Most companies think going global means copying what worked at home and pasting it everywhere else. That’s usually where things go wrong. Alex Kartsel has spent 15 years watching businesses make this mistake, and helping others avoid it. From early stage companies to giants like Bolt, OLX, and SAP, he’s seen what actually works when you’re trying to scale across borders.
Scaling Beyond Borders: A Strategist’s Guide to International Growth
Here’s the thing about international expansion: it’s not just harder than domestic growth, it’s completely different. What got you to success in your home market might be exactly what kills your chances elsewhere. Alex learned this the hard way during his 15 years helping companies scale internationally.
Understand the Local Context, Don’t Just Translate It
Most companies treat international expansion like ordering off a menu: pick a country, translate the website, maybe hire a local sales rep. Then they’re surprised when it doesn’t work. “One of the biggest missteps I see is assuming what worked in one market will work everywhere,” says Alex. “Cross-border growth isn’t about translation, it’s about localization.”
Real localization means understanding how people actually behave in that market. What are the rules? How do customers prefer to buy? What cultural nuances shape decision-making? These aren’t things you can guess from headquarters, they require people on the ground who know the local terrain. Too many companies skip this and pay for it later. “Success comes from adapting your strengths to local realities—not forcing the same playbook everywhere,” Alex explains. The best companies treat each new market like a first-time launch. They invest early in local intelligence and build from the ground up. That’s what sets them apart.
Build Hybrid Growth Models — Online & Offline
Pure digital strategies sound great in boardrooms but usually fall flat in real markets. Alex has seen this play out across multiple industries. “Successful cross-border strategies often depend on hybrid growth models that combine digital and physical touchpoints,” he says. You need both sides working together. Here’s what Alex figured out while scaling marketplace platforms: you can’t just be digital or just be physical. “You need the tech and infrastructure to scale, yes, but you also need the operational backbone, local partnerships, boots on the ground teams, and agile logistics to meet customers where they are.” It’s complex, but it works. Think about it this way: digital gives you the scale to reach people, but offline elements give you the trust to actually convert them. “Growth is a dance between scale and intimacy. Digital gives you reach, offline gives you trust,” he puts it. Most companies lean too hard one way or the other and miss the sweet spot.
Think Globally, Execute with Discipline
Having global ambitions is easy. Executing on them without everything falling apart, that’s where most companies stumble.Alex has seen it time and again. “The vision might be global,” he says, “but execution has to be sharp and localized.” Success doesn’t come from bigger teams or deeper pockets. It comes from building systems that flex under pressure without snapping. “Cross-border doesn’t have to mean chaos,” Alex explains. “It means disciplined expansion, clear KPIs, focused teams, and structure that bends with the market.” He’s managed P&Ls across regions and launched products across continents, and the pattern is always the same: companies fail when they improvise without a real plan.
Vision is cheap. Structure is what takes time as well as investment. The launch itself is never the hard part. Winning, staying, and growing in a new market? That’s the real test. Too many companies treat international expansion like a one-time event instead of an ongoing commitment. Alex’s experience; from startups to global enterprises, has made one thing clear: entering a market is just the beginning. If you’re not building to outlearn, out-adapt, and outlast local competitors, you’re not really building to win.
The companies that get this right do more than translate their product, they rework how they build relationships, serve customers, and stay competitive. International growth isn’t about having the perfect playbook. It’s about having the right foundation and the agility to course-correct as needed. That’s what separates those who dream globally from those who actually succeed globally.
Connect with Alex Kartsel on LinkedIn to learn how he helps companies scale smarter, not louder.
