Taking Your Business International: Key Steps to Take

Julie Starr • May 6, 2022



When you run a business, you’re going to have one key thing at the forefront of your mind at all times – making sales and generating profit. Making money is what will help your business to stay afloat, allow you to pay your employees, help you to invest in new products and services and then, ultimately, provide you with a good income.

It’s not all too surprising, then, that the majority of business owners are constantly looking for new ways to make money. Now, one of the best areas you can focus on is expanding your business (once it’s stable and you’ve created your brand) and taking it international. Expanding to an international market is going to open your products and services up to – quite literally – a whole new world of customers. This means more interest, more sales and more profit. Here are a few steps you can take to achieve this.

Consider Standards

Different countries have different rules and requirements for products, so you need to make sure that you’re meeting the international standard if you’re planning on selling to customers in countries outside of your own. This will help you to not only serve your customers as best possible, but it will also help to protect your brand, your reputation and your company from legal action down the line.

Focus on Ecommerce

To reach an international audience, you’re going to have to focus on your website. Your website is the platform that will allow people from all around the world to look at what you’re offering and make purchases. An online store is open at all times, allowing for differences in time zones, and can be made accessible worldwide. You will need to work with a website designer and web developer to add some simple features to your site, like allowing customers to switch the site’s language and the currency that they’re shopping in. You will also need a copywriter to develop a good shipping information page where you can explain where your products can ship to, how much each destination will cost and whether the customer is likely to receive customs or import charges.

Organize Order Fulfilment

If you’re going to sell internationally, you’re going to have to be able to ship your products internationally. This will mean taking a look at your order fulfillment process. You may need to work with different companies and providers to make sure that your items are packaged in a way that will survive long haul transport, as well as ensuring that you can pass everything through customs, security checks, and other challenges while still making a profit. Remember that shipping internationally can be expensive, so you will likely have to charge the customer the shipping costs.

Eco Minded

Another option is to explore business sustainability as a means toward cost savings , supporting the environment, and delivering improved products and services to your clients.

As you can see, taking your business international holds a lot of potential for extra profit, but you will have to invest time and effort into the venture. Hopefully, some of the advice above will help you with this.

Simple Steps To Make Your Office Space More Eco-Friendly

By Julie Starr • October 7, 2024
Becoming more eco-friendly and running a greener business is a responsibility that business owners really need to think more about. The good news is that if you spend a lot of time in your office, there are plenty of ways to make it more eco-friendly without having to overhaul everything and start again (which isn’t just disruptive, but expensive too). So, if you’re ready to get started, here are some simple steps to make your office space more eco-friendly; read on to find out more. Use Energy-Efficient Lighting This idea is a simple one that you can do no matter what else might be on your list of tasks - it’s quick, easy, and really makes a difference; change your light bulbs to something more energy efficient. If you’re still using traditional fluorescent bulbs, it’s time to upgrade to LED which doesn’t just last longer, but also uses a lot less energy. They’re easy to install and they’ll help you cut down on your office’s energy usage almost instantly. If possible, you should make the most of natural light too, so think about rearranging your workspace to let in more sunlight, which saves energy and can boost your mood - it’s a win-win that you can do right away. Prioritize Air Quality The air you breathe matters, and keeping it clean can do wonders for your health and the planet. One way to improve air quality is by adding plants to your workspace because plants are natural air purifiers, and as a bonus, they’ll make your office feel more inviting. Another great idea is to make sure your office’s HVAC system is working efficiently, and having air duct cleaning done by professionals is an easy step you can take to improve air quality and ensure your heating and cooling systems aren’t wasting energy. Clean air ducts mean cleaner air, less strain on your system, and even lower energy bills, so it’s a simple but really effective thing to do. Switch To Reusable Products If your office is still stocking up on single-use plastic items, it’s time for a change - swap your disposable cups, utensils, and plates for reusable ones and you’ll be surprised at how much waste to eliminate. And what about encouraging people to bring their own mugs and water bottles to work? Give them tea, coffee, and water to refill everything with, and you’ll be doing your bit to help the planet and have less waste to deal with as well. And don’t stop with these things either - there are loads of reusable products that could be useful in your office. You could have refillable pens and ink cartridges for your printer, for example. Go Paperless Speaking of your printer, is that an office machine you actually need? If you were to go digital and aim for a paperless office , you might be able to do away with the printer, which means less money spent on ink and paper, and less energy used altogether. You should be able to set up a system where documents can be shared online and stored electronically, and there are plenty of tools around to help you do exactly that (and much more). If you don’t need to print something and you don’t need a physical copy of a document, don’t make one - just use the digital version instead and you’ll be a lot more eco-friendly.

3 Most Unsustainable Industries & What They're Doing To Be More Eco-Conscious

By Julie Starr • October 4, 2024
Sustainability often gets pushed on the common person. Joe Public is told to be more sustainable with their daily habits as the government pushes for more eco-friendly measures. This is all well and good - but does it really matter when 71% of greenhouse gas emissions come from just 100 companies around the world? Small business owners are desperate to prove their sustainability, but what are bigger companies in some of the most polluting industries doing to help? We’ve taken three of the least sustainable sectors on the planet and explored the unique ways they’re trying to cut down on emissions and be more eco-friendly. Mining Any industry revolving around drilling underground will not be very environmentally friendly! Mining causes a lot of pollution, but its unsustainability often comes from the way it damages local environments and ecosystems. So, what is this industry doing to change things? It’s largely focusing on more responsible mining practices to reduce waste and mitigate the impact on local environments. This is done through mining dust suppression systems to prevent airborne pollution, reforesting mining sites when they’re no longer in use, and recycling as many materials as possible. Is it perfect? No, but it’s a step in the right direction. Fossil Fuels Shock horror; the fossil fuels industry is the most damaging to our environment. Finding ways to change the scope of this sector is the key to ensuring a better future for all. Some companies in this industry are trying to do this through carbon capture and storage. This is a technique where CO2 emissions are captured before they’re released into the atmosphere and stored underground. Realistically, the main thing fossil fuel companies should be doing is pushing for more renewable energy sources. Many are doing this - though reports suggest they’re not investing as much as they should. If fossil fuel companies dumped more money into developing biofuels and other renewable sources, pollution from this industry would drop dramatically. Fashion The most unbelievable stat to take from this post is that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of our global carbon footprint . That’s remarkable (and worrying), considering how most of us don’t view it as a “dangerous” industry. Fast fashion is the main problem; poorly-made goods are pumped out at a rapid rate, and consumers constantly buy new things. Fashion companies are trying their best to resolve this. Most big brands will now have sustainable lines using recyclable materials. Consumers also hold the key to solving this problem: stop buying new clothes all the time and wear yours for longer. Or buy pre-owned clothes to slow down the fashion production line. Companies can still do more as well: they are trying to adopt more eco-friendly production processes that use less water and energy. The moral of this post is that everyone can do their bit to fight for a more sustainable future. Keep this in mind for your small business . It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in; there will always be ways to promote eco-friendly practices.
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