Are you thinking about taking your product to the States? It could be a wise move. The US is the UK’s second biggest export destination after the EU; exports to the States were worth over £90bn in 2013. But it can also be a tough market to crack. So how should you prepare?
Researching the market is, of course, the first step. But where should you start and what resources are particularly helpful? There’s also the sheer scale of the US to consider – with a population of nearly 320m across 50 states, it’s vast and daunting. One of the first challenges is choosing which state to target first.
Other challenges include increasing awareness of your brand and making good contacts. Cultural differences also come into play – what do you need to know about business in the US to avoid making a faux-pas with potential clients? How should you tailor pitches, advertising and marketing to an American audience?
Our expert panel can offer you advice, whether you want to know about regulations and taxes, or are considering opening an office in the US. The panel includes several speakers from our Guardian Small Business Trade Mission to Atlanta, Georgia, who gave our 10 winning businesses advice on breaking into the US market.
To take part in this live Q&A, post your questions in the comments section below, tweet us at @GdnSmallBiz, email us at smallbusinessnetwork@theguardian.com or join us live on this page between 12pm and 1pm on 15 April to chat directly with our panel.
Panel
Roger Frampton is the CEO and co-founder of Export Action, which offers advice and support to UK businesses exporting to the US.
Matt Guffey is the director of marketing, UK, Ireland and the Nordics at logistics company UPS.
Roger Lopez is the vice president of marketing at US tech company Sideqik. He is also head of digital school/e-commerce at Atlanta Technology Development Centre.
Mike Cherry is the policy director for the Federation of Small Businesses.
Tom Pellareau is an inventor and the co-founder of Aventom. Pellereau won The Apprentice in 2011. One of Pellereau’s previous beauty product inventions was licensed and sold in the US and he is the closing stages of signing a deal to license his invention Nipper Skipper there.
Katie Cannon is head of sales at Sugru, which makes a multi-purpose mouldable glue. Sugru was one of the 10 small businesses that took part in the Trade Mission.
Kuldip Singh Sahota is CEO of Mr. Singh’s, which sells British-made chilli sauces and cooking pastes in the UK and exports to New York, South Africa and Paris.
Gary Lee is the president and CEO of retail marketing firm InReality.
Sign up to become a member of the Guardian Small Business Network here for more advice, insight and best practice direct to your inbox.
