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Before the Internet came along, a small business could only realistically aim to reach people in their local area within a few miles travelling distance. Of course, they had the option of selling their products via mail order but this could be expensive and would still only allow them to target specific industries, plus they would always have to give a sizeable cut to the mail order catalogue company.
The Internet changed this and levelled the playing field for small businesses to actually compete with large corporations. A web presence is now all that is needed for a small business to introduce their product to a global audience.
Despite this, small businesses still struggle to see their company as a global concern and continue to think small despite the technological advances. Many incorrectly assume that their products would never catch on overseas, but if they have found an audience in their home country then they are likely to do the same elsewhere.
There is also no longer any physical infrastructure needed for small businesses to launch a product abroad. Previously, it had been very difficult to operate overseas on any large scale without some form of administrative support in each country to deal with customer problems in the appropriate language. This problem has been all but solved by Virtual Assistants.
A Virtual Assistant is someone who will operate as a kind of freelance secretary for your company in another country, providing support and undertaking administrative duties on your behalf. They can even provide first-level support for your products by answering phones and email enquiries in their native tongue.
The best aspect of a Virtual Assistant is how much cheaper it is compared to building a physical infrastructure abroad. The VA will work from home using their own system and will not even be on your payroll. If you are considering aggressive expansion of your small business on a global scale, a Virtual Assistant is likely to be just what you require.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
