Business owners must always be on the lookout for new ways to grow their business, both locally and globally. With today’s technology, many people are running businesses via the web. This offers business owners the opportunity to extend their products and services far beyond the local market. Although it isn’t easy and it takes hard work, there are many ways to grow your company into a global business.
1. Network, network, network
Relationships are everything in the business world. By connecting with other business owners in your industry, both at home and across the globe, you allow yourself to grow and for your name to be spread. The best way to do this is through industry conventions and through the liberal use of LinkedIn. You can partner up with other companies who have similar customers and share advertising and ideas. You can easily double or triple the size of your customer base just by partnering up with a few similar companies.
2. Expand to a Country that Speaks English
Some countries, like India, already value English as a language. Expanding to a location like this makes it easy to find workers with a common language, eliminating the need for a middleman or a translator and saving costs on overhead. Labor also tends to be less expensive. If you really want to grow, you may eventually need to expand to Asia and non-English countries, however it’s easiest to start small. This allows you to use the same website for your business from country to country.
3. Learn to Negotiate Well
Different countries and cultures have different methods of negotiation in business. For instance, in China, very rarely does the word ‘yes’ actually mean yes. It’s used to indicate listening, not agreement. Learning these regional and cultural distinctions can give you the upper hand and prevent you from making a mistake.
4. Create Viral Content
Some of the best ways to get noticed is to create something so good that it cannot not be noticed. Content that is extraordinary helpful and goes viral at home can easily catch the eye of someone on the other side of the globe, resulting in you receiving a phone call about a business opportunity.
5. Focus on Home Growth
While it may seem counter-intuitive, ensuring you gain momentum at home can help to be noticed in the global arena. A regional-only store isn’t likely to have much pull in the global marketplace if it doesn’t have the influence of the entire country behind it. Making sure your business goes big at home before expanding can give you a good base to start from.
6. Create Personable Relationships
Don’t be afraid to reach out to your business partners in person. When running an online business, it’s easy to get caught up in digital relationships. One of the best ways to create meaningful and long lasting business relationships is to branch out and meet in person. It’s easy to book quick flights with commercial airlines or JetSuite business jets. When you meet in person to talk about partnerships and ideas, you are more likely to find long term successes.
7. Know your Advantage
Every business brings something different to the table. Knowing what you have that gives you an advantage is vital to forging your place in the global marketplace. The global business world is brutal and cut throat, so you must use everything you have to expand.
Expanding overseas isn’t easy. There are thousands of business competing to get noticed; actually succeeding in this endeavor means truly going above and beyond the call of duty to do so.