International business expansion guidance and advice
Trade Horizons’ Market Entry Blog
Our market entry blog covers a range of topics relating to international business expansion. Articles tackle many different subjects, including the initial planning and preparation stages of growing your business, advances in technology you can take advantage of, through to sales & marketing, packaging and branding advice. Written by leading experts in their field, you’ll be sure to find something of interest and real-world practical advice if you are looking to grow your business around the world.
Latest Articles
Expanding to the UK? What to do now, after the EU Referendum?
Following the UK vote to leave the EU, many international businesses that were planning to expand to the UK - or who are (or were) already in the process of doing so - are asking what to do now? How do we proceed? In our article we outline some key facts and Trade Horizons' general perspective.
5 Typical Fails in International Expansion – Part 5
The last market entry mistake is a trap that companies frequently fall into: this is the 'illusion' of being able to generate substantial new foreign income (attractive pricing and strong currency) based on only utilising home resources and costs (usually lower cost and weaker currency). This mistaken belief in the ability to create 'gold' from very little investment is surprisingly common and usually results in failure.
5 Typical Fails in International Expansion – Part 4
One of the most common hopes that I hear expressed is 'we just need a PO to get going'. Companies that are looking for their first sale or contract to generate enough revenue to sustain expansion into a new country are more often than not doomed to fail.
5 Typical Fails in International Expansion – Part 3
A surprising, but not uncommon, market entry fail is when companies expand to a new territory and are not clear about what they are trying to achieve, nor have an approach that defines tactical objectives and a clear estimate of the costs of the exercise. It's an approach which is entirely, 'Let's start and see".
5 Typical Fails in International Expansion – Part 2
Following on from my previous post, the second typical fail I frequently see in international expansion across many business sectors is what we call "Trying to be All Things To All People". Generally this is an error that happens when companies have not taken the required time to study the foreign market they are looking to enter and they have no focus.
5 Typical Fails in International Expansion – Part 1
I recently returned from participating in the Catalyst Seminar Speaking Tour in India. My slot was on how to drive commercial success when entering a foreign market. Working with companies from all over the world, of differing sizes and from different sectors, we see recurring themes in international expansion that cut across these including common issues, typical mistakes, as well as formulas for success. Here, I'm going to share five major mistakes that we encounter time and time again which can put a company's foreign market entry at risk and typically lead to failure and financial loss.
