Like it or not, new international business expansion depends on travel. Maintaining and growing existing business too, whatever one’s definition of international business – export, import, outsourcing, licensing, or operations of any kind in other countries. Sure, there are a number of established ways one can do many kinds of business in other countries without leaving home – selling online, using local distributors and agents, and so on – but without actually going there,  seeing and...

Sometimes, something happens that makes a business owner realise that their business really needs a whole new approach if it’s to succeed.  Sometimes, that something is forced upon them. Like now.  In a month, two months, three month’s time, life will begin to return to normal. None of us know, but we all already suspect that the “new normal” won’t be like the one before – the normal of just a few weeks ago. What is that going to mean for your business? Can you just carry on from where you...

Since we started this series of podcasts a couple of years ago, quite a number of people have asked me to cover franchising as an approach to Grow through International Expansion. Becoming a franchisee has certainly proved a popular business opportunity for many who have a reasonable sum of money to invest, want to run a business that they can get started quickly, but who either don’t have a ready business concept of their own or simply want the increased confidence that operating an...

There seems to be a general agreement that companies – both in the manufacturing and services sectors – could export a lot more than they currently do. If that’s so, what’s holding them back? My guest in this podcast, Andy Moylan, points to two key factors. One is simply the lack of accurate information and advice backed up by real practical experience. The other is fear of not getting paid. It can be bad enough chasing payment in your own country – but how do you go about it in a far distant...

In this podcast, I’m going to talk about how I see the future of international business in 2021, what those with small and medium businesses should be doing and planning in the months ahead, why nobody should panic, and why it makes sense to go on listening to Grow through International Expansion podcasts and engaging with our articles and other content. We’re faced with two major global crises – coronavirus and climate change. Whilst they are not related to each other, both give rise to...

In today’s podcast I’m talking with Karolina Peret, the International Manager for British Water, the Trade Association for the water industry. Karolina is responsible for British Water's global programme through the International Forum (IF).  With an international background in the aquatics and environment industry, she brings in-depth knowledge of water and waste-water related issues. Karolina's education is complemented by an MSc in engineering, a passion for sustainability, and broad...

Our host, Oliver Dowson, first went to set up a business there back in 2006. It had to be a joint venture, and you may have listened to his podcast telling the story of some of the potential partners that he met. Oliver writes “Having decided on my partner, I found it surprisingly easy to get started – in retrospect, so much so that I never asked a thousand questions that I should have done. I’m not saying that anyone was trying to deceive me, but my business would certainly have been more...

When you’re planning international expansion, deciding on the country isn’t enough. Next you need to choose a city or region – and there’s a lot of reasons to consider and, in the bigger countries, a lot of alternatives to consider. Obviously, the priorities depend on what sort of business you’re in and what you want to achieve in the country you’re expanding to. But the fundamentals are almost always the same. Last month, our host, Oliver Dowson, visited the annual Going Global exhibition at...

Last month, our host, Oliver Dowson, visited the annual Going Global exhibition at the London Excel Centre. It’s a big event, part of the Business Show. For those who are looking at expansion, it’s a great opportunity to see a lot of the professionals you’d need to work with in one place, and to get new ideas for countries and regions to expand to. While he was there, Oliver took the opportunity of recording some short podcast conversations with many of the exhibitors, asking them the...

Last month, our host, Oliver Dowson, visited the annual Going Global exhibition at the London Excel Centre. It’s a big event, part of the Business Show. For those who are looking at expansion, it’s a great opportunity to see a lot of the professionals you’d need to work with in one place, and to get new ideas for countries and regions to expand to. While he was there, Oliver took the opportunity of recording some short podcast conversations with many of the exhibitors, asking them the...

Over the last year, Grow through International Expansion has grown considerably, in content, followers and podcast listeners. Our website, https://growinternational.org, has become a go-to destination for many looking for independent information, guidance and ideas on all aspects of international business expansion. Thousands of others listen to our podcasts on channels such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean and Acast. Now, we’ve launched the Grow International app,...

Without sales, there’s no business – and so it’s easy to argue that one’s sales force are amongst your most important employees. Any executive will tell you that it’s hard enough hiring, motivating and retaining good sales people in your home country – but when setting up an international subsidiary, it’s that much harder. Even where there’s no language barrier, your best sales person may struggle to succeed in another country. Even if you’re successful in hiring a great sales person in your...

Following a previous episode about finding a partner in another country, in this GrowInternational podcast our host, Oliver Dowson, talks from his experience about the benefits and perils of starting Joint Ventures abroad. Whilst Oliver’s specific experience relates to creating operations to carry out administrative services, the lessons he learnt are equally relevant to those looking at JVs as a route to selling or manufacturing goods in a new overseas market. If you missed earlier episodes,...

Leanne is an entrepreneur herself. Having worked in countries including Afghanistan and Iraq, where she earned valuable experience in advisory roles for both the Iraqi and British governments, she has become an expert on business strategy in challenging markets. Indeed, in recognition for her services, Leanne was awarded the Iraq Reconstruction Medal. Leanne co-founded the Iraq Club and the Future Energy Forum. She has particular interest and experience in infrastructure, energy and...

What do you think of when you think of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE (United Arab Emirates)? Time was when it was just oil, but these days it’s also tourism and business in general – witness all those gleaming tower blocks one sees in photos. The growth of the economy has been staggering – and that’s led to ever increasing numbers of businesses planning to expand there. Some simply use the UAE as a base from which to service the whole Middle East and Indian Ocean regions, but...

Andoni Silva is a self-styled Awareness coach, based in Spain but working all over Europe. His method is said to help high performers and entrepreneurs achieve a successful, enjoyable and fulfilling work-life balance If you missed earlier episodes, you can find them on our Grow through International Expansion platform, https://growinternational.org . Our platform is independent, carries no advertising and is not for profit – we seek to deliver useful, valuable content, essential for all those...

Susan Heaton-Wright is an impact, communications and speaking trainer for emerging leaders and the creator of the Superstar Communicator™ philosophy. She is an international speaker; the MD of award winning music company, Viva Live Music, podcaster and a former prize winning international opera singer. She delivers seminars, workshops and individual training for many companies including Astra Zeneca, Shell, AXA and Quintiles. She is regularly interviewed on BBC Radio Five Live; BBC2, local...

Jan’s a really interesting person. He was born in Arabia and travelled all his life; he’s fluent in Arabic and German as well as English. He was a soldier in Iraq, Oman, Northern Ireland and Cyprus, before becoming a professional sales and marketing executive for some major companies, specialising in Middle Eastern markets. Now, as Senior Partner of International Culture Pilot, he and his team are helping others adapt culturally to the markets they want to work in – learning how to...

In this podcast, I’m in conversation with another Oliver, Oliver Froment. With his team in Pro Capital, based in London, Oliver is dedicated to helping those smaller companies acquire or merge with suitable targets in other countries and, where necessary, get the financing they need to do that. Oliver has been working in finance for a long time. He founded his company, Pro Capital Ltd, in 1993 after he’d already built up more than 10 years of extensive international financial and corporate...

One territory that definitely qualifies as “off the usual business radar” is Palestine. It’s clearly not a valuable export market. But, for businesses active in the Middle East, or looking at expanding there, there are some real opportunities to take advantage of its positioning as a hub. In this podcast, our host, Oliver Dowson, is in conversation with Jerry Marshall, Chairman of Transcend, a company founded by partners from the UK, USA and Palestine and with follow on investment from the...

Do first impressions lie? On paper, the company looked impressive. Out of the six potential partners that we’d shortlisted, and that I’d travelled to Mumbai to meet, this one looked the best on paper. Rajesh, the young CEO who came to meet me at my hotel looked the part too – immaculately dressed, well spoken, and clearly well organised, as he laid out paperwork and photos on the table in front of us. All was well until I said “So where’s your office? Let’s go there”. These days, it’s easier...

Back in 1789, Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States, coined a quote that’s lived to this day. “in this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” And nobody wants to pay more tax than they need to, right? We’re always hearing about those big multinationals that make billions of profit but have organised their affairs so that, quite legally, they pay little or no tax. Yet, strangely, a high proportion of small and medium businesses...

Those politicians who are enthusiastic about Brexit are always talking about the UK having great opportunities for trade after leaving the EU. Those who oppose Brexit – and many who are on the fence – dismiss those potential opportunities, at least for the short term, and say that the loss of EU trade would more than outweigh any new benefits. Who’s right? In previous episodes of this series of podcasts and articles, we’ve explained the principles and legal framework behind Free Trade...