The hardest part of running a business from overseas is often knowing how it is doing between visits, when you and your local manager may be working with different information. A phone call can tell you that orders are coming in, but it may not tell you which buyers have paid, how much stock is available or why the latest delivery was late. When you can both see the same records and know who is responsible for each decision, you can use your conversations to solve problems before they become expensive.
Start with a market you can test
Before you commit money to a building or equipment, find out who might buy your product, what they buy today, and what they expect in terms of quality, quantity and delivery. Where possible, follow a small trial order from supplier to customer and record the actual transport costs, stock losses and time it takes to get paid, because even a profitable order can leave you short of cash for the next delivery.
For an agri-food business, this means looking beyond the farm to understand who collects, transports, processes and ultimately buys the product. If a buyer needs produce graded, packed and delivered on a fixed day every week, your ability to meet that schedule reliably may matter more than the highest yield you can produce.
Give the manager clear authority
Agree in writing which decisions the local manager can make alone, which need a second check, and which must come back to you. A manager should be able to buy routine supplies and organise deliveries within an agreed budget, while larger commitments such as equipment purchases or new credit terms should have a clear approval process that works across time zones.
When you choose a manager, look for someone who understands stock, keeps records you can both rely on and is willing to raise problems early, then give them a clear job description and time to learn the business. A regular review also gives you a chance to see whether they have enough authority and support to do the job you hired them for.
Use a one-page weekly report
Agree on a report your manager can complete on a busy Friday, using the same categories each week so you can compare what changed and decide where your attention is needed. A useful report covers five areas:
- Sales: Show what was delivered, how much money came in and which customer payments are overdue.
- Cash: Record the opening balance, money received, money spent and closing balance, then check the figures against the records.
- Stock: Note what is on hand, what was damaged or lost and what needs to be reordered before the next delivery.
- Delivery: List the orders due next week, who is responsible for each one and any delays the team can already see.
- Decisions: Flag one or two matters that need your answer, with the manager’s recommendation and the date a decision is needed.
Ask for enough evidence to check the figures without turning reporting into a second job: invoices can support sales records, delivery notes can confirm what went out, and periodic stock counts can show whether recorded quantities match what is actually there. Agree who records the information and who checks it, so that both you and the manager can follow up on discrepancies while they are still fresh.
Make the first phase small enough to learn from
Set a budget, an end date and a few measures before you start a pilot, so you know what evidence you will use to decide whether to invest more. A small produce supply trial, for example, can show whether customers pay on time, whether deliveries meet their standards and how much stock is lost along the way; review the results with your manager before you expand, change the plan or stop.
Make a routine of talking about problems
Set a call at a time that works for the team and use the weekly report to discuss what went wrong, what you learned and what decision is needed. Agree on how to raise urgent issues between meetings, and respond in a way that makes it easier for your manager to bring you bad news early, while there is still time to act.
Start here: Choose one customer you can run a trial with, name the person responsible for daily decisions and agree on what you want to see in next Friday’s report. If the team cannot yet show you what was sold, paid for and left in stock, start by improving those records before you commit more money.