#6 How to go global with your business

shamelessly QUICK chick
shamelessly QUICK chick
#6 How to go global with your business
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I was asked recently how I took my business global. This is of particular interest for new people, new web developers and new web designers entering the market and also to people in my home country, South Africa, who offer services that they think might be able to be translatable or sellable in a global market and aren’t quite sure how to actually go about doing that. So I am talking you through the same steps that I followed to take my business to a global market

Nine out of 10 times, if I see people that have a wonderful product that I think would do well internationally and the only thing holding them back is typically their mindset. So here is how to change that:

Really, what you need to do is get yourself a…

Read more about my journey here.

Read full transcript

Hi, this is Chantal from one day webs. And this is your shamelessly quick check podcast. You asked me about my story about how I took my business, my web design business and went global with it. This is of particular interest for new people, new web developers and new web designers entering the market, but also to people in my home country, South Africa, who offer services that they think might be able to be translatable or sell-able in a global market and aren’t quite sure how to actually go about doing that. So my story is really quite simple. First of all, I have an online business so that is a big benefit when you wanting to go global certainly is Very easy to do to change to a global model and to attract global clients. But really what it boils down to at the end of the day, if you do have a product that is sell-able in the global market is mindset. Nine out of 10 times, if I see people that have a wonderful product that I think would do well internationally, the only thing holding them back is typically their mindset. And really, what you need to do is get yourself a very good coach, talk through it with a good coach or a sounding board, somebody that’s a good sounding board and has a good business head on their shoulders, make the decision and just go for it. You know, not so long ago, maybe four years ago, my target clients, my ideal clients and my typical clients were in the South African market, often in the town that I live in or the city that I live in Durban and so was a very small and very focused market.

Our exchange rate is not very favorable against the dollar. So at the time, I was building websites full on websites for in the region of C300, which sounds absolutely nuts to anyone in the international market listening to this, nobody would spend their time and wouldn’t be able to spend very much time at all building a website for you know, $300 or even less than that. And that’s really what my rate was in the South African market. Fast forward to today and a very basic five page brochure style website I now charge over $1500 for so that’s quite a big difference. And I am busier now than I was then the work is easier to get now than it was then. It’s really quite crazy when you think about it, but it’s not that difficult to go global. Here are my top steps of what I would recommend if you’re considering taking your business global, whether it’s an online business, whether it’s a web business or whether it’s something else you feel you can take global. First of all, obviously, get your mindset right, as I said, believe that you can do it believe that your product is something that will have appeal internationally and go for it. Number two, put yourself in the places where your ideal clients are on an international level. So the easiest way to do this is facebook, facebook groups, Facebook pages, go and hang out in the places where your ideal clients, your ideal international clients are hanging out and start helping there, spend a couple of hours a day yes, it needs a time investment. Spend a couple of hours a day answer questions on there and give value, give value become the expert over time, people will immediately think of your name when they think about that service that you are offering because you’ve been helping freely in the community that they’re in and they think you are an expert. And more than that, you’re just an amazing person because you keep helping people out. So give, give, give before you ask for anything, give value and people will believe that what you are offering is valuable and therefore will pay for it. Don’t hold yourself back, contribute in these international arenas, like Facebook groups, etc. Just go for it. You would be amazed how much knowledge you have to share. Don’t assume because you come from a small part of the world, wherever it is that your knowledge is less than somebody else’s knowledge on the international playing field as it were. Before I started this journey of taking my business to a global market, I really just thought I was some little chick in Durban at the end of Africa, and how could I possibly put myself and my services out there on a global market? I mean, how could I possibly do that? You know what, who am I, I’m a nobody, I’m just some little Chick in  Durban. And it’s only by getting on these groups and starting to help out that I realized, oh, my goodness, I actually have some knowledge and some skills, perhaps even a little bit more knowledge and a little bit more skill than some of the other people that are on these groups. So it builds your confidence and it definitely helps your mindset to appeal to that international market. Then set your business up so that it is easy to work with international people and it’s easy for them to pay you so set up some sort of online payment processor. Or just make sure that you understand the easiest ways for global clients to pay you money in the country that you’re in. This will very much depend on the country you’re in and the exchange controls and exchange regulations, etc. So you definitely need to do some local research in this regard. Get hold of your local tax person, bookkeeping person and just get them to give you the rundown. Even get hold of your local bank and find out can I get people to pay me from other countries in the world in other currencies, how can you facilitate me Mr. Bank Manager and just get the information so make it easy for people to pay you.Don’t go about doing all this marketing and getting all these kinds and then you’ve got the work and you don’t know how to get paid. So those would be my top three Tips. Sort out your mindset. Get into the playing field or into the arena where your ideal clients are hanging out globally. Facebook is a fantastic way to do this. LinkedIn is another good way. And then three, make sure you’ve done your homework and you know how people can pay you that are overseas and potentially using a different currency. It’s really that easy and that simple. Just go for it. What’s stopping you?

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