How Justworks Supports Small Businesses Expanding Internationally

At Justworks, we’ve seen how expanding into international markets can transform small businesses, offering opportunities for increased market reach, improved economies of scale, and access to diverse talent pools. However, it comes with a unique set of challenges that require careful planning, smart investments, and a focus on sustainable growth.

Small businesses have different demands and needs than larger companies, so it is important to work with global expansion partners with the relevant knowledge and expertise of supporting businesses with 100 employees or less. Keep reading for an in-depth look at international expansion strategies for small businesses and best practices for entering new markets with confidence.

What is International Expansion?

International expansion refers to a business's growth beyond its domestic market, where it begins to operate in one or more other countries. Expansion is a transformative journey that reshapes every aspect of your operations. 

It’s not just about entering new markets, but about evolving your business model to thrive in a global context. Leveraging technology, forming strategic partnerships, and considering Employer of Record (EOR) services to streamline and simplify your expansion efforts are key to thriving in today’s interconnected world. 

How to Approach International Expansion

Expanding across borders is no easy task, especially for small business owners trying to determine which markets to target and evaluating their attractiveness. 

It’s important to approach international expansion with a strategic mindset to be successful. It involves adapting business models to suit the cultural, legal, and economic differences of each region, and requires thorough research, careful consideration, and strategic planning. Otherwise, you risk sinking valuable investment capital and slowing long-term growth.

Factors to consider include:

• Reasons for expansion: From access to specialized talent to new revenue streams and risk diversification, what benefits are you looking to gain by expanding internationally?

• Target countries to expand into: What are the best countries to access and hire highly skilled talent, to ensure productivity, performance, and cultural-alignment?

• True costs for hiring: Salaries, benefits, and local employment taxes all add up, so have you done your research on what the overall costs to hiring internationally are?

• Impact on business operations: How do you adapt your current business model to incorporate your expansion strategy in a new market?

• Legal risks: Do you understand the regulations and laws in the country you are considering, as this can greatly slow down your expansion?

• Choice of entry mode: Opening a foreign entity is resource-intensive, so have you considered EOR as a speedier and more cost-effective solution?

From your initial consideration of hiring internationally to expanding into a new market, expansion will look different for every business at every stage of its growth. Choosing what’s right for your business will very much depend on your timescale, your budget, and your goals. 

For small businesses, an EOR simplifies global hiring, helping you stay compliant without having to allocate resources and spend countless hours setting up a foreign entity.

Justworks Can Help Manage International Expansion

Our mission at Justworks is to help small businesses grow with confidence, domestically and internationally. Small business owners face a multitude of challenges that can hinder their international growth and success. Regardless of their industry, one of the most significant hurdles to effectively grow your team is the scarcity of time and resources. For those thinking about expanding into new markets, they need to work with partners like Justworks who acknowledge and understand these challenges, and take proactive steps to address them.

Justworks simplifies the process of hiring internationally in countries like Canada, Mexico, UK, India and Australia with expert-backed EOR solutions, so you can focus on growing your business while we handle local compliance, payroll, and HR.

Now you can work fearlessly anywhere in the world. With our award winning support team, Justworks has your back!

Grow Your Team Internationally with Justworks EOR

Ready to start hiring talent internationally with Justworks EOR? Here’s how you can expect the process to look: 

1. You’ve found someone in a country you’d like to bring into your team.

2. Partner up with Justworks EOR and be assigned a dedicated support team.

3. Begin onboarding employees in your chosen country.

4. Support your new employee’s onboarding, while Justworks manage the ongoing payroll, benefits, compliance, and other local HR processes for your growing hub.

Our team of local HR and compliance experts will be there to support your full-time employees in the region you’re hoping to expand, from onboarding to offboarding, and everything in between. We handle the day-to-day HR tasks so you can focus on what matters: managing your team and scaling your business.

Ready to learn more about International Expansion?  

Justworks’ global EOR is the solution for small businesses looking to easily hire talent in countries where they don’t already have a legal presence. With Justworks, you’ll have a dedicated partner to handle the operational side of international expansion, so you can focus on growing your team and your business. 

Learn more about how you can hire and onboard talent internationally through Justworks. Get started today.