How To Start An International Business - How I Did and How Anyone Can Too

[@melaniacx]

Hi Casey. Thanks for sharing this information. You product looks amazing and of high quality. I'm actually in the process of starting an online business. My question is....did you register your company as an international business right away or did you register your business locally first and then progress into an international business company. Thanks!

[@TheDeerInn]

Hi Casey, I have had an Etsy page for quite a few years now, but I haven't had much success with it. There are too many people that create things and then sell them for dirt cheap, it really degrades the art market when that is done. I have had many different items listed for sale, but unless you pay for advertising the sales just aren't there. I have sold slumped bottles made into cheese trays from my own form design and glasses made from bottles. Not much luck with engraved bracelets or specialty wooden earrings, a few custom cutting boards were sold. I am going to try adding coin and wooden rings that I have been making recently. I wish I could get the burl wood as easily as you do, I will search online for some. I really like your videos - keep it up.

[@CaseyMartin707]

Hey Craig, I agree you definitely need some form of marketing. I honestly highly recommend paying a little bit for google shopping ads. Or I highly recommend trying to do your own form of marketing via KZbin videos of you making your projects or Instagram where you show pictures of the process and finished pieces. It helps people understand why your product is superior to the dirt cheap crap out there, and it overall increases your exposure to the market you’re trying to sell too. Best of luck buddy and thanks for watching!

[@TheDeerInn]

Thanks Casey, I am more of the background type person and not sure if I could do videos. I do have quite a few videos on KZbin for my animations and graphic work, but maybe soon I could just do videos of my work and not necessarily have myself in the cameras face. I really admire those of you who have done videos and realize that it has helped everyone of you make more sales as it adds the personal connection to the object being produced. At the end of this month I will have been off work for a year healing from multiple rotator cuff surgeries, I am a mechanic and it is kind of a requirement/need to have both arms. So, I have been watching all you great guys and gals on KZbin to learn as much as I can so when I get started in high gear the help from all of you will be there. Thanks so much.

[@footballoclock2523]

Hi Casey, I run a freelance company which i want the business to operate in other countries please how do I achieve that

[@BlackCat_2]

Glad you have had so much success! :) I started but still treat my business like a hobby as well. I have not listed anything in a long time because that is something I don't enjoy in all honesty. I don't sell internationally either. The main reason is just not wanting the extra headache that I have a feeling would come from that. I guess since I haven't listed anything in well over a year it doesn't matter anyway. :p - Heidi

[@CaseyMartin707]

I wouldn’t say a ton of success but thank you! Well you definitely shouldn’t do it if you don’t enjoy it! I think in my situation being in college and being able to definitely use the extra money is the main reason I did it. I also view the business side as a hobby too because I’m a very entrepreneurial person and I enjoy it a lot personally

[@BlackCat_2]

Oh I would love to have the extra money. As it is I don't have much because my main job is still mom for a little while longer. :) Of course I will always be mom but as he gets older... anyway. :p I have had businesses before. In high school I made custom tie dyes. I would hit up local bands to let me sell at their shows offering them a commission plus putting their band name on the shirts. It was a lot of fun. That was only one of the business ideas I had and worked. I guess I just can't get into the selling online thing. It's nowhere near as much fun. :D I have figured out what bothers me most is the writing of a description. I see all these long greatly written descriptions. For me having to do that is akin to torture. I am good at writing but not at tooting my own horn - never have been - so writing a fancy description about my item to compete with other sellers makes me feel like I am bragging. Maybe I just can just let the photos do the talking and not put much of anything in the description. After all a picture is worth a 1000 words so they say. :p I usually have 3-4 photos so that is 3-4000 words right? :D

[@davidclauson5256]

Thanks Casey, very informative video. This is something that my girlfriend and I are thinking about. Very helpful as always.

[@CaseyMartin707]

You guys should definitely do it David! I personally have a lot of fun with the business side of it too, and that’s also how I would encourage you guys to try to do it. Don’t let it be something stressful, just fun. Glad I could help!

[@maddycole]

This was encouraging and helpful!

[@Panacea9]

USA will use Market Entry Pressure to compel foreign owned business into signing with their firms over Canadian ones despite it being within a Canadian market. USA firms will have compelled a lot of customers to gravitate to them versus Canadian firms. Canada doesn't pressure industry to go to their firms, but they should as it is there market and they need their stuff to do well to recycle more money back into the economy. If they did, you wouldn't see these foreign companies signing deals with USA firms rather than Canadian owned ones. I guess sometimes they overcharge other american owned companies to move money around. Sometimes those "USA owned" companies arent even USA owned and tricked. eg: Catapillar sweden owned but tricked USA. China does it different. They look for the best deals and are pressuring for break even rates or less. They usually have actors within their vendors that they have negotiate the deals with them to ensure the best rates.

[@smorris227]

Would love to start the only problem is space, dont have my own place renting is expensive

[@celestecarione3477]

Thank you

[@Thanatas11]

Thanks for the video. I recently started my business a month ago and have sold 4 pens already in a few weeks (all to friends really). As far as approaching a local gift shop, does it vary by the store or should you expect them to buy a handful at a reduced priced or where you let them show your items for free and they take a small cut? (forgot what this is called)

[@CaseyMartin707]

Hey Kyle that’s awesome man! Congrats on that and on starting something great. I personally have not approached a local shop yet, but there’s two main ways to do so. Consignment is the second option you’re talking about. I think it’s probably the most likely way shops will work with you because it basically doesn’t make them invest anything other than a small amount of counter space. As for selling for a reduced price, I would recommend that for higher end boutique shops that already sell similar high end specialty items. You could definitely have some luck there. Either way man the opportunities are endless and I wish you luck!

[@zombiemillionaire6397]

Hello Thanks for the video. I've been having a difficult time figuring this out... I need to make sales calls to the USA from the Philippines and need something reliable and not overly expensive. Any suggestions?

[@AliAli-dm9rh]

If you can produce cement you’ll be a billionaire

[@dianehokinson2323]

I appreciated all his advice but he didn't say anything about what the title represented. So I felt like a click bait.

[@chrisos9437]

Hello Casey. What brand of drill press and band saw do you use? I have enjoyed your tutorials. Thank you.

[@CaseyMartin707]

Craftsman 10 inch drill press and grizzly 14 inch band saw

[@brentbeatty4171]

I have a friend from Thailand who wanted to go into business with me also

[@kylemcferran2557]

How do you deal with international shipping.. You would think the costs there would be the deal killer.

[@CaseyMartin707]

Well I’m fortunate that the products I sell are really light, so it is not as bad. It’s still bad sometimes, but I have that to my advantage. I think if you are selling something heavier, that you would want to have the value be so much higher than the cost of shipping that the shipping cost seems small in comparison.

[@kylemcferran2557]

Also do you sell at farmer's markets or craft shows?

[@CaseyMartin707]

I don’t personally but I know many pen makers do and I think it’d be a good idea.

[@ian57edwards]

Hi Casey, nice work, my question is what type of camera do you use. I’m about to start a little U Tube account. I currently on have a Facebook page “Wood lives” Thanks for the inspiration Regards Ian

[@CaseyMartin707]

I used a canon t5i for a long time. That’s what this video was filmed with. Honestly though my iPhone now has a better camera than the t5i. Only downside is it doesn’t have a viewfinder. I’d recommend just using your phone if it has a good camera or getting a cheaper canon or song camera because their facetracking is the best

[@I-build-crafts]

Hi Casey great info and great job getting your message across. I am working on a KZbin channel but not getting many subscribers. Is there a trick to it that you can advise me to do? Thanks!!

[@CaseyMartin707]

melanieheinrichstudios Hey Melanie! That’s awesome you’re working on it! In regards to getting subscribers, I honestly don’t have a secret way of doing it or anything, but I guess the best advice I could give which is what I do, is to put yourself in the shoes of a subscriber. Like ask yourself “Why would they want to subscribe to me?” And then make it clear in your videos the value you’re providing to them that would make them want to subscribe. But the best overall advice is to put yourself in their shoes. I hope that helps!

[@I-build-crafts]

Hmmmm, well I started the channel because people where always asking me how I made this and that. And I thought those people would be my subscribers. Perhaps it will just take some time to get more interest and more subscribers. I've only be making the how to videos for about three months now. Thanks for the feed back!

[@MemelordSupreme]

I have a question about marketing yourself / and as a brand. I am in a pickle at the moment (mentally) - I have another youtube channel that uses my gamertag, I was planning on transitioning to posting videos of the stuff I make on there, but feel it may not be received well due to the username not being a brandable name. If that makes sense? I have a couple of successful videos that have a little over over 200k views. So this is where I'm conflicted. I have a website under a different name that I refer to as my brand name... but I also use the name i use on my youtube channel.. SO that name is associated with the site. I have a youtube channel for that site, but don't have any videos or subs on the channel. I have been entertaining using my real name, but I don't know if I am comfortable with that. I feel like my handle has been sort of successful / some people know me by it, but I don't know if it would drive people away if I referred to myself as that handle, but also used the website's name as a brand-name. I don't know if that's really confusing or not? Haha! I guess I just don't know what the best option is. I feel like using the website name as the brand would be beneficial in the long run, but I am unsure about which youtube to use simply because starting out on KZbin right now (especially as a maker) is extremely hard and the exposure is super limited for people that have 0 subs or page views. The gamertag channel has some subs and popular videos, so I feel like I could build off of that and have more exposure posting to that channel.. Do you have any suggestions?

[@CaseyMartin707]

Hey Bryan, so you’ve got a great question here and I feel you’re struggle. I actually almost made a FN KZbin channel, as I’m in like the top 1% of players. (Gunsin707 on FN tracker). So I not only had thoughts like you about branding, but had a similar situation where I would have had to use a different name, etc. My best advice since you don’t already have a channel that uses your real name, is to use your real name. You could also use a hybrid as well. I mean look at Doug Censor Martin. Most people call him Doug and know him by that. I really think the only way people get super huge by their actual gamertag names is by having huge success as a pro, like Scump or Nadeshot, or having huge success as a streamer, like Ninja, etc. I mean there’s definitely people who have done it on KZbin too, but I think it creates more of a personal connection if you can have some hybrid version with your real name, like Nickmercs for example. Also the best reason for using some of your real name is that it opens you up to being able to do anything in the future with that channel as the channel is essentially just about whatever you are doing. Like if you transition to different games or want to start doing life vlogs or whatever. Hope that helps man and good luck!

[@MemelordSupreme]

Thank you for the response! You definitely gave me some good things to consider. I appreciate it!

[@brentbeatty4171]

I have a friend (contact from Pakistan who wants to do business with the United States through me