Volume vs. Margins: The Hidden Cost of Selling to the United States (And the Markets That Actually Make You Rich)
The most dangerous number in your business right now isn't your margin — it's the percentage of your sales going to one country.
For most Canadian (and other countries) manufacturers, that number is uncomfortably high. And if you're honest with yourself, you already know it.
We didn't get here by being reckless. We got here by being good at what we do. The US was easy. Familiar. No language barrier, no cultural adjustment, no complicated logistics. We were really comfortable, really at ease.
And then things changed.
Here's what most manufacturers do next: they wait. They tell themselves the situation will resolve. They keep watching the news, keep hoping for a deal, keep selling to the same buyers in the same market.
But waiting is a strategy too. A bad one.
Because here's the thing nobody talks about: the US was never your most profitable market. It was your most convenient one.
Volume and margins are not the same thing.
The US gives you volume. High competition, aggressive pricing, constant pressure to be cheaper than the next guy. If we try to compete on price, we're in trouble. India will beat us. Vietnam will beat us. China will beat us.
But there are markets out there where Canadian manufacturers can actually raise their prices.
Could you imagine? Raising your prices.
Not because you're desperate. Because the market values what you make and there's less competition fighting for that business.
Singapore is hungry for Canadian goods. Chile, Costa Rica, Panama are open and accessible. And through CETA, 98% of tariffs have been eliminated across 27 EU countries. Most manufacturers have no idea this exists.
These aren't consolation prizes. They're first-mover opportunities.
The manufacturers who figure this out now, who do the research, align their teams, and enter one new market in the next 12 months, are the ones who will look back at 2025 as the year everything changed for them.
The ones who wait will still be waiting.
There are no more excuses. Why wait?
If you want to know where you actually stand before committing a single resource to a new market, start with your Expansion Plan Score.
It takes 60 seconds. And it will show you exactly what you're working with.
Get Your Expansion Plan Scored here:
