Entry planning
Most China entry plans are not wrong in substance. They are wrong in order
Each decision limits the next. Legal structure locked before the business model is proved. Partners picked before positioning is clear. Capital spent before the competition is mapped.
This is not for you if the structure is already set and the partner already signed.
Entry planning follows the test
A staged plan has one aim
Put off the decisions that are expensive to undo.
Iterative work
One decision changes the next, and sometimes forces you back. A distributor talk can change your pricing. Regulation can change which regions are worth entering.
Timing of commitment matters
Some companies lock in a structure, a partner or an operating model before the case behind it has been tested.
Where China entry plans break
The failure modes are not exotic. They repeat, across sectors and across entry types.
Tier 1 fixation
Shanghai and Beijing are the default first stop for most SMEs. In some categories that holds. In others it buys you the most expensive and most crowded entry point in China. Unless you have evidence that a Tier 1 city is right for you, start somewhere cheaper.
Unless there is clear evidence that a tier-one city is the correct entry, assume it is not.
The key market planning decisions
Five key decisions that define the entry and shape each other
Phasing and money
Entry is a series of funded stages, not one commitment. Right phasing protects your capital and gives you real decision points.
Positioning
Chinese competition does not match European competition on price, on features, or on how brands are seen. A translation of your European positioning is not a China positioning.
Channel
Direct, through a partner, through platforms, or a mix. Each carries a different cost, a different level of control, and a different speed. This is a positioning decision, not a logistics one.
Partner
The partner you enter with sets your pricing power. It sets what you can see of your own customers. It sets how dependent you are on one company. Who brings you through the door shapes which doors stay open.
Legal structure
The entity type governs what you can do, what you own, and how you leave. The wrong one is rarely obvious at the start. It shows up when you need to change something.
How we work on this
We think hardest about the hardest decisions first
Channel, positioning, partner and entity get the work upfront. The commitment waits until the case holds.
We build in stages
A distributor conversation can shift your pricing. Pricing can shift your entity choice. We expect to change direction during planning.
We work with you, not for you
The sequence fits your business, your sector and your timing. What you get is not a report. It is a short plan with a clear first move.
The decisions made early constrain everything after them
Corrections, where they are possible at all, are expensive. New legal entity. Renegotiated distribution. Repositioning in the market. The first move matters most, and it is where most companies put in the least work.
