Should my business move into Europe?

Are you part of the one in six UK firms planning a business move into Europe in the next two years? 

More than a third of companies in the UK could be operating internationally by 2016, according to new research.

A study carried out by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) found that one in six organisations based in this country are planning to expand into the European Union over the next two years.

Of course, this is fantastic news – and highlights the real confidence that exists across the business landscape at the moment, with a large number of firms feeling comfortable enough to take the risk of growing their operations in a new market.

According to REC chief executive Kevin Green, the fact so many employers are looking to build their brands in Europe reiterates just how important the EU is to the UK as a trading partner.

“It also highlights the ambition and growing confidence of UK businesses as our economy and labour markets both continue to perform well at home,” he added.

So, are you part of Britain’s business army that’s waiting to conquer Europe? If so, then it’s important to go in with your eyes open if you want to have a good chance of succeeding.

According to the REC research, some of the main barriers stopping companies from expanding overseas include:

• Complicated international regulations

• Costs associated with expanding the business

• Limited information on overseas markets

• Finding suitably skilled staff

Naturally, it’s important to hit the ground running – so what can you do to give yourself the best chance of survival in a new market?

European translations

One of the areas you shouldn’t be looking to scrimp on is your translation services. Check out our new whitepaper ‘The Real Value Of Translation’ to see why – when your business is on the line – having a top quality organisation like Rosetta Translation Ltd behind you can really make the difference.

We recently wrote about how Microsoft plans to make translation more accessible via its Skype Translate technology, and while this is still a long way off replacing professional translation, it could certainly act as a catalyst in convincing more enterprise owners that communicating to another business in a foreign language isn’t as hard as it once was.

With this in mind, it is entirely possible that Skype and services like ours can work side by side, complementing one another to achieve the best and most cost-effective results.

What is the government doing to make exporting easier?

It is encouraging to see that UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and HM Revenue & Customs are also doing their bit to make it easier for firms looking to prosper overseas.

UKTI, for example, offers country profiles for individual member states of the EU, which includes guides on what companies should watch out for when planning to export to particular regions. Remember, knowledge is power!

Similarly, Action Single Market is a government initiative to help UK companies hoping to take advantage of operating within the Euro zone.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the level of support available, so there really is no reason why more businesses can’t further their ambitions over the coming years. It’s an exciting time for organisations at the moment – so make sure yours takes advantage.