It is quite humbling to know that a business partnership no longer needs to be a face-to-face affair. In fact, you could quite comfortably run an online business without ever having met the person you are co–operating in leadership with. That is an amazing prospect, and also quite scary for some. But if you find yourself in this position, or you have the possibility coming your way, how do you begin? How can you possibly achieve this goal without messing it up somehow, or allowing miscommunication or downtime to ruin your ambitions?
Shutterstock Licensed Photo – By metamorworks
Well, like anything, we start with common sense. Communication is an absolute key, and so hosting your email in the cloud and securing all of your communication platforms via the use of a VPN and 2 factor login authentication should come as standard. However, running a business with an overseas partner also requires a great deal of planning, discipline and care. If you achieve this, you will truly have something to boast about – although it can actually be easier than you think. Let us explore this potential the right way, in the following words:
Make Use Of Timezones
You might have heard the expression ‘make hay while the sun shines!’ This is of course apparent when working with an overseas partner. There’s a chance that the time difference could be a great benefit for you both. When both people are working on a website, 24/7, or a content strategy, or in building reliable means to market to the audience of their host country, then your firm has an advantage. But it’s essential that you collate the work you are doing into an understandable and digestible format for the other to read. If you can do this, making use of time zones is a worthwhile and responsible effort.
Collate Your Strategy
You need to be on the same page. You also need to know that your differing locales might mean different approaches need to be taken. For example, online formatting or reading norms might be different in certain countries, especially if you’re running a blog. The dominant language of one country might not be the same as the other. This means it’s essential to distill the value of your firm in the most reachable and easy format, and to discuss what those options might be. If you can do that, you have an access of potential.
Use the Same Suite
Using the same cloud email applications, the same VPN security, the same suites with the same filetypes and every single working applications in synchronicity is important. Just because you’re in different countries does not mean that you can afford having massively different workflows. It can take compromise to get this right – so ensure you are doing just that. Continually review at length the needs you have to take care of.
With this advice, we hope you’re better able to run a business with an overseas partner.