Global Growth, Local Understanding

You decide to scale internationally… how exciting! New markets, new customers, new revenue opportunities. But it’s also where many companies struggle — not because their product isn’t strong, but because they don’t take cultural differences into full account.

How people communicate, make decisions, manage risk, give feedback, and build trust should change your entire strategy. What works seamlessly in one country can feel confusing, inefficient, or even disrespectful in another. Ignoring this doesn’t just slow down your growth — it causes friction with teams, partners, and customers.

One of the most common mistakes we see is assuming that “business is business everywhere.” In reality, leadership styles, hierarchy, meeting etiquette, negotiation techniques, and even attitudes toward decision making vary significantly across regions. Some countries and regions prioritise a work-life balance, whereas others value long hours and hustle culture.

Cultural awareness becomes even more important as you start to develop your teams internationally. Employees need to feel understood and respected to perform at their best. Without this, misunderstandings grow, engagement drops, and strong talent quietly disengages.

From a customer perspective, cultural misalignment can damage trust just as quickly but also cause legal issues. Marketing messages, sales approaches, and service expectations must be adapted — not simply translated. Customers want to feel that you understand their context, not that you’re applying a one-size-fits-all model. A product you have successfully marketed in one region may not be the right product to market in another due to consumer preferences and/or local regulations.

Now, scaling internationally doesn’t necessarily mean penetrating other markets. This may also include the following:

• growing a customer base from other countries while operating locally

• purchasing and procurement - sourcing materials or services from other countries opens up many doors for collaborations, learning and in a lot of cases, cost savings!

• hiring international talent - cultural differences are likely to show up quickly in communication styles and working norms, but when managed well, it strengthens culture, improves adaptability and gives you access to wider skills and perspective.

Scaling internationally isn’t just an operational challenge. If you’re curious to explore this further or exchange ideas, let’s connect!