(A friendly guide from someone who has learned it the hard way – in Germany.)
You’ve built something great in your home market— but now you’re wondering if it might also work abroad. We’ve been there and have seen it with many companies.
It sounds simple enough: find customers, ship products, conquer Europe. In reality? It takes patience, humility, and more than one strong cup of coffee.
Before you pack your bags (and your invoicing software), it’s good to ask one crucial question:
Are we actually ready to go global?
Here’s our honest checklist to help you find out.
If things are still shaky in your home country, expanding abroad won’t magically fix them — it usually just makes the chaos bilingual. Your business should already have a solid foundation: stable sales process, happy customers, and a business model that works, and is preferrably scalable.
If your team, financials and production could survive a bad year without panic, your company and it’s culture is probably strong enough for export.
Note: This checkpoint applies if you have started somewhere else. It is also possible to start somewhere else than your home market - read here why you could consider Germany as your first option
International expansion is easiest when your product solves a real problem — or at least one that exists outside your home market . You wouldn’t want to sell PUSU Skis in the equator.
If your solution needs only minor adjustments for new markets and it still has demand, you’re in a good place.
Ask yourself: Would someone in Berlin, Stockholm, or Amsterdam instantly get what we offer? If the answer is yes, you’re on the right track.
Going global isn’t something you do “on the side.” It requires commitment. Someone in your team should wake up thinking about export markets (and maybe even dream in German).
You need time for research, networking, and that first clumsy business meeting abroad where no one understands your local PowerPoint jokes. And, accept the fact that international expansion takes time. Success doesn’t come overnight. Appointing a “Chief of Global Chaos Management” might be too much, but there will be surprises on the way.
International growth takes also monetary investment — and the return won’t happen overnight either. Budget for travel, translation, marketing, and all those “oh, we didn’t think of that” expenses.
Luckily, there are many national funding programs and the EU loves a good innovation story (see ofap.eu).
Rule of thumb: Have enough runway to survive at least a year without expecting instant profit.
A global mindset is half the battle. English fluency helps, but so does curiosity and cultural flexibility.
If your team enjoys learning how Germans love paperwork, Swedes love meetings, and Brits love small talk — you’ll fit right in anywhere.
Pro tip: Humor doesn’t always translate. We learned that after making a joke about sauna culture during a German tax meeting. It did not land.
You don’t need a 200-page market report, but you do need a clue. Who are your potential customers? What’s the competition like? What’s the easiest market to test first?
A little research goes a long way — especially when you’re explaining to customs why you shipped 300 “mystery boxes” to Hamburg.
If that sounds like you — congratulations! You might just be ready to take your company to a global track.
And if you’re still unsure? No worries. We’ve been there too. Drop us a message — we’re happy to share what not to do – and also cover some of the questions that may arise from the list. We have the knowledge and expertise over the culture in the Europe’s biggest market. Hit us up!