Subcontractors and external human resources needed for International expansion (what can be produced in-house to make it self-sustaining)
Today I would like to know a lot about the human resources needed for international expansion.
Eh.
・・・・・.
No, no,
I’m not talking about changing the person in charge.
(Ho-ho-ho relief)
In the last issue, we were able to get a rough idea of the “actual costs” incurred in promoting international expansion.
But what about the people who will actually promote this international expansion?
Including not only internal personnel, but also experts such as Dr. Paco,
I am wondering if various human resources will be needed,
What resources are needed in what situations?
Even if we were to bring it in-house, to what extent should we do so?
In the first place, is it something that can be produced in-house by small and medium-sized enterprises?
If outsourcing is to be utilized, what and how much should be allocated?
We would like to know the types of work in this area, the suitability of outsourcing, and the cost of each.
Table of Contents
Qualities required of an international business manager
Decision-making is not the difficult part of international business.
Cooperating companies and external personnel required for International expansion
Training of personnel essential for self-support of international expansion
Qualities required of an international business manager
First, when a company begins to expand internationally, it places a person in charge within the company.
What qualities are required of this person?
①Don’t hesitate to try something you’ve never done before.
②I can enjoy learning to understand what I don’t understand.
I am a person who can create something from zero.
On the flip side,
①a I don’t want to take the risk of failure.
②a Being told to “do what you think is right” is more “pressure” than “fun.
We hope that you will be able to work in a different department, as it may be hard for those who are not.
（・・・・・。）
(Let’s see, if all of (1), (2), (1a, 2a), and (2) are all true, which is it?
As for English, it is “normal” in our country that one cannot learn to speak English just by having received a school education, so this is not a problem. (Actually, it is a problem…)
The current situation is that, based on basic learning at school, there is no other way but to become able to speak business English through self-help efforts after entering the workforce.
As a starting level at that time, we would like to see a TOEIC score of 700 or an Eiken level 2 ability.
In this sense, do returnees have an advantage?
If the person is a zero-figure person, then yes.
(Oh, no…)
When you are dealing with an international company, the person in charge of the other party is lucky enough to speak fluent Japanese, but when you talk about work, he or she is unable to discuss new technical matters, is reluctant to discuss specifications for Japan, or when the subject is a bit complicated, someone else is on the line, or the project is aborted without any continuity,
On the other hand, although his Japanese is not so fluent, he has never failed to communicate with me about his work, and no matter what I ask him about, he responds first and offers various suggestions on new topics, making the exchange feel smooth and promising in unknown areas,
Now, which one would you like to work with?
The latter!
There are people, even returnees, who are not zero-figure people.
Being a zero-figure person is more important than being able to speak English “well”,
It is a good idea to start with a zero-figure person in charge, as they often achieve results that break down the numerous barriers in the process of international expansion.
I think I can understand that, somehow.
(Zero one is the key word…)
Decision-making is not the difficult part of international business.
In international expansion, the process of (1) organizing the situation, (2) evaluating, and (3) making decisions is repeated over and over again.
Specifically, this includes the following
(1) Collect information, (2) Examine it, and (3) Formulate a hypothesis.
(1) Discriminate, (2) Compare A/B, (3) Correct
(1) Extract successful elements, (2) Scrutinize them, and (3) Implement them.
As in (1), collect, discard, and select,
As in (2), stop by, pull back, and worry,
As in (3), tentatively decide, revise, and move forward,
Repeat the above steps. (3) is all “decision making” and is an important action,
How to organize the situation (1)
How to evaluate (2)
The quality of the “what” can make a big difference in the decision-making process in international expansion.
I see.
(How to organize and evaluate…)
What does that mean?
Yes.
If there is enough material to consider before making a decision, and if it can be evaluated at the necessary and sufficient level,
No matter how the rest of the decisions are made, even if they are wrong, the margin of return will not be too large.
Yes, it is.
But if there are shortcomings in the materials themselves to be considered, or if there are biases in the evaluation process,
Based on them, no matter how good a manager is, no matter how right a decision is made,
It will not be a successful business development.
(・・・・ that’s not good)
That would be a bad idea.
New business development is the same for both domestic and international business.
And the materials to consider will vary with the circumstances surrounding each company,
It is also essential to correctly evaluate the material and to have a bird’s-eye view of the entire project.
If there is no one within the company who understands the company’s internal situation and can provide an up-to-date roadmap for the company’s international expansion, then it is necessary to bring in someone from the outside, in any form, on contract or for a limited period of time.
It can be an expert, a consultant, someone called an advisor or a person seconded from the parent company.
They are people who can stand on the side of your company and help you gather and evaluate materials for judgment without colored glasses before making a decision.
In the future, we aim to accumulate the know-how of these external input personnel within the company and bring them in-house.
Yes.
Cooperating companies and external personnel required for International expansion
There are a variety of subcontractors and outside personnel that will be needed as we expand internationally.
List of cooperating companies in the society required for International expansion
As shown in the diagram above (list of external partner companies in the middle of the page), there are partner companies with whom we will begin doing business as we move forward with our international business.
Mainly Japanese companies, but in rare cases we may have to request work from international testing laboratories or third-party certification bodies.
In addition, an international shipping company may be designated as the international shipping company for exhibits, etc., and a contract may be made with a local attorney-at-law and patent attorney through a Japanese attorney-at-law and patent attorney.
Banks and insurance companies, unless they are locally incorporated, deal through Japanese banks and insurance companies.
Although there are many interpretation and translation companies and web production companies available internationally, we recommend that you do business with a Japanese company if you are unfamiliar with them.
But wouldn’t it be better to be able to do business with international vendors as well?
That’s true.
I think we can do anything by email, at least a request for a quote.
Professional about the Web,
If you are a professional who can provide discernment regarding the level of interpretation and translation,
I may be able to make a decision based on the estimate alone.
Pupup professional, if not so much: 、、、、、
I think it is a good idea after you have gained some experience in dealing with international companies.
Okeydokey.
It is not shown in the diagram above,
International market research company
International expansion support company
International strategic planning support company
International sales agent, international appointment agency
Support company for international visits and exhibits
You might also consider companies that support international expansion, such as
There are also bulk quotation sites.
If utilized,
We recommend that you first inquire about international expansion only after you have gone through a certain amount of trial-and-error, struggling and suffering on your own.
Click here to find out why → Before consulting with us about international expansion
Some of my fellow business owners are receiving proposals from such companies as they begin to expand internationally.
He said that there are many things he does not understand about international affairs, and that he has limitations in doing things on his own.
（I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to hire a company I don’t know, but I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to hire a company I don’t know.)
I think that asking for a request because you don’t know much about international matters is a long way from the goal, on the contrary.
What do you mean when you say?
Even if the client inquires, requests a quote, or requests work with a low level of knowledge about the client’s international expansion and understanding of the company’s position in the international market,
It is difficult to properly evaluate the results provided by international market research firms, international expansion support firms, international strategic planning firms, and international sales and appointment making agents.
Is it the result of working very hard…A,
Not so much an achievement…B,
Whether A or B, how is the right way to proceed after this?
If you evaluate without understanding and move on to the next step, you will find that you don’t know any better.
I think I would ask for some support because I don’t know anything international and I want to understand..,
Eggs first or chickens first, right?
It is precisely at such times that you should remember the Zero Ichi spirit once in your company.
Don’t leave it at “I don’t know much about the international market.”
“Our international expansion might be better if we proceed in this way, and the reason might be this, that, or the other,
Discussion about creating a hypothesis from scratch is encouraged.
I see!
From there, it’s zero-to-one.
And,
As for product design,
If there are no in-house designers, we have no choice but to outsource. If there are designers, it would be a good idea to bring in outside designers for a limited period of time from the aspect of human resource training.
What about branding?
For branding, only about 30% of the areas actually require the help of outside personnel.
President: Employee: Expert = 5:2:3
It is like that.
What can we work on at the company? The first step is to think from the
In other words, the president should first decide what he/she would like to do. Even if it is tentative, that is the starting point. That is the starting point.
See also → Are you achieving overseas branding?
First, we will try it in-house. If you want to do it, you can do a lot of things.
Yes.
To summarize the above,
The above chart shows the cooperating companies that will be required for international expansion,
It would be a relief to bring in outside personnel to stand on your company’s side as soon as possible.
Other outside services would be good to consider if needed,
If you do so, be sure to complete a zero-hit discussion in your company.
Without the muscles for international expansion, even if you have the tools (information), you will not be able to operate (evaluate and make decisions) correctly.
In other words, spending money without knowledge will not eventually lead to international expansion.
(I see what you mean…)
As for costs, in the above chart, the international shipping costs, marine insurance, and packaging are ultimately paid by the international customer, but the rest of the costs are to be paid by the company.
The amount to be paid to a third-party certification organization and the amount to be paid to a lawyer can exceed 1 million yen each, depending on the product, so it is necessary to budget accordingly. Fees for international expansion support companies, design companies, branding companies, etc. vary widely. The lowest monthly fee I know of from other companies is 10,000 yen, and the highest is 1,100,000 yen per month.
The lowest cost was 300,000 yen for a spot contract (3-month commitment per project), and the highest cost was 5 million yen per project. All of these prices were for small and medium-sized companies.
Exactly.
Training of personnel essential for self-support of international expansion
I understand a lot better now.
We will work with experts who will stand by our side at first, and may consider additional services along the way, but the goal will likely be to bring the international business in-house so that it can run on its own.
Nice.
I would like to do my best in various ways, but where should I start?
What can be produced in-house to make it self-sustaining?
・Ability to develop new business
・Cross-cultural adaptability
International expansion can run on its own if there is a
(A big theme, what to do…)
We created this Paccloa Q site for such occasions.
Please start from the “Introduction” on the top left of the TOP page.
Yes.
But I still feel that something is missing to make it run on its own….
That’s right,
One more thing,
All of the know-how that enabled us to develop new businesses while adapting to different cultures,
The in-house production of international business will be complete when it is shared within the company, a global perspective is fostered, and the next generation is able to properly reproduce the process.
In other words, it is about developing human resources and creating an internal system that enables international expansion.
I see!!
(I can only feel the hurdles getting higher and higher…)
That’s it,
Reproducible international expansion and human resource development are important.
If we can establish a self-starting mechanism for international expansion, that is the most significant investment of all.
I feel like I’m starting to see a little bit of the future.
Yes.
(I have to do a lot of hard work…) (Are you okay, I…)
I’ve got a lot of spunk!
