WORKSHEET: International Business Plan
If your company is getting ready to enter the global marketplace, it needs a business plan for this new aspect of its operations. International business is more complicated than strictly domestic activities, and it requires special planning. This worksheet can help you identify some of the issues to address in an international business plan. 1. Executive Summary. Describe your company’s international plan in a brief paragraph. Include the essentials of what you’re offering to the international marketplace. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 2. Objectives. List your company’s goals for the international plan. Be as detailed as possible. Use realistic but specific numbers for revenue and sales growth. Set clear deadlines. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 3. What’s Needed? List what your company will need in order to put the plan into effect. Include advice and services as well as more tangible items like specific software packages or better production equipment. Include details on what your company has done to satisfy these needs to date.
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________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 4. What’s In Place? Specify what you already have, and how your company’s offerings are unique and will help it achieve success in the international market. Be succinct so you have some quick tag lines you can use at trade shows or on the phone. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 5. Business Form. Will you proceed internationally in your current business form? Will your business form (sole proprietorship, limited liability company, etc.) need to evolve to meet the demands of international business adequately? Will you be working with existing companies in other countries or at home? How will you structure those deals? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 6. Product/Service Description. Describe in detail what you’re selling or buying. Specify what (if any) modifications you will need to make to existing offerings to prepare them for their international premiere. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 7. Competition. What are the competitive offerings, if any? What do you know about your competitors? What is their international market position? What are
their strengths and weaknesses? How do your company’s offerings compare? What makes them unique or more compelling? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 8. Sales/Marketing. How will you sell and/or market your offerings? Are there specific laws that impact any existing plans you use domestically? Remember that advertising in other countries must follow the laws in force in those countries even if you are from another nation. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 9. Market Analysis. Have you researched the target foreign market? What information have you gathered? Why will it be a good market? What obstacles do you need to watch or prepare for? How do your company’s offerings fit into the market? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 10. Strategy & Implementation. How will you get the edge over your competition? How will you market and sell your product and services? To what target market? How will you reach them? When will you start?
________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 11. Pricing. Whether you’re buying or selling, how will you determine fair pricing? Have you considered the additional costs of transportation, tariffs, government licenses, and other international expenses? Have you completely researched what these costs will be? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 12. Management and Personnel. Who will head up the international effort? Will it be new staff or existing personnel? Will they need additional staff? In what roles? Will they open new offices? How will those be run and organized? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 13. Organizational Chart. Can you describe your new organizational chart for international operations? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 14. Assumptions & Risks. What assumptions does your international business plan require? Have you investigated all options, opportunities, and risks? Have you spoken at length with international professionals, including market experts, insurance agents, accountants, and attorneys? What risks have they identified? How will you effectively deal with those risks? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 15. Financial Benchmarks. Describe needed financial resources. How much outlay is needed to make your international business work? How much will you need to earn to break even? What are your financial projections for the venture? What is your projected cash flow? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________