[dropcap]P[/dropcap]erhaps the best thing about living in the new millennium for entrepreneurs is that they are no longer limited by their physical location and the products, services, and team members it can provide. On the contrary! The business world is globally accessible, which means that you and your team can live, work, and do business anywhere from wherever you are. Expanding your small local business isn’t just possible, it is probable.
It’s okay if that feels overwhelming. We’ve all been conditioned to think of global businesses as behemoths that have zero respect for the little guys–AKA us. These days, though, it is possible to keep your businesses small and your workforce tightly knit, even while expanding on the global level.
This doesn’t mean, however, that you don’t need to be careful about the process. Expanding any business, regardless of its size, is real work.
Protect Your Cloud and Your Servers
Doing business anywhere beyond the range of your company’s wi-fi means relying on the cloud. This means that you need to pay extra attention to your cloud security. Make sure that your cloud service provider has the best possible security measures in place both domestically and for international threats. You will also want to make sure that your own servers and whatever servers your workforce is using are properly secured as well.
Work with International Providers
In addition to cloud servers that can be accessed around the globe, you also need to choose virtual services that can be accessed from anywhere or, at the very least, the countries and areas of the world in which you and your team will be working. The last thing you need is to have a client call fail because the company didn’t license itself for use in that country. These virtual services will include video and audio conferencing services, cooperative working services (services that let people located remotely work on a project simultaneously), phone and mail services, employee system monitoring services, etc. And, of course, you’ll want to work with payment companies that can accept the currencies you will be using.
Learn the Law
It is important to understand that, just because your company’s home base may be located stateside, that does not mean that the only laws you have to follow are US laws. Double check the licensing statutes and regulations of all of the companies through which you will be operating to make sure you can legally do business in that country. Make sure that you’re following all of the trade laws, etc. This is not going to be something that you will want to try to figure out on your own. Hire an attorney who specializes in international business to help you navigate these systems.
It will also be important to learn the laws regarding business-related travel to and from the companies in which you will be operating. The United States has what are called ESTA agreements with most of the world’s nations, but not all. Double check the rules before you start hopping from one location to the next.
Connect Locally, Work Globally
Perhaps the best way to increase your company’s chances of global success is to have someone on the ground in each country you will be operating. This person can act as your point of contact for all of the legal business, shipping needs, etc. for that area.
The simplest way to accomplish this goal is to hire a globalized workforce. Hire employees who are already located where you will be doing business. This way you’ll have an “insider” who is already familiar with the area and who has already built up relationships and a network there. It will also save you the astronomical cost of having to pay for someone’s international relocation and the headache of securing work visas.
Go Native
Once you’ve got all of your legal stuff covered and your business tools in place, you need to learn the language. And by this, we don’t just mean the academic version of a country’s predominant language. We mean that you have to learn how to communicate both conversationally and professionally with people who are local to those areas. Familiarize yourself with local slang, customs, and business practices. Pitching works differently all over the world. Don’t be “that American” in your meetings. Make an effort to connect with clients, employees, etc. in their comfort zone. It will go a long way toward the expansion of your business, we promise.
All of this is going to take time and effort. And it is time and effort well spent. Going global is an adventure that will be beneficial to both your personal and professional future.
Ryan Kh is an experienced blogger, digital content, and social marketer. Founder of Catalyst For Business and contributor to search giants like Yahoo Finance, MSN. He is passionate on covering topics like big data, business intelligence, startups and entrepreneurship. Connect with him on Twitter @ryankhgb.
