Whether you’re moving your headquarters, expanding to international markets, or simply moving for personal reasons and bringing your small business along for the ride, there’s a lot that needs to be packed up and handled efficiently.
Here's everything you need to know to help you navigate this seemingly overwhelming process.
Research Your Target Market
Before embarking on an international adventure, make sure you know your target audience in your destination country. Conduct market research in the area in order to get a better understanding of the local business culture (and culture in general), regulations, and consumer preferences and behaviors.
You can make use of social media and other resources to assist you (since market research can be tough on a more global scale) so that you’re able to make important decisions regarding your business and products before moving.
Secure Essential Documents
Before you go anywhere, make sure you have any and all important documents in place. This includes any legal contracts you have in place, licenses or permits you might need, financial records, and any others particular to your company. Make sure that these are all securely organized and easily accessible.
You can also include documentation you might have for your travel: visas, travel medical insurance, or insurance for your belongings. Try to have physical and digital copies of any documents you might need for the trip and your arrival.
Create a Detailed Inventory
Next, create a detailed inventory of all your business assets and any equipment that you plan on moving abroad with you. This might include machinery, tech, office equipment, furniture, physical documents, or other essential items.
Make sure that these items are all categorized and carefully packed to make your unpacking process simple. If you’re planning on selling all your assets instead and starting from scratch, do what you can to get everything for a good price and plan a budget for what you will need to repurchase once you reach your destination.
Optimize Data Migration
Once you’ve planned to move all your physical stuff, you also need to consider your digital possessions – i.e., your data. Moving your business abroad means that you’ll need to transfer data and critical information and make sure you have access to all the information you’ll need once you reach your destination.
You can consider options like cloud migration, or work with IT professionals to ensure that everything is backed up and secure.
Review Shipping and Customs Regulations
If you’re moving your physical assets, you’ll need to ensure that you won’t have any trouble getting them over the border. Do some research on shipping and customs regulations of your destination country so that you’re not taken by surprise.
You might face certain restrictions on importing certain items or even your tech, so make sure you’re aware of laws and plan according to what you can find out. You might want to get in touch with a professional international logistics provider to assist you with this process.
Organize a Temporary Business Setup
Once you arrive in your destination country, it can take a while for things to be completely settled. It might be a while before you find a location to rent, or figure out how to set up your full setup.
In the meantime, you’ll need to have something temporary in the pipeline. Make sure you have access to any essential office supplies, tech, and equipment so that you can start up operations from home (or another short-term location) during the transitional period.
Consider Hiring Local Staff
Making the effort to incorporate local talent into your workforce can really help you get a better understanding of the local culture, market, and business practices. Not only this, but it can help get your business off the ground in your new home country and make a good first impression on the local consumers.
Try to recruit a mix of local and existing staff so that you’re working both with people who know the lay of the land when it comes to your business, and people who can help you transition into a new and unfamiliar market and environment.
Plan for Contingencies
Last, but not least, make sure that you are prepared for risks as far as possible. Develop a comprehensive plan to address any potential challenges that might pop up during the moving process and the first few months of operation.
Having plans and back up strategies in place will help make sure you’re prepared for anything that might go wrong, and you’re less likely to be too severely affected by setbacks and surprises. Your business will also feel more stable and overall resilient during this inevitably turbulent period.
