Read the full script of Module 11, Episode 2 of the Global Growth Master Class below. Want to get certified on global expansion? Simply click here to access the complete course today.

Here is an overview of what you have learned throughout the course.

In Module 1 we covered how global business has changed. You learned the following: 

• About the gap between success in an initial market and truly reaching global scale and the chasm you must cross before scaling the mountain, 

• The top 10 reasons why many global growth initiatives fail, 

• and why right now is the right time to take advantage of the opportunities in global markets

In Module 2 you learned about the Global Class mindset and the following:

• How you can’t adopt the Legacy Mindset, doing things the company way and successfully scale globally

• How to start thinking global more effectively, building products and processes that aren’t hard-coded for your initial market, building diverse teams and even cultures designed to operate at global scale

• The new strategies Global Class Companies use, from strategy development that doesn’t rely on the company way of doing things, instead, seeking the local way to team building, to the role of headquarters, to fostering two-way innovation, to how these companies who are effective at reaching global scale use these levers to succeed. 

• The new role Headquarters plays at top companies

In Module 3 you learned about Interpreneurs and the Global Class Team Building Framework, as well as:

• How to build balanced local teams with the complete list of characteristics necessary to succeed in new markets 

• The importance of having an overlap between local knowledge and company knowledge

• How Interpreneurs, with a Growth Mindset, a Company Mindset, and a Cultural Mindset can be catalysts for the successful global growth of companies 

• How to develop Interpreneurial talent within your organization, and the interpreneurial mindset within yourself

In Module 4 you learned about organizational readiness, the most often overlooked aspect of building a foundation for global growth, as well as:

• The 4 Commitments for Successful Global Growth, and why internal alignment and buy-in around global expansion is imperative for the success of any initiative

• The importance of Resource Alignment, providing budget and resources over an extended period of time (more like 3 years vs. 12 months) to get traction in new markets

• Why granting trust and autonomy to local teams is necessary, especially during Market Entry, and how autonomy should change over time in accordance with the Autonomy Curve

• How effective communication and clarity, enabled by Feedback Loops, enable two-way innovation and the transparency necessary to build trust and share best practices between local teams and HQ

• And the Global Agile Methodology, and why the agile or lean methodology on its own does not work in a global context

• Finally, you learned about the Global Readiness Score and how it is an important assessment to uncover whether your organization has the DNA and foundation to succeed globally, and whether there is internal alignment. 

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In Module 5 you learned about Market (Readiness/Availability) and the right way to analyze market opportunity, as well as:

• Why do most companies get market analysis wrong, mainly conducting research from afar, over-emphasizing total addressable market, and not looking at the whole picture and all that is required to successfully enter a new market?

• Why in-person market analysis, which we call Localization Discovery should be an essential part of a market readiness assessment

• We talk about what companies should NOT do when evaluating new markets like outsourcing market selection, whale hunting, blindly following organic growth, over-valuing personal bias, falling into the trap of Familiarity Bias where countries with the same language as your initial market or geographically nearby get prioritized, or letting one function or department drive market evaluation and selection, often because it leads to choosing the wrong markets

• We then discuss best practices that companies SHOULD do when evaluating new markets like evaluating markets in terms of complexity and localization, Developing a robust set of criteria to evaluate market readiness, Remembering to consider culture, Making Market Selection guidelines part of Internal alignment, Finding the best initial international markets which may or may not be the home market where the company is first conceived, Building your local network and relationships with key stakeholders, Validating your assumptions and research with boots on the ground during Localization Discovery, Leveraging the diversity within your organization to build products and processes that resonate with a global audience, taking your time to evaluate markets instead of rushing through the process and thinking holistically - not just about succeeding in one market but building a foundation and pathway to global scale

• Overall, You learned how companies must consider the Degree of localization required, the scalability of localizations across markets, and organizational readiness in addition to Market Size when deciding where to expand to

In Module 6, you learned more about the Global Agile process, in particular the Customer RE-Discovery phase where you develop hypotheses for how your business will adapt to operate in a new market that provides a foundation to iterate around until you find product-market fit

• In addition, you learned about the concept of Localization Premium, the complexity incurred from needing to adapt an aspect of your business, either Go-to-Market Model (Marketing Premium, Sales Premium or Product Premium) or Operational Model (Infrastructure Premium, Administrative Premium or Organizational Premium) to succeed in the new market

• You learned about the two filters you need to run all aspects of your business (under each of the Premium Categories) through, which affect all aspects of your business, Government & Regulation, AND Culture

• You then learned about the Business Model Localization Canvas, and how running through the exercise uncovers those hypotheses for how your business will operate in the new market

In Module 7, you learned about the final steps of the Customer RE-Discovery stage of the Global Agile Methodology, Complexity Mapping, Market Selection - when choosing a market should really happen, although most companies decide beforehand, and Market Entry Strategy Development

• You learned about the Localization Premium Analysis framework and how it can be used to support each of these sub-stages, primarily helping you map out the complexity and degree of localization required to succeed in a new market

• You learned about the Iceberg effect, the tendency for companies to focus on the Go-to-Market customer Premiums and less on the under-the-surface operational Premiums

• You also learned about the concept of Linked Markets and how localizations required to get traction in one market can be scaled to other markets

• You also gained insights into the Market Entry strategy development process, and how it can be used to establish prioritization and implementation stages for localizations, assisted by the Total Cost of Entry Formula for accurate capital planning

In Module 8, you were introduced to Momentum Builders, structures and processes that facilitate strong communication, best practice sharing, navigation of cultural differences, and beyond, providing the right foundation to both accelerate rapid international growth and support a global organization at scale

• You learned about the importance of balancing process with flexibility, so you are not hindering scale with process, but using it to support the increasingly complex organization being built as you grow in many international markets

• You learned about how many of the frameworks in modules 1-7 were Momentum Builders, from the Global Readiness Score to Interpreneurs, the Global Class Team Building Framework, the 4 Commitments for Successful Global Growth, The Autonomy Curve, Localization Discovery, the Business Model Localization Canvas, Localization Premium Analysis and beyond

• You were then introduced to additional Momentum Builders to help support your growth, from the Global Growth Pitch Deck to help formalize and communicate Market Entry Strategy, the Global Growth Playbook to capture best practices and dynamically guide local teams to success when your company enters new markets.

• Then you learned about the Localization Resource Team or LRT, and how this type of cross-functional team can implement localizations faster, provide guardrails for what aspects of the go-to-market and operational models can/can’t change, control complexity, and it can give company leaders visibility into the progress of localizations

• Finally, you learned about the Job Function Pendulum how to navigate organizational structural changes, and what should be centralized, regionalized, and localized as you expand to more markets

In Module 9, you learned about the importance of culture and how it permeates all aspects of a company’s growth in international markets

• You learned about the three layers of culture - Local Market Culture, Local Business Culture, and Company Culture, and how to navigate situations when these cultures conflict.

• You then learned about a new emerging type of culture that transcends national borders, connecting people with similar interests and values, allowing companies to tap into these networks to be successful in entering new markets

• You then learned how to integrate cultures, manage cultural differences, hire the right teams of people, create structures to facilitate two-way innovation, celebrate and tap into the diversity within an Interpreneurial organization

• Finally, you learned about the power of universalizing Core Values to appeal to a global workforce and customer base

In Module 10, you learned about how to manage a distributed organization at global scale

• You were introduced to the Global Class Management Model, or GCM Model, which ties together a number of core concepts from the course into a cohesive approach to managing a global organization. Using a suspension bridge analogy you visualized how Global Class Companies (and their new definition of HQ) build a bridge to local markets. You saw how the Global Agile Methodology serves as a foundation for Interpreneurial local teams, and Momentum Builder structures to support growth. You saw how the roadway between HQ and local markets serves as a path for HQ to share its vision and goals with local markets, while local teams uncover localizations to help the company succeed in a local market. Then in the middle of the roadway Feedback Loops exist to facilitate the constant communication and translation happening between HQ and local teams. Finally, you saw how Company Culture and Trust Points, where the suspension cables that supported the whole structure

• You then learned about how to foster a productive and supportive dynamic between HQ and teams in local markets

• And how setting Decision Rights between HQ and Local Teams empowers everyone involved and provides clarity that allows each to move in the same direction, driving toward success in local markets and on global scale.

Now we are going to introduce you to one last framework, a super framework, that sits above some of the other frameworks we have taught you how to use, and show you how to use it to help you build the most direct path to reaching global scale.

NOTE: Don't miss out on the next episode! If you want to continue learning about global expansion strategies and dive deeper into the course material, simply click here to access Module 11, Episode 3 of the Global Growth Master Class.