are likely to be most receptive to what you’re doing. That way, you can try things out, see what works and work out any kinks without having to juggle a global company at the same time.

Attend Trade Shows and Conferences

Attending worldwide trade shows and conferences in your particular niche is one of the easiest ways to make global contacts and get your foot in the door. Even if you’re on a tight budget, flying out to some of the most popular is likely to be a good move for you and your business.

Use Social Media

If you want any business to be successful, you need to market it, and this isn’t as easy to do when you’re a small business trying to succeed in the global market. You might have trouble accessing traditional methods of marketing in your target countries, but social media is a great leveller, which will enable you to spread the word and interact directly with your target audience. Use it wisely, and you will not have to worry about garnering interest in your products and services.

Use Freelancers

Using freelancers for everything from translating your website into multiple languages to creating new technologies to help your business thrive globally is a cost effective way of getting things done quickly in the country you need it to be done in. There are thousands of freelancers all over the world waiting to work with you, and you’d be foolish not to use their considerable skills as you build your global business.

Becoming an internationally known brand won’t happen overnight –it’ll take blood sweat and tears – but if you’re determined, it can be done, and I wish you luck.