Entering a New Market: What to Confirm First
Author: Junanda ConsultingReviewed by: Junanda Service Team2026-09-19
When a business enters a new market — a new region, industry, sales channel or customer group — the opportunity is usually what it sees first and the cost is what it sees last. What really determines the outcome is often not how good the product is, but whether the foundations have been confirmed in advance: the entity, the licences, tax, funding, supply chain, employment, intellectual property and exit arrangements. This article offers a practical framework for those confirmations, together with a checklist, so that businesses ask the right questions before committing money.
Market and customer validation
Market validation is not about producing an elegant research report; it is about testing assumptions against real orders.
- Genuine demand. Does the target market already have comparable supply? What reason does a customer have to switch away from an existing supplier — price, lead time, service, or compliance credentials?
- Unit price and gross margin. The price band that the local market will accept, the share taken by the channel, and the true gross margin after tax, logistics and other costs — and whether that margin can cover operating costs.
- Customer acquisition cost. The cost of acquiring a single customer through each channel — online advertising, trade fairs, agents, direct sales — and how long it takes to recover that cost.
- Decision chain and payment terms. Whether customers are businesses or consumers, who makes the final decision, how long the payment terms are, and how bad-debt risk will be controlled.
- Competition and substitution. Local market leaders, policy protection, import substitutes and alternative technology routes.
Design the validation actions around the question of whether you can first run small trial orders, and let small-scale transaction data replace subjective judgement. This can be broken down into three levels: the first is whether anyone wants it, measured by enquiries, sample requests and conversion rates; the second is whether it actually sells, measured by the time taken to close a first order and the willingness to reorder; the third is whether it makes money, measured by net profit after tax and freight. Only when all three levels have been cleared is it worth committing formal resources.
Signals of false demand are worth watching for closely: a customer who is enthusiastic in conversation but never places an order; a customer who is only interested if the price is far below that of the existing supplier; a demand for very long payment terms or an unusually large credit limit; and frequent changes in the person handling procurement decisions. These signals often mean that the market is not yet genuinely mature, or that the customer is simply comparing prices.
Entity and licensing
- Whether a local entity is needed. If the only requirement is to collect money, a cross-border collection channel may be enough. But if you need to sign contracts, bid for tenders, issue invoices, employ people or lease premises, a local entity is usually unavoidable.
- Industry licensing and prior approval. Manufacturing, healthcare, education, financial services, logistics, food and dangerous goods are often licence-based sectors. Establish first whether foreign investment is permitted, and whether there are equity ratio limits or localisation requirements.
- Business scope. Whether the chosen entity type and its registered business scope can cover the activities you intend to carry out — so that you do not end up trading but unable to issue invoices.
- Brand and trade mark. Carry out a trade mark search before entry to confirm that there is no conflict with earlier rights, and to avoid being forced to change the brand or to face a claim for infringement.
The principle at this stage is simple: confirm first whether the business can be done at all, then decide what entity to do it with, and only then proceed to registration.
Tax and compliance
Tax issues tend to surface only after the business is up and running, so it is worth confirming the following dimensions in advance:
- Which taxes apply. Whether a turnover tax obligation arises in the place of sale, such as Value-Added Tax (VAT) or sales tax, and whether a local tax number must be registered and returns filed periodically.
- Permanent establishment. Staff stationed on site for long periods, a fixed place of business, or an agent with authority to conclude contracts can all create a permanent establishment locally, and with it a tax liability.
- Transfer pricing awareness. Prices between related companies should follow the arm's length principle, should match the functions performed, the risks assumed and the assets used by each party, and should be supported by the required documentation.
- Customs duty and origin. Where goods cross borders, tariff classification and origin rules bear directly on cost. Specific rates are subject to the latest official versions.
- Anti-avoidance and exchange of information. Under financial account information exchange mechanisms such as the Common Reporting Standard (CRS), information on offshore accounts may be exchanged with the jurisdiction of tax residence. An offshore structure does not mean that a business is invisible.
It is worth stressing that tax cost should be built into the pricing model, not calculated after the deal is done. Many businesses appear to grow quickly in their first six months in a new market, when in reality they have deferred tax, freight and return costs to a later date, ending up with a loss. Make each compliance cost explicit at the pricing stage and produce a tax-inclusive pricing worksheet.
Funding and settlement channels
- Payment and collection routes. Corporate bank accounts, cross-border collection services, letters of credit, documentary collections and third-party payment services each differ in settlement speed, fees and compliance requirements.
- Settlement of foreign exchange and foreign exchange reporting. Cross-border receipts and payments must be reported in accordance with foreign exchange administration rules, and the source and purpose of the funds must be consistent with the contract.
- Exchange rates and payment terms. Price terms for settlement in local or foreign currency, hedging tools, and the matching of payment terms with cash flow.
- Compliance of funds repatriation. Repatriation of profits, payment of service fees and payment of royalties all require a genuine underlying transaction supported by contracts and invoices.
Supply chain, people, intellectual property and exit
- Delivery terms. Incoterms such as FOB and CIF determine where risk and cost pass, and must be kept consistent between the contract, the customs declaration and the invoice.
- Logistics and warehousing. Transit times, customs clearance capability, and the cost of reverse logistics for returns and exchanges.
- Alternative suppliers. The risk of disruption from reliance on a single supplier and the contingency plans available.
- Localisation requirements. Market access conditions such as labelling, certification, packaging, language and after-sales service points.
- Employment. Local labour contracts and differences in labour law, social insurance and housing fund contributions, the compliance boundaries of labour dispatch and outsourcing, and the visas and individual income tax position of expatriate staff.
- Intellectual property. Territorial registration of trade marks, patents and copyright, consistency between domain names and the brand, and arrangements for ownership of core technology.
- Risk and exit. Termination clauses, equity exit routes, how assets will be disposed of and the tax cost of winding up. Agreeing these in advance is far better than negotiating them after the event.
New market entry checklist
| Dimension |
Items to confirm |
Status |
| Market |
Demand, unit price, acquisition cost, payment terms and bad debt |
To be confirmed |
| Entity |
Whether a local entity is needed, industry licensing, business scope |
To be confirmed |
| Tax |
Which taxes apply, permanent establishment, transfer pricing, customs duty |
To be confirmed |
| Funding |
Payment routes, foreign exchange reporting, exchange rates, profit repatriation |
To be confirmed |
| Supply chain |
Incoterms, logistics and clearance, alternative suppliers |
To be confirmed |
| Employment |
Labour contracts, social insurance, dispatch boundaries, visas and individual income tax |
To be confirmed |
| Intellectual property |
Trade marks, patents, copyright, domain name strategy |
To be confirmed |
| Exit |
Termination clauses, winding-up costs, disposal of assets |
To be confirmed |
Common Pitfalls
This article is general business information prepared by Junanda Consulting. Specific policy positions, tax rates, deadlines and procedural requirements are subject to the latest official versions issued by the competent authorities. To understand how these requirements apply to your business, please contact Junanda Consulting for further information and support.