What are the best practices for researching companies in a new country?

My suggestion: make an Excel list or Microsoft word document and keep track of all sources you find, especially in a foreign language. You may collect a lot of information along the way and usually one source introduces another, and another, and so on. Also remember to add notes and sections on their purposes. For example, recruiting companies, blogs, job searching websites in that country, etc. It’s especially important to keep notes when the names may be in a foreign language you don’t yet understand.

When you intend to start your business in a new country you have to try KOL on LinkedIn to prepare your 1st business trip there. Meet KAM and local distributors during your stay which will help you to design your local market survey and of course your 1st action plan. Be aware it will take almost 2 to 3 years to be profitable on new countries starting from scratch.

Indeed! LinkedIn and Glassdoor are particularly helpful for researching companies for several reasons: Company Profiles: Both platforms feature comprehensive company profiles that provide a wealth of information, including company size, industry, location, and more. Employee Reviews: Glassdoor is well-known for its employee reviews, which can give you insights into the company’s culture, work-life balance, benefits, and more. LinkedIn also has employee testimonials that can provide similar insights. Job Postings: Both platforms feature job postings from the company, which can give you an idea of the roles they are hiring for and the skills they value.

Become culturally savvy. Do cultural research an develop an understanding of values, norms, and procedures. If necessary hire a cultural coach such as myself to help you navigate tricky waters across borders.

How many you need to succeed in a new country or market? It is not about how to write down many, identify the 3 which are making the difference and visiting them again and again…

In some countries companies have no "digital footprint" and you need to ask local partners and the embassy for support in finding the best partners. Go and visit them, its cheaper to have someone spend a few days there than to pick the wrong partner.

When I was job searching, LinkedIn was my go-to source of info in order to find out who the hiring manager was and check out other people who worked at the company. It is always interesting to see what sort of content the hiring managers post and what I found helped was also engaging in that content to help build a relationship so when applying for the job it gave more of a context to reach out.

Use public records (corporate tax returns, public notary information etc) to identify the final decision makers. IF the partnership is strategic, then you have to establish a contact and a good relation with that person. Leave day to day issues to the line managers, but insist on meeting the owners of the companies.

I definitely believe it helps to keep track of all your info and hard work. It is like a full time job applying for jobs and sometimes you may get overwhelmed or discouraged (especially if you don't hear back). I have a handy template that I built in Google sheets and I also recommend using tools like Trello or Notion. Another tip is to always copy and paste the job ad as it may be removed at some point and it's great to have the original copy to check back in on if you are called to an interview or if you need to write your cover letter.

Differentiate the information: is it a rumor,? is it a fact? what interest may the source have giving ou the info? is it new info or just a review of what hapened 10 years ago? Look for trends and patterns and how the corporate culture is towards foreign partners.

I usually review the company’s online presence, including its website, social media profiles, and online reviews. I have asked my network for opinions about the company. You can conduct a PESTLE Analysis. Understand the political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors of the target country.

Ask the local legal association to know the companies standing, go and visit clients and suppliers. Find out if the pay well and on time or if they have labour problems. I always look how the offices are: clean and tidy is always a good sign... clutter and dirt usually mean that they are to busy with day to day isssues for them to prepare for the next strategic hurdle. Always ask yourself: "why does he partner with ME?" Am I the best for him in the long run or just a tool to adquire knowhow or references???