MethodBusiness Strategy & PlanningStrategy & planningAdvanced

Plan entry into a new country or market

A market-entry recommendation: attractiveness, entry mode, legal setup, go-to-market and a phased plan.

This is a practical, copy-paste process for expanding to a new country.. Use it when you want a clear structure, then add your own details and the linked evidence.

Published by Deepstory Research. Reviewed Sep 2026.

How to use this method

1. Copy or downloadCopy the prompt below, or download the method file and attach it to your chat.
2. Paste into any AIChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot. Replace each [PLACEHOLDER] with your details, or let the AI ask you.
3. Add evidenceAttach the evidence files listed on this page so the AI works from sourced numbers, not guesses.

The prompt

Paste it as-is. The AI will ask for anything still in [BRACKETS].

Download .md

# Plan entry into a new country or market
Method by Deepstory Research: deepstoryresearch.com/method/market-entry-strategy

You are an international-expansion advisor who has taken companies into the GCC, India and the US. Follow the method below step by step. Goal: A market-entry recommendation: attractiveness, entry mode, legal setup, go-to-market and a phased plan.

## My inputs
- Company and offer: [COMPANY_AND_OFFER]  (example: Indian design agency)
- Target market(s): [TARGET_MARKET_S]  (example: UAE (Dubai))
- Budget and timeline: [BUDGET_AND_TIMELINE]  (example: $60k over 12 months)
- Constraints: [CONSTRAINTS]  (example: founder must stay part-time)

Before you start: if any input above is still in [BRACKETS] or missing, ask me for it in one short numbered list and wait. Do not guess. If I attached files (data, briefs, Deepstory evidence files), treat them as the primary source.

## Steps to follow
1. Score candidate markets on size, growth, competition, ease of doing business and fit.
2. Compare entry modes (export, partner, subsidiary, free-zone entity, acquisition) with cost and control.
3. List the legal, tax and licensing steps to verify with a local professional.
4. Draft the go-to-market for the first 12 months.
5. Set a phased plan with stage gates and kill criteria.

## Deliver the output in this structure
- Market scorecard
- Entry-mode comparison
- Setup checklist (to verify locally)
- First-year GTM
- Phased plan with gates

## Quality rules
- Mark all legal/tax points "verify with a licensed local advisor".
- Do not quote licence fees without a dated source.
- Label every number as FACT (with source and date), ESTIMATE (show the calculation) or ASSUMPTION.
- If a Deepstory evidence file is attached, use its figures as the reference values and cite its source references; tag claims that are not from it as [UNVERIFIED].
- End with: the 3 assumptions that matter most, what would change the answer, and the single best next step.

What you need to give the AI

Input	Placeholder	Example
Company and offer	[COMPANY_AND_OFFER]	Indian design agency
Target market(s)	[TARGET_MARKET_S]	UAE (Dubai)
Budget and timeline	[BUDGET_AND_TIMELINE]	$60k over 12 months
Constraints	[CONSTRAINTS]	founder must stay part-time

Use it when

Expanding to a new country.
Choosing between several candidate markets.

What you get

Market scorecard
Entry-mode comparison
Setup checklist (to verify locally)
First-year GTM
Phased plan with gates

The procedure, step by step

Read this before you run it, so you can check the AI actually followed the method.

1
Score candidate markets on size, growth, competition, ease of doing business and fit.
2
Compare entry modes (export, partner, subsidiary, free-zone entity, acquisition) with cost and control.
3
List the legal, tax and licensing steps to verify with a local professional.
4
Draft the go-to-market for the first 12 months.
5
Set a phased plan with stage gates and kill criteria.

Quality checks built into the prompt

• Mark all legal/tax points "verify with a licensed local advisor".
• Do not quote licence fees without a dated source.
• Every number labelled FACT, ESTIMATE or ASSUMPTION; claims outside attached evidence tagged [UNVERIFIED].

Evidence to use with this method

Methods tell the AI how to think. Evidence gives it sourced numbers to think with. Download a context file and attach it with the prompt.

EvidenceFinance

Six-Economy Macro Baseline

A common-country, common-period baseline for real growth, inflation, modeled unemployment and trade exposure across the United States, China, India, Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan.

Open evidence Download context file

EvidenceFinance

UPI vs Visa & Mastercard: India’s Payments Rewiring

Ten years of UPI measured against the US card networks, against cash, and against the merchant-discount-rate question reopened by the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

Open evidence Download context file

EvidenceRetail

E-Commerce Share of US Retail

Online sales as a share of total US retail, and the growth gap that keeps pushing that share up.

Open evidence Download context file

EvidenceAutomotive

Global EV Adoption

Electric vehicles as a share of new car sales worldwide, and the year-on-year pace of change.

Open evidence Download context file

Run next

Methods that chain well after this one.

MarketingBuild a go-to-market (GTM) planA launch-ready GTM plan: target segment, positioning, pricing, channels, sales motion, budget and 90-day plan.Legal, Risk & ComplianceMap the regulations that apply to your businessA map of laws, regulators, licences and upcoming rule changes relevant to a product in a jurisdiction.Business Strategy & PlanningWrite a business planA complete, lender- or investor-ready business plan with market, model, operations, team and financials.Business Strategy & PlanningFill a Business Model CanvasA completed nine-block Business Model Canvas with the riskiest assumptions highlighted.

Deepstory methods are process guidance for AI tools. Review AI output before relying on it; legal, tax, medical and investment decisions need a qualified professional.