3 steps to taking your business abroad (from a founder who's doing that right now)

So, you’re looking to take on the big, wide world.

To jump ship and take your business abroad. Expand your horizons and whatnot.

But entering a new market is fkn DAUNTING. Like, what do you meannn I’m taking my business to a whole new country, with a whole new set of customers, in a whole different algorithm, with a whole different set of cultural and consumer preferences?

Errrrrr. Yeah, just one tiny question: how tf.

Since my experience in the matter is likely the same as a third grader, I sat down with our founder, Stanley, to gain some insight, which was particularly useful considering he’s literally in the process of expanding our business to Australia right now.

If you don’t know already, we’re based in New Zealand, so “popping over” to Australia sounds easy enough in theory. Same-ish culture, similar time zones, flights shorter than most Netflix films.

But as Stanley quickly pointed out, entering a new market is not just a ctrl+c, ctrl+v of what’s worked back home. “There’s this assumption,” he told me, “that because it’s close, it’ll be simple. But every market has its own networks, its own pace, its own… unwritten rules.”

His approach? A three-pronged plan of attack. And the way he explained it made me realise these are universal moves anyone could steal, no matter where you’re trying to grow.

1. Warm them up before you arrive.

In other words, you’re going to “soft launch.” Not in a big, public way, but more like dropping hints so your name starts to feel familiar.

“I want people in Australia to have heard of us before we’re properly there,” he said. “So, you start weaving Australia into your stories, talk about it in your content, react to their news, use their examples. If you do it naturally, the algorithms push your stuff over there.”

It’s basically content flirting… getting their attention without being that person shouting “HEY LOOK AT ME” from across the street, (embarrassing, cringe, too eager.)

2. Find your people there.

Stanley is blunt on this one: “Most people think about relationships after they’ve met someone. But you actually have to build the relationship so you can meet them in the first place.”

It’s less LinkedIn spamming, more genuine curiosity. He’s been finding mutual connections, following relevant Aussie creators, chatting in comment sections… all before asking for anything. So by the time he reaches out to someone, they’ve seen his name pop up a few times, which makes “we should grab a coffee” feel a lot less random (and weird.)

3. Show up in person.

Here’s where it gets animated--nothing accelerates trust like meeting face-to-face. Even if your business is fully online, turning up shows you’re serious.

So he’s planning time on the ground, not just for official meetings, but for the casual stuff too. Things like coffee catch-ups, attending events, and showing up in the places where decisions get made informally. From the way he talks about it, this isn’t just logistics. It’s about energy. It’s sending the message: we’re here, and we care enough to be in the room.

What I always love about Stanleys approach is that it is never about changing who we are as a business. It’s about translating what we already do well into a new accent.

“The fundamentals don’t change,” he said. “If your brand works here because it solves a real problem, it’ll work there too. You just tweak the execution, so it feels like it belongs.”

“If you’ve got a fundamental human truth at the heart of your brand, you can take it anywhere.”

Your product and content can be adapted, but your brand should remain the same. Because the fundamental truth should be something so core and resonant that it cuts through borders and demographics… the thing that makes your brand make sense regardless of where you are.

If you’ve got that foundation, entering a new market stops feeling like starting from scratch. Remember: you’re not reinventing yourself; you’re translating.

Speaking of which, 99.9% of you aren’t booked in to meet up with Stanley and Jony when they touch down in Sydney next week. That seems kind of silly, don’t you think? Grab coffee with Stanley.

-Sophie Randell, Writer