For the milestone 40th episode of Riskology by Infortal™ co-hosts Dr. Ian Oxnevad and Chris Mason are thrilled to welcome Frank Lavin, a Visiting Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and a leading expert in international commerce. This episode covers the challenges companies face when taking their business to new markets overseas. Featured Guest: Frank Lavin Frank Lavin works on Asia and trade policy as a Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution. In the Reagan Administration, Lavin served on the National Security Council and the White House staff in addition to assignments in the State Department. Lavin later served in the Bush (41) and Bush (43) administrations, in the latter as Ambassador to Singapore and Under Secretary for International Trade at the Department of Commerce. In the private sector, Lavin served in senior finance positions in Hong Kong and Singapore with Bank of America and Citibank. He is a columnist for Forbes.com and the author of several books, including “Inside the Reagan White House,” “The Smart Business Guide to China E-Commerce,” “Export Now,” and “Home Front to Battlefront.” Key Takeaways: Adopt a Light Footprint Strategy for International Expansion Instead of replicating your US operations in a new market, you should consider starting with scaled-down capital investment by outsourcing services such as logistics and distribution.     Utilize All Available Resources and Networks To facilitate international business expansion, leverage all available resources, including government agencies and private sector service providers. It may seem straightforward, but understanding the new market conditions before entering will strengthen your operating model and help you avoid significant risk. Evaluate New Markets with a Risk-First Mindset Rank potential foreign markets in terms of risk when deciding where to expand your business first. You may want to first consider lower-risk market entry points and build from there.    Tune in to the latest episode of Riskology by Infortal™ to gain a deeper understanding of how to approach international business expansion.  Read full show notes at Infortal Worldwide Resources: Infortal Worldwide Email Frank Lavin on LinkedIn Dr. Ian Oxnevad on LinkedIn Chris Mason on LinkedIn