Read Time: 4.5 Minutes
When Crossing Borders Breaks Businesses (Unless You REACH Right)
A few years ago, I was brought in to advise a leadership team that had just greenlit an ambitious expansion into Southeast Asia. They had the capital. The product was solid. And the internal forecast promised record-setting revenues.
Within 12 months, the entire plan unraveled!
They had misread the market, missed regulatory nuances, and assumed their North American operating model would port over cleanly. It didn’t. It broke.
And here’s the truth: they’re not alone.
In fact, companies expanding globally without a solid strategic playbook are 2X more likely to face costly market exits or prolonged delays (McKinsey, 2024). But for those who do it right? Global expansion becomes one of the fastest ways to unlock meaningful growth and diversify risk.
So how do you get it right?
Enter the REACH Model: Your Framework for Global Expansion That Sticks
If you’ve been sitting on an international strategy—or struggling with one that’s already underway—this is the moment to bring precision to the chaos.
Here’s how REACH works:
â–¸ Relationships
Establish connections with local partners who bring cultural fluency and market insight. This isn’t about outsourcing. It’s about real partnership to reduce friction at the point of entry.
â–¸ Education
Deep market research is non-negotiable. That means customer behavior, competitive dynamics, regulatory analysis, and localization potential. No shortcuts.
â–¸ Adaptation
Don’t copy/paste your home-market strategy. Tailor your offering—pricing, packaging, features—to reflect local demand signals.
â–¸ Compliance
Get legal. Fast. That means licenses, labor laws, certifications, and tax structures. A misstep here can tank the entire initiative.
â–¸ Harmony
This is where global meets local. Integrate your brand and strategy with local operations to deliver consistent experience—without being tone-deaf to regional nuance.
Think of REACH as your GPS system for international growth. Skip a step, and you get lost fast.
Real World Example: From Headache to Harmony in LATAM
One client, a B2B SaaS firm, had been burned on a failed EU rollout. When they set sights on LATAM, we retooled the approach using REACH.
We were brought in to build Relationships early, uncovered a pricing mismatch during the Education phase, and discovered compliance gaps that would’ve delayed operations by 6+ months.
The result? Their LATAM launch went live on time and is now their second-fastest-growing region by revenue contribution.
REACH isn’t theory—it’s application.
Real Strategies. Real Results.
Global growth isn’t about throwing darts at a map. While that's fun, I'd recommend focus on strategy, sequencing, and scale.
The REACH model gives you the architecture to avoid blind spots and accelerate into new markets without breaking your business.
If you’re considering global expansion—or already in it but feeling the friction—now’s the time to bring clarity!
PS - Here’s how I can help right here/right now:
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Catalyst Audit – Identify if your growth plan is globally ready (and where it’s likely to break).
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Catalyst Board – Join an elite peer group navigating similar international scaling challenges.
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Catalyst Strategy Session – A focused 1:1 engagement to get your global expansion plan aligned and actionable.
Let’s REACH new markets—intelligently! (See what I did there?) Email me at [email protected] to find out more.
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Sam Palazzolo
Real Strategies. Real Results.
https://sampalazzolo.com
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