TradeGuard Pro
Executive Summary
Vision Statement
Empower every internationally trading business to anticipate, withstand, and adapt to global trade shocks—protecting jobs, margins, and market access with data-driven agility.
Problem Summary
Businesses that depend on international supply chains—especially those in manufacturing and export—face sudden, existential threats from rapidly changing trade policies and tariffs. The recent US–Vietnam tariff deal, which imposes a 20% levy on most Vietnamese exports to the US, exemplifies how quickly a major market can become economically unviable for exporters, leaving companies scrambling for contingency plans and putting hundreds of jobs at risk.[1][2][3] Uncertainty, lack of timely information, and the complexity of scenario planning make it extremely difficult for business owners to respond proactively.
Proposed Solution
A SaaS platform that delivers real-time geopolitical and trade policy risk monitoring, automated scenario planning for supply chain diversification, and actionable recommendations for alternative markets. The platform would aggregate official policy updates, model the financial impact of proposed or enacted tariffs, and provide businesses with a toolkit to assess, mitigate, and communicate risk across their operations.
Market Analysis
Target Audience
The ideal user is a supply chain manager, export director, or business owner at a mid-sized manufacturing or trading company with significant exposure to international markets. They are responsible for managing risk, ensuring business continuity, and communicating with stakeholders about disruptions. These users are typically based in export-heavy regions (e.g., Vietnam, Southeast Asia, China, Mexico) or in US-based import/distribution firms reliant on overseas suppliers. They are digitally literate but overwhelmed by the pace and opacity of regulatory changes.
Niche Validation
The Reddit post and its highly upvoted comments provide strong validation for this niche. The original poster, representing a company with 200+ employees, voices urgent concerns about the lack of alternatives, the speed of policy changes, and the existential threat posed by tariffs. Multiple commenters echo the lack of actionable options and the need for scenario planning. This is further reinforced by recent real-world events: the July 2025 US–Vietnam tariff deal has created immediate, widespread disruption for Vietnamese exporters and their US buyers, with no clear path forward for most affected firms.[1][2][3] The pain is acute, recurring, and not limited to Vietnam—a global problem for all internationally trading businesses.
Google Trends Keywords
Market Size Estimation
The Serviceable Available Market (SAM) targets mid-sized manufacturing/export firms in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, etc.), China, and Mexico, as well as US-based importers. This segment represents approximately 150,000–250,000 companies with direct exposure to policy-driven trade risk.
The Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM) for an initial SaaS launch is realistically 2,000–5,000 companies (early adopters) in Vietnam and neighboring countries most affected by the 2025 US tariff regime, expanding as the platform proves value and regulatory volatility persists.
The Total Addressable Market (TAM) includes all companies engaged in international trade worldwide. According to the WTO, there are over 300,000 exporting firms in Vietnam alone, and millions globally. The global trade management software market is valued at $1.5B+ and projected to grow rapidly as geopolitical risk increases.source
Competitive Landscape
Competitors include legacy global trade management platforms like Amber Road (now part of E2open), SAP Global Trade Services, and Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE. However, these are often expensive, enterprise-focused, and slow to adapt to real-time policy changes.source Emerging startups like Flexport and Project44 offer logistics visibility but lack deep, actionable trade policy scenario modeling. No dominant SaaS platform currently offers a blend of real-time policy monitoring, scenario simulation, and alternative market discovery specifically for mid-market exporters and importers.
Product Requirements
User Stories
As a supply chain manager, I want to receive real-time alerts when new tariffs or trade policies are announced affecting my export markets.
As a business owner, I want to simulate the financial impact of proposed tariffs on my current orders and supply chain.
As an operations lead, I want to identify alternative markets and suppliers based on up-to-date trade policy data.
As an executive, I want to generate scenario reports to communicate risks to my team and stakeholders.
MVP Feature Set
Automated aggregation of official trade policy and tariff updates
User-configurable real-time alerts for specified countries/products
Scenario planning tool to model financial impacts of policy changes
Alternative market and supplier discovery module
Exportable reports and dashboards
Non-Functional Requirements
High system uptime (99.9%)
Data security and GDPR compliance
Scalable infrastructure to handle peak news/event surges
Responsive, mobile-friendly UI
Key Performance Indicators
Number of active business users
Monthly scenario simulations run
Average time to alert after official policy change
Churn rate
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Data Visualizations
Visual Analysis Summary
The July 2025 US–Vietnam tariff deal immediately imposed a 20% tariff on most Vietnamese exports to the US, down from the originally proposed 46%, but still a severe hit for low-margin industries. This chart visualizes the change in tariff rates and the relative impact on Vietnamese exporters.
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Go-to-Market Strategy
Core Marketing Message
Don't let policy shocks destroy your business overnight. TradeGuard Pro gives you real-time alerts, scenario models, and diversification playbooks so you can protect your margins, your team, and your future.
Initial Launch Channels
- Targeted outreach in r/smallbusiness, r/InternationalTrade, and LinkedIn groups for exporters and supply chain professionals
- Partnerships with trade associations and export councils in Vietnam, Thailand, and Mexico
- Launch on Product Hunt and engage with industry newsletters (e.g., Global Trade Review, Supply Chain Dive)
Strategic Metrics
Problem Urgency
Critical
Solution Complexity
Medium
Defensibility Moat
Defensibility is built on real-time data aggregation from official sources, proprietary scenario models, and network effects (as more users contribute data on disruptions and mitigation strategies). Integrations with customs, logistics, and payment providers, as well as a growing dataset on trade flows and policy impacts, create switching costs and a knowledge moat.
Source Post Metrics
Business Strategy
Monetization Strategy
Adopt a tiered subscription model: entry-level plans for small businesses (with limited scenario runs and basic alerts), and premium plans for larger firms with advanced analytics, custom integrations, and team collaboration. Offer a free trial or freemium tier with limited features to drive adoption. Consider add-ons for consulting or API access.
Financial Projections
Assuming 500 companies onboard at launch at an average of $250/month, initial MRR would be $125,000. With steady growth to 2,000 customers over 18 months, MRR could reach $500,000/month. Churn risk is moderate but offset by the ongoing volatility in global trade policy.
Tech Stack
Node.js with Express for rapid API development and integration with real-time data sources. Consider Python with FastAPI for advanced analytics modules.
PostgreSQL for robust relational data storage, supporting complex queries on trade flows, policies, and user scenarios.
Next.js for its SEO benefits, performance, and ability to handle real-time data updates with React hooks.
- Stripe for subscription billing
- Twilio SendGrid for notifications
- OpenAI API for natural language summarization of policy documents
- AWS S3 for secure document storage
- Custom integrations with government and customs data feeds
Risk Assessment
Identified Risks
- Policy data sources may be delayed or incomplete, reducing the value of 'real-time' alerts.
- Customers may be slow to change existing workflows or may not perceive enough value to pay for another SaaS tool.
Mitigation Strategy
- Build direct integrations with official customs/trade data feeds and supplement with reputable news APIs. Use AI to summarize and flag unofficial but credible policy rumors.
- Offer a free trial, robust onboarding, and case studies demonstrating ROI to accelerate adoption.