The Solo-to-Global Gap Audit - Free Framework

The $40,000 lesson I learned
so you don't have to

How to validate any international market in 4 weeks for under $500 (while avoiding the 5 gaps that kill most small companies before their first sale)

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I shipped 2,000 units to France without checking one thing.

CE certification.

That mistake cost me $40,000 and three months of products sitting in customs.

But here's what actually hurt:

Telling our team we couldn't pay bonuses that quarter.

Explaining to our CEO why I assumed EU regulations would match Japan's.

Watching our French distributor lose faith in us.

I had done everything else right.

Built relationships. Understood the market. Had customers waiting.

But I skipped the boring homework.

And boring homework is what separates companies that scale internationally from companies that bleed cash learning expensive lessons.

Here's the truth about international expansion for small companies

Big companies can afford to learn by spending.

They hire consultants. Build full teams. Absorb six-figure mistakes as "market research."

You can't.

You're a small company, an SME, maybe even a sole proprietor.

You don't have:

Budgets for $40K mistakes
Teams to delegate the research
Time for 6-month feasibility studies
Cushion for "fail fast and learn" experiments

But you do have:

A product or service that could work in other markets
Inquiries from overseas (maybe)
The ambition to grow beyond your current borders
The intelligence to test before committing

The problem isn't your product.

The problem is the gap between where you are now and your first international customer.

The 5 gaps that kill international expansion

Most small companies fail at international expansion because they don't even know what gaps they're facing.

They just start: translating websites, registering entities, hiring salespeople, building infrastructure.

Then they discover — too late — that they missed something critical.

Gap 1: The Language Gap

Not translation. Understanding how your target market actually describes their problem in their own words.

Gap 2: The Trust Gap

Why would someone in Germany buy from a stranger in Japan? You're asking them to take a massive leap of faith.

Gap 3: The Compliance Gap

Every market has regulations. Miss one and your products sit in customs while your cash burns.

Gap 4: The Delivery Gap

Can you actually fulfill what you're promising? Profitably? Repeatedly? Most can't.

Gap 5: The Payment Gap

Your customers want to pay one way. You're set up to accept payment another way. The sale dies right there.

Bridge these 5 gaps and you're ready for your first international sale.

Miss even one and you'll waste months — or $40K — learning it the expensive way.

Introducing: The Solo-to-Global Gap Audit

A step-by-step playbook for SMEs and sole proprietors ready to make their first international sale without burning cash on infrastructure you don't need yet.

Not theory. Not someday planning. Practical steps you can execute in the next 30 days.

Here's exactly what you'll get:

Gap 1: The Language Gap - The 4-step process to discover how your target market actually describes their problem (Under $100)
Gap 2: The Trust Gap - How to borrow credibility when you're just starting (Under $200)
Gap 3: The Compliance Gap - The 3 critical checkpoints for every product category (Under $100)
Gap 4: The Delivery Gap - Why you must ship to yourself first and what this reveals about your real costs
Gap 5: The Payment Gap - The minimum viable payment stack for international B2C and B2B (Under $100)
The 4-Week Execution Timeline - Week-by-week roadmap from research to your first pilot sale
The Scale/Kill Decision Framework - Real data beats wishful thinking

PLUS: When you download, you'll also get:

Weekly insights in "Age of Rediscovery: Taking Your Business Overseas" newsletter
Real lessons from 20+ years of international expansion
Trends in global markets, Japanese craftsmanship, and cultures worth discovering

Total Investment: Under $500 | Time Investment: 3-4 weeks

Is this framework for you?

This framework is for you if:

You're a small company, SME, or sole proprietor ready to test international markets
You've had inquiries from overseas but didn't know how to respond
You can't afford expensive mistakes but you're willing to test intelligently
You want practical steps, not theoretical market studies
You'd rather spend $500 learning what works than $50,000 learning what doesn't

This framework is NOT for you if:

You're looking for a "get rich quick" international scheme
You want someone else to do all the work
You're not willing to have real conversations with real prospects
You expect guaranteed success without testing

Why listen to me?

My name is Hinomoto Bridge Partners.

I spent 20+ years in international business, building a sales division from zero to $5M annually.

I've made every mistake you're about to make.

The $40,000 CE certification disaster in France? That was me.

The compliance oversights that delayed shipments for months? Me again.

The assumption that "what works in Japan will work everywhere"? Guilty.

I've burned the cash and learned the lessons so you don't have to.

Now I help small companies bridge into global markets without repeating my expensive mistakes.

Not with theory. With frameworks built from real scars.

Ready to bridge the gap between where you are and your first international sale?

Download "The Solo-to-Global Gap Audit" right now

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Common Questions

"I'm not sure I'm ready to go international yet."

That's exactly why you need this framework. It shows you how to test whether you're ready without committing to anything expensive or permanent. Better to know now than after you've registered an entity and hired a team.

"What if my product won't work internationally?"

Then you'll discover that in Week 1 for under $100. Much better than discovering it in Month 6 after spending $50K. This framework is designed to give you proof or give you permission to walk away.

"I don't have time for a 4-week process."

You have time for this or you have time for a 12-month expensive lesson. Pick one. The companies that succeed internationally are the ones who test smartly before committing big.

"Can't I just figure this out on my own?"

Of course you can. I did. It just cost me $40,000 in mistakes and 2 years of painful learning. This framework compresses that into 4 weeks and under $500. Your choice.

Start bridging the gaps today

The difference between companies that scale internationally and companies that fail isn't budget. It's knowing which gaps to bridge first and how to test before committing.

Download The Framework (Free)