International Business Development

Research that answers the question you actually have

Most market research answers the question of how large a market is. That is rarely the binding question. The binding questions are who currently captures the margin, what a newcomer has to give up to be allowed in, how quickly a local incumbent can copy what you brought, and whether the regulatory position that makes the opportunity attractive is stable or seasonal.

We build the picture from primary sources: distributors, former employees of the incumbents, regulators, freight agents, customs brokers, and the people who lost money in the market before you arrived. Published data sets the frame. Conversations tell you where the frame is wrong.

Choosing the entry structure before choosing the partner

The most expensive mistake in cross-border expansion is selecting a partner first and reverse-engineering a structure to fit them. It inverts the negotiation: once a relationship exists, every structural protection you ask for reads as distrust. We design the structure first, from the commercial logic and the legal position, then run a partner search against it.

That means deciding early whether you need a distributor, an agent, a joint venture, a branch or a wholly owned entity, and being clear about what each one costs you in control, margin, exit flexibility and exposure. In several jurisdictions the difference between an agency agreement and a distribution agreement is the difference between leaving in ninety days and never leaving at all.

Partner identification and the diligence that matters

We screen candidates on capability and on the things that surface later: real ownership behind the corporate veil, political exposure of the beneficial owners, litigation history, payment behaviour with previous principals, and whether the partner's other agencies compete with yours. A partner who is excellent operationally and impossible politically is not a partner.

Reference calls with a partner's former principals are the single highest-yield diligence step available and the one most often skipped because it is awkward to arrange.

Building the position so it can be defended

Market entry that works produces something the incumbent cannot replicate quickly. Sometimes that is technical. More often it is a registration, an approved vendor listing, a distribution licence, a service network, or a relationship with a buyer whose switching cost is high. We identify what the defensible asset will be before the first shipment, then build the entry plan around acquiring it early.

Signals this is the right work

You have been offered a partnership by someone you met at a conference and you cannot independently verify who owns their company. Your product sells well at home and stalls abroad for reasons nobody can articulate. You are choosing between three markets on instinct. A distributor is outperforming and you have realised you have no practical way to replace them.

Other services: Management Consultancy · Corporate Diplomacy · Project Financing · Project Management · Business Intelligence