By Joanna Walsh


As a business owner, you may have seriously considered expansion into the new global markets. No matter where you live, the fact is that your current marketplace is but a tiny fraction of your possible customer market when you begin to think in global terms. To reach those new foreign markets and expand your business reach and profitability, you might want to consider the type of assistance that only a qualified group of international strategic consultants can provide.

There are really two ways to think about global expansion. The first is to plan for a completely internal process, wherein you rely on your company's existing personnel to assist in the expansion effort. Obviously, that can be challenging for the average firm, since most do not have that level of internal expertise in this area.

That usually leaves the second option, which is to look for and hire an outside company that has experience in managing such expansions. This will, of course, mean that you have to pay additional money to expand your business. However, once you begin to break down those costs and compare them to the benefits associated with hiring true experts in global expansion, your decision will end up being far less complicated than you might now assume.

After all, you'll need help in a variety of areas. These consultants have the requisite expertise to assist you with even the most minute details of your expansion. Their knowledge can help you to find the right foreign partners, deal with potential tax issues, acquire infrastructure, and even buy out other companies in the countries you are expanding into.

Risk is always a concern for such a venture, and these consultants are uniquely qualified to assist you in assessing potential gains or losses. They'll help you determine the best chances for return on investment, as well as high-risk areas you might want to avoid. Their main goal, after all, is to assist you in maximizing your profitability as you expand your business reach.

Those are big concerns, but even the smaller, less noteworthy issues need to be addressed when expanding overseas. The easiest way to fail is to forget to properly deal with things like your supply chain. The good news is that consultants can assist you in identifying potential local suppliers, while assessing their reliability. They can also help you determine areas in which your current supply chain can be scaled to meet your new needs.

The counsel you'll receive in dealing with local bureaucrats and red tape cannot be overstated either. Many companies have seen their expansion goals set back by years due to their inexperience in dealing with local customs, laws, and bureaucratic attitudes. Experienced consulting firms can better navigate these issues to ensure that the expansion succeeds without undue costs or delays.

When you stop and consider these things, it is obvious that the process of expanding into a foreign market is a complex process that involves specialized knowledge of the type few entrepreneurs possess. Thankfully, you can avoid potential pitfalls and ensure maximum opportunity for success by outsourcing much of your expansion effort to a consulting company with the experience and technical expertise you need to ensure success.




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