Despite the fact that it has never been easier, a company’s international expansion still retains an exotic allure today. Wells Fargo’s International Business Indicator recently found that 60% of U.S. companies expect to increase international business development planning. It remains a goal, and then a milestone, for fast-growing successful businesses to expand beyond their native market and move into international territory.
Whether it’s San Francisco or Spain, launching in another location is one of the most challenging benchmarks an entrepreneur can experience. In the past year, we grew our company globally and we now have offices in London, New York, Barcelona, Dubai, and Santiago de Chile. Companies with truly global ambitions have probably seen a good degree of success at home, but I’ve observed a tendency among these organizations to lose control of their senses when moving overseas. Too often, companies seem to simply stick a pin in the map in order to locate their first international move or target the market du jour.