REM Inc.
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1. JAPAN → OVERSEAS | CONSIDERING EXPANSION

Decide whether to expand overseas in as few as 12 weeks, from how local buyers respond

Winning path → market → meet the buyers → decide. If the answer is yes, we move on to incorporation with the same team.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

From expansion stuck in research to a management decision in as few as 12 weeks

Challenge

Generic secondary information is chased at random, real expansion never starts, and the project stops at consultations and research without a management decision.

REM's approach

Work backwards from market conditions, demand and product strengths to a winning path for each customer, and clear the way to a management decision on first-hand information.

What you have after 12 weeks

A winning path (business strategy) per market, meetings with buyers and partner candidates in the candidate countries, and the environmental-impact picture: the material to decide go or no-go.

THE WALL

The challenges: information and people are missing, so decisions stall

Challenges of Japanese SMEs planning or considering overseas expansion (multiple answers, n=81)

53.1%
Collecting local market information
49.4%
Securing leadership talent
45.7%
Finding local partners and suppliers
40.7%
Securing customers
39.5%
Understanding regulations and business practices
51%
of companies registered for new exports are still at the policy-consideration stage
13.9%
of registered companies have actually exported
20.8%
of SMEs cannot secure people for overseas expansion

Source: Shoko Chukin Bank, survey on SME overseas expansion and exports, April 2025 (n=4,384) / SME Agency, New Exporters 10,000 program, March 2025 / JETRO FY2025 survey (February 2026)

THE APPROACH

Find the winning path before choosing a country

Before market size, start from the strategy your company can win with. Secondary information is gathered with AI, first-hand information face to face, and the decision is made after meeting the buyers locally.

01

Put the winning path into words

From trade data and secondary information, work backwards from market conditions, demand and product strengths to a short statement of whose problem you solve.

02

Identify the industries and buyers to approach

From the industry's structure and market conditions, identify the industries and buyers to approach. List which country, industry and segment the potential customers are in.

03

Test at low cost (meetings)

List the potential customers and meet them online and in person, using every available route. Sometimes reactions are tested through existing channels.

04

Narrow to a country and go local (launch)

If management decides to expand, start small, build revenue, and create a structure that runs the business over the medium and long term.

12 WEEKS

The 12 weeks (as few as 12): identify → meet → decide

Meet the buyers before hiring or incorporating. Your side provides a decision maker at two regular meetings a month, one point of contact, and your materials and pricing.

  1. Weeks 1-4 (typically 2)

    Identify

    • State the winning path in a short sentence
    • Narrow candidate countries to 3-5 using trade data
    • Agree the long list, the definition of a meeting and the target count

  2. Weeks 5-10

    Meet

    • REM meets the counterparts as part of your team
    • Reactions, conditions and reasons for refusal are recorded
    • The initial strategy is corrected against reality and updated

  3. Weeks 11-12

    Decide

    • Go / no-go decided by your management as a whole
    • Go: the plan to continue (counterparts, team, priorities)
    • No-go: the reasons, and the conditions for reconsidering

FEES

Fees: monthly retainer + success fee

From USD 4,000 / month (excl. tax) + success fee

As few as 12 weeks of work. Specialist time is quoted per project. The success fee is set by the number of qualified meetings; the definition of a meeting and the target count are agreed with you in weeks 1-4. No fixed cost for hiring or incorporation is committed up front.

Success fee earned (for a target of 10 meetings)

  • 0-3 meetings: 0%
  • 4 meetings: 25%
  • 5 meetings: 50%
  • 6-9 meetings: 60-90%
  • 10 or more: 100%

For a different target, the same ratios apply. Results are measured by the progress of meetings, partnerships and contracts; we do not guarantee revenue.

The first step is a free 30-minute call

1) Free 30-minute call (online) → 2) We summarize your situation and candidate markets on one page → 3) We propose a plan and quote for as few as 12 weeks

Book a free consultation