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When you first begin an international business things can be a bit scary. There
are the risks of not be sure whether you¶ll get your money from international clients, whether
there are hidden costs and adjusting and whether there are different legal considerations to take
into account.

There are also cultural differences to adapt to which can impact all areas of your business.
Market research can help you answer many questions, but it can only go so far. Things rarely run
smoothly as planned for first timers in foreign market entry. This is where international business
skills are necessary.

Three skills are important when you enter a new market and open up an international business:
risk management in an unknown environment, flexibility and adaptability. In addition to this you
also need solid cross-cultural skills in communication, marketing and sales. The article series
here cover the following aspects of international business development:

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These article series will help you make the connection between cross-cultural competency and
the international skills you need to make a successful international business.

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A good understanding of how culture impacts your international business helps you to manage
risk better, identify the right business opportunities to seize, and generally provides you with a
framework to make your international business a success. This article series gives you insights
into how culture impacts your international business.




 




This is a series on how to use information products within a lead generation strategy. You can
use culture-customized information products for international market research or as a low entry
product to learn more about new international markets. First hand feedback from your target
markets is always valuable.


  



This series is aimed at getting you started in thinking about your current business and the
possibilities you have for international business development. You¶ll still have to do your own
market research. But the aim here is simply to get you to move forward in understanding your
international business opportunities.

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Your mindset determines how you approach business with people who are different, who do
things differently and who have different ways of reacting to you and your product. This series
of articles covers the importance of your mindset and provides guidelines on how to develop the
mindset you need for a success international business.



  
 

Many online businesses today do not do enough networking to develop their business well in
international markets. You need more than your website and a bit of international marketing.
Your international business success often requires a strong networking plan to give you the
information you need to find business opportunities, new clients and also to obtain the
information you need to limit any possible risks. Here are some insights into good international
networking practices.





When you¶re doing business in cultures different to your own market research is critical. It¶s
critical before entering a new market and it¶s also important even when you are well established
within foreign markets. Your market research helps you to manage the risk of doing business in
different countries. International business professionals always listen for market feedback and
pick up different ways of gathering market information. In this series I share what I learned
about international market research after 25 years in international marketing and sales.



  

The changes happening within our domestic markets also impact international business. Many
countries are now evolving to an environment of online communication which opens new
opportunities for international business. There are more native language domain names opening
up the web for these countries. Social media is established well enough in many countries to
become interesting for international market research. Read more about international business
trends here.



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It¶s always interesting to read other international business stories. We can learn from there
mistakes, get new ideas and identify different international business models and compare them to
our own business. Here are some examples of international businesses using international web
marketing to reach and develop new foreign markets.



  

As a North American with a business in France I¶m often asked about the trend in French
entrepreneurs leaving France to set up their businesses in other countries« mainly in the United
States. This is what sparked my interest in international entrepreneurs. This is a series on
international entrepreneurs who may not be well known but who have interesting stories behind
their international success and relevant today.

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This series shows you how to internationalize your website to improve your communication with
a wide international audience. Even if you decide not to create a fully internationalized website,
there are many small ways to tweak your current website to make it more appealing to
international audiences. These small changes will help you stop pushing your international
visitors away.

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Website internationalization is a good first step as part of an international web marketing

strategy. It is also an obvious choice for small businesses after more international clients. It can
be a first step as part of a bigger international strategy to give you the time to get some feedback
from your international markets. And it¶s also a great starting point before creating native
language versions of your website to further develop your international markets. Here are some
things you can do to internationalize your website today.

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Website localization is adapting your website communication to target a specific cultural

audience. And it means adapting all of your communication. It goes beyond translation and
includes every aspect of what you say, how you say it, when you say it and also how you
respond to others. This series is about localizing your website for better international
communication with your foreign markets.

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The best website to support your international business is a global website. A global website is a
central hub communicating with a broad international audience and linking to a number of
localized websites to reach out to different countries. This series is about how to work towards
website globalization in an international business development strategy.