Export Readiness · Six Weeks · ¥43,000 JPY
Before committing time and resources to overseas markets, it helps to know what the process genuinely requires — and whether your company is in a position to manage it well at this stage.
← Back to homeWhat this engagement delivers
Many companies receive enquiries from overseas buyers and find themselves uncertain about how to respond — not because the product isn't suitable, but because the practical requirements of exporting are genuinely unfamiliar. The Export Readiness Consultation is designed for exactly that moment.
Over six weeks, the adviser works through the question with you systematically: what your product would require to enter specific markets, what documentation is involved, how you might reach buyers there, and whether the internal capacity exists to service those customers once the relationship begins.
What you leave with
A shortlist of countries suited to your product, with the reasoning behind each one stated plainly
A documentation checklist for each market in scope, covering certification, labelling and import requirements
A candid section on the reasons proceeding may not make sense right now — included whether or not the overall conclusion is favourable
The situation this is built for
A buyer from abroad has made contact, and the usual internal discussion has not produced a clear answer about whether or how to proceed.
There is appetite within the organisation for international growth, but the current view of what that requires is based on general assumptions rather than specific information.
Resources have been directed toward a market before the regulatory and distribution realities of entering it were properly understood.
How this engagement works
The consultation begins by understanding your product, your current customer relationships, and the overseas interest you have received. From there, the adviser identifies the markets most likely to be worth examining and works through each one in a consistent way: what adaptation the product would require, what certifications and documentation the market demands, which distribution routes exist, and what the administrative load of maintaining overseas customers looks like in practice.
This is not advocacy for exporting. The goal is an accurate picture — which for some companies will support moving forward, and for others will surface reasons to wait or to redirect the effort elsewhere. Both conclusions are equally valid outcomes of the work.
The engagement is suited to manufacturers and consumer brands. It is not a trade mission or a procurement exercise — it is an assessment, and it is written accordingly.
Product and market fit
The adviser reviews whether your product, in its current form or with defined adaptations, is a reasonable candidate for each shortlisted market.
Documentation and compliance
Each target country carries specific import requirements. These are mapped in enough detail to be usable, not just to be noted.
Distribution routes
Direct, agent, distributor and platform options are considered for each market, with the trade-offs between control, margin and workload set out plainly.
Internal capability assessment
A review of whether your current team and processes can realistically service overseas customers once the relationship begins — and what would need to change if not.
Working together
Weeks one and two — orientation
The adviser reviews your existing documentation, product specifications, and any overseas correspondence. An initial working session is held to confirm the scope and agree the markets to be examined.
Weeks three and four — research
Market-by-market work on documentation, distribution and product suitability. An interim summary is shared at the midpoint, and you have the opportunity to redirect the focus if something has changed.
Weeks five and six — synthesis and delivery
Findings are compiled into the written report. A walkthrough session is scheduled before delivery to address questions and, where useful, discuss next steps.
What to expect during the work
Regular contact at agreed intervals — no disappearing for weeks at a time
Interim findings shared before the final report, so nothing in it comes as a surprise
Requests for internal documentation kept to what is actually needed for the analysis
A follow-up session after delivery to discuss the report and answer questions
Investment
Export Readiness Consultation
¥43,000 JPY
Six-week engagement · Fixed fee
The fee is agreed and confirmed in writing before work begins. There are no additions to scope or cost without your prior agreement.
What the investment covers
The practical value of this engagement is the time it saves — not just in research, but in the internal discussion time that tends to circle without an external structure to organise it around.
Entering a market without a clear sense of its requirements carries costs that are harder to measure and often larger than an assessment at the outset. The consultation is designed to front-load the thinking, so that any decision to proceed is made with a realistic picture rather than an optimistic one.
If the assessment concludes that proceeding is not advisable at this stage, that too is a useful outcome — the resources remain available for something else.
How the work is conducted
Market selection
Countries are shortlisted based on product category, existing trade flows, regulatory complexity and your stated capacity. The reasoning is documented — markets excluded are explained as clearly as those included.
Regulatory mapping
Documentation requirements are drawn from official sources and organised into a format your team can work from directly. Where requirements are ambiguous or subject to change, that uncertainty is noted.
Honest conclusions
The final section addresses the question of whether the evidence supports moving forward, and if so under what conditions. No conclusion is written to support a predetermined outcome.
Expected timeline and scope
6
Weeks duration
2–4
Markets examined
1
Written report delivered
Our commitment
The scope of work, the fee, and the form of the deliverables are confirmed in writing before the engagement begins. Nothing is added without prior discussion and agreement.
If, after the initial conversation, the question does not appear to be a good fit for structured advisory work, that is something the adviser will say directly — at no cost and with no obligation on your side. The initial discussion exists to establish whether the work would be genuinely useful, not to create momentum toward an engagement.
The report will say what the evidence supports. If the conclusion is that exporting is not advisable at this point, that conclusion will be written clearly, with the reasons behind it set out so they can be revisited if circumstances change.
What is fixed from the start
Fee agreed in writing before work commences
Deliverables documented and confirmed before engagement begins
No scope changes without prior written agreement
Initial consultation at no cost and no obligation
Conclusions reflect the evidence, not the preferred outcome
Getting started
Send a message
Describe your situation briefly — the product, any overseas interest you have received, and what you would most want to understand.
Initial conversation
A short call or exchange to understand the question properly and confirm whether structured advisory work would be useful.
Scope confirmed
The adviser prepares a written scope document covering objectives, markets, deliverables, timeline and fee for your review.
Work begins
Once the scope is agreed, the six-week engagement starts on a date that works for both parties.
Export Readiness Consultation
Overseas enquiries tend to either move forward or get set aside indefinitely. An assessment gives you the information to make that decision deliberately, rather than by default. The first conversation costs nothing and carries no commitment.
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