Global Expansion: taking your UK business international
Is there an obvious location to expand into first?
Some overseas jurisdictions are favourable for UK businesses, though they can vary from sector to sector. You may have contacts in a particular region who can facilitate your expansion. Understanding a sensible target market will form the basis of a strong international business expansion strategy.
The RSM Global network operates across 120 countries, allowing us to support your first international business expansion and global operations.
Is there or will there be a strong overseas demand for my product?
Ask yourself and your leadership team questions such as:
- Why would an overseas customer choose this business over a competitor?
- What’s my unique selling point?
- What is the price point of my product or service, and how will it translate into a different market?
We can help you answer these important questions, and the many more you need to consider before you begin your global expansion.
How would I set up my overseas business?
Will you set up a new branch work with a local partner or create a subsidiary company?
The way your overseas entity is structured, and its relationship to your UK holding company, will affect your compliance and reporting – and bring transfer pricing, intellectual property, and permanent establishment issues into play.
We’ll map it all out for you and help you create a structure that works for now and the longer term.
What are the local laws, regulations and customs?
A vital part of knowing how to expand internationally involves understanding how international business law will affect operations overseas. Although VAT, sales taxes, customs duties and employment registrations are key considerations, tax is just one of the factors to consider. You’ll also need to understand the politics, currency, cultural customs, and language considerations of your market.
Our UK specialists and in-market Global teams are ready to support you.
What skills, support and partnerships would I need?
The UK Government provides support for UK businesses to set up overseas. There’s likely to be support available in your target markets too, and professional legal, tax and accounting advice will be crucial. When your global expansion is under way, we can give you a holistic view and work closely with your funders and other advisers as required.
We can help
Funding, marketing, recruitment, logistics, data privacy – these are just some of the additional things to consider when expanding internationally as a UK-headquartered business.
We can advise you at every step. We’ll advise on the basics of knowing how to expand internationally writing expansion plans, getting stakeholder buy-in, setting measures for success and identifying other expansion opportunities.
