Practical guides for entering the US market
Kwest's own notes for Korean companies preparing to expand into the US. Need more detailed consulting? Reach out anytime.
Contact us
Miss Your 5-Year Declaration of Use, and Your Trademark Registration Gets Cancelled
The deadline and requirements for the USPTO Section 8 Declaration of Use filing required between years 5-6 of a trademark registration, and what happens if you miss it.
Why Sellers Who Rely on AI-Driven Automation Apps Often Fail to Scale
Four traps that show up when Amazon sellers over-rely on AI tools like repricers and PPC automation during the scaling phase.
How K-Food Actually Gets Into US Grocery Channels
The three-stage path K-food brands typically follow — from Korean markets like H Mart to mainstream retailers like Costco and Kroger.
How Does K-Beauty Actually Get Into US Specialty Beauty Chains?
The difference between a traditional in-store launch and an online marketplace entry at chains like Sephora and Ulta, and the practical strategy K-beauty brands use.
LLC, C-Corp, or S-Corp? Comparing US Entity Types for Korean Founders
A comparison of LLC, C-Corp, and S-Corp structures, with a focus on why S-Corp status typically isn't available to Korean individuals or entities holding shares directly.
How IRS Expense Deductibility Differs From Korea's National Tax Service
A comparison of the IRS's "ordinary and necessary" expense standard versus Korea's NTS documentation-threshold approach, and what that means in practice for running a US entity.
Why One Label Claim Can Block OTC Status: The FDA Labeling Trap
Why using drug-like efficacy language on a cosmetic label can get a product classified as an unapproved drug, and how OTC status is actually determined.
Why Amazon Sellers Fail to Scale
Six recurring patterns behind sellers who launch well but stall or collapse when trying to scale — inventory/cash flow, PPC structure, account health, and brand equity.
How to Manage Negative Search Terms in Amazon Ads
The difference between Negative Exact and Negative Phrase, which search terms should become negatives, and a practical management cadence.
Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display — The Basics and Key Differences
A breakdown of Amazon's three Sponsored ad types — Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display — what each one is, when to use it, and how sellers typically scale from one to the next.
Top of Search (TOS) and Bid Adjustments — When to Raise Them, When to Lower Them
A look at Amazon Ads' Placement concept and the Top of Search bid adjustment feature, with practical guidance on when to raise or lower it.
How Recent US Tariff Policy Affects K-Food, K-Beauty, K-Lifestyle Goods, and the KORUS FTA
An overview of how US tariff policy toward Korea has shifted repeatedly since 2025, and what that means in practice for K-food, K-beauty, and K-lifestyle goods exporters, alongside the KORUS FTA.
How to Get Your Products Into Walmart or Target
The basic structure behind getting into major US retailers — the difference between Vendor and Marketplace paths, and how requirements differ by category for K-beauty, K-food, and K-lifestyle brands.
US Corporate Tax Filing — A Checklist of Easy-to-Miss Items
From the dual federal/state filing structure to Form 5472 for foreign-owned entities and sales tax nexus — a checklist of items that are easy to miss when filing US corporate taxes.
What Is a Word Mark? — Types of US Trademarks Explained
A breakdown of the difference between Word Marks, Design Marks, and Combined Marks — and which one to register first when protecting your US trademark.
Match Types Explained — Broad, Phrase, and Exact
The same keyword shows up for very different search terms depending on match type. A concrete example shows how Broad, Phrase, and Exact each behave.
Targeting vs. Customer Search Term — What's the Difference?
A clear breakdown, with a hypothetical example, of the difference between the Targeting value in Manual/Auto campaigns and the actual Customer Search Term a shopper typed.
What Is a Search Term Report? — Basic Terms for Beginners
A plain-English breakdown of 8 basic terms in your Amazon Sponsored Products Search Term Report — Impressions, Clicks, CTR, CPC, ACOS, ROAS and more — using a simple hypothetical example.
How to Set Up a US Company: LLC Basics
The first question Korean companies face when entering the US: where and in what form to incorporate.
KORUS FTA: How Much Can You Save on Tariffs?
The Korea-US Free Trade Agreement can reduce or eliminate tariffs on many product categories.
K-Beauty & K-Food: Start with FDA Registration
Exporting cosmetics or food to the US requires FDA registration procedures first.
No articles in this category yet.