Going over ground, or making the process from a small-sized company to a mammoth one, is a long journey, and when you make the transition, much like in upscaling, you are making a big change in business processes. Increasing the size of your business to go to a different location is another task that can prove difficult on your company’s resources, as there are the difficulties that came with upscaling, but now you are essentially making a business from scratch but in a new location, literally from the ground up. Finding a location to trade in and to build up the suitable tools requires a lot of different approaches, and if you are adding a new site in a different country, there are many cultural changes that will have to be made.
The Beginnings
The start of a business move or expansion can be a big strain on you as an entrepreneur. The first thing to go back to is your business plan, had you factored in this when you originally began? The business plan you made is your manifesto and is what you had in mind to communicate your brand and ethos, and if you factored in the expansion of your company without compromising the brand, it would make your life easier. If you are looking for ways to expand your company and the plan has not taken this into account, then it is time for an exercise in due diligence because you should not compromise your business plan for the sake of an expansion. A mass expansion will have an impact on your business, and much like when upscaling occurred you still need to maintain that heart, the original qualities that made your business so appealing.
The Move
As with any big move, there are bound to be some teething problems. A big one is localization, as moving to a country where the regulations are different can cause some issues. The best approach is to have a staff member already in place prior to the move so that they can do a recce and come back with anything that could grate against the business processes. This also has a benefit when it comes to training staff in the new location. Using senior execs from the inside instead of training up staff can be less of a time-consuming process. If you are moving within the same country, it is a lot easier, but logistics is always a thorny issue, whether it is finding a trucking company or finding the best freights, you will need to have done your research in the meantime. It is a big task to shift products, and so you will need to have it all methodically laid out. Once the move has happened, the real work can begin!
The Development
The big tasks in developing a product in a new area require one simple thing, research. Preparing your marketing plans or developing structures and policies as well as the employees in the area will require a different attitude, as you are working on a larger scale.
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