When’s the Right Time to Expand Internationally?

I recently spoke with a well-known consumer tech company about their international expansion plans. Their core product is already a global success, and now they’re looking to (re)launch a second product in the U.S. and expand it internationally shortly after.

But here’s the thing — that second product hasn’t really taken off. It’s been around for over five years and still hasn’t gained traction.

So my first reaction was: Why the rush to expand internationally? Why not take the time to get it right in the U.S. first?

While I understand the appeal of going global quickly to chase larger market opportunities, I always recommend that companies first establish product-market fit and a solid business model in their core market. International expansion requires significant time, capital, and cross-functional effort — it’s not just about flipping a switch.

What Does It Take to Successfully Expand a Tech Product Globally?

I’ve worked on global expansion for both enterprise SaaS and operationally intensive marketplace businesses. The challenges varied widely, but I’ve noticed that most successful expansions follow a similar pattern — which I break down into three levels.

It’s also important to note: global expansion doesn’t work without real commitment and prioritization. More on that later.

Level 1: Localizing

Even the most “lightweight” software needs serious work to sell and support outside your home market. That means localizing:

• Product: Interface translations, formatting, content
• Sales & Marketing: Local messaging, channels, regional campaigns
• Customer Success: Language support, local SLAs

Take Japan, for example. The DoorDash engineering blog has a great piece about their launch there — and all the product changes it required. TL;DR: it’s not plug-and-play.

Level 2: Building for the Local Market

To scale globally, you’ll often need to build for the market — not just translate what you already have.

Some real examples from my experience:

• Product
  • SaaS: I once worked on a text analytics tool that needed to support Japanese. We had to switch to a new language processing algorithm because Japanese is structurally so different from Roman languages.
  • Marketplace: Even launching in Canada meant navigating all kinds of provincial tax rules — something we hadn’t needed to worry about in the U.S.
• Team
  • Hiring overseas is tough. In Japan, there’s a real shortage of bilingual talent, and people stay at companies far longer than in the U.S. (12.3 years vs. 4.1 years). Cultural norms, time zones, training — it all adds friction.
  • Regardless of how you expand (DIY, partnerships, acquisitions), building the right local team takes more time and effort than most companies expect. I once saw a hiring manager go into a Japan launch with the wrong expectations — they hired a non-Japanese speaker for a critical expansion role. Unsurprisingly, that hire didn’t work out.

Level 3: Adjusting Your Core Strategy

This is the level where many companies trip up. What worked at home often needs serious adjustment abroad.

Examples:

• Business Customs & Pricing
  • In Australia, tipping isn’t customary. So if your pricing model depends on gratuities (like ride-share or food delivery), you’ll need a new strategy.
• Regulations
  • In Japan, most third-party food delivery couriers ride bikes, not drive cars. That impacts everything — delivery time, route planning, and costs.
    For example, a 10km delivery might take 15 minutes by car versus 30 minutes by bike.
    This makes it difficult for delivery platforms to expand beyond dense city centers, where shorter delivery distances are more common.
• Customer Behavior
  • When we tried to expand a SaaS product to APAC, we realized we couldn’t go after SMB customers right away — their tech literacy just wasn’t there. We pivoted to targeting larger enterprises with more digital maturity instead.

The Biggest Challenge: Prioritizing International vs. Core Market

The toughest part of international expansion isn’t localization or taxes or even hiring — it’s getting your internal priorities straight.

You need to keep your core market running while investing meaningfully in new ones. But often, the core market (especially if it’s the U.S.) ends up getting 99% of the resources. It makes sense — it’s where the money is right now — but it’s also a recipe for half-baked expansion efforts. And it’s incredibly frustrating for international teams trying to make things work with limited support.

If you’re going to expand globally, you can’t do it with one foot in and one foot out. You have to commit, prioritize, and staff up accordingly.

So… Is Now the Right Time to Expand Internationally?

Only if your core business is solid — and you’re ready to go all in.