GTM 101: Startup Revenue Architecture•
The Hidden Crisis: How Silent Quitting Reveals a Broken Feedback Loop in Modern Organizations•
Pricing is Power: If You Can't Raise It, You Don't Have a Business•
Your Dashboard Is Lying to You (Stop Hiding Behind Data)•
The 'Imaginary Customer' Problem: Why ICP Often Misleads•
Get Off the Sidelines: It's Your Turn to Play•
Agile: The Secret Behind Success vs. The Reason We Fail•
The OKR Paradox: Why Google's Goal-Setting Framework Became Its Own Enemy•
The 'Global Market' Myth: Why Local Wins First•
The 'Glass Slipper' Trap: Why Early Retention Metrics Mislead•
The Hidden Cost of 'Friendly' Feedback•
The PM Role is Evolving. Enter the Producer.•
Why GTM Is Suddenly Everywhere (The Shift from PLG)•
The AI Revenue Illusion: GMV vs ARR•
The 'Global Market' Myth: Why Local Wins First•
The Hidden Crisis: How Silent Quitting Reveals a Broken Feedback Loop in Modern Organizations•
Your Dashboard Is Lying to You (Stop Hiding Behind Data)•
Why GTM Is Suddenly Everywhere (The Shift from PLG)•
GTM 101: Startup Revenue Architecture•
Get Off the Sidelines: It's Your Turn to Play•
The 'Glass Slipper' Trap: Why Early Retention Metrics Mislead•
The OKR Paradox: Why Google's Goal-Setting Framework Became Its Own Enemy•
The Hidden Cost of 'Friendly' Feedback•
Agile: The Secret Behind Success vs. The Reason We Fail•
The 'Imaginary Customer' Problem: Why ICP Often Misleads•
Pricing is Power: If You Can't Raise It, You Don't Have a Business•
The AI Revenue Illusion: GMV vs ARR•
The PM Role is Evolving. Enter the Producer.•
GTM 101: Startup Revenue Architecture•
The 'Global Market' Myth: Why Local Wins First•
The Hidden Cost of 'Friendly' Feedback•
Why GTM Is Suddenly Everywhere (The Shift from PLG)•
Agile: The Secret Behind Success vs. The Reason We Fail•
The 'Imaginary Customer' Problem: Why ICP Often Misleads•
The AI Revenue Illusion: GMV vs ARR•
The 'Glass Slipper' Trap: Why Early Retention Metrics Mislead•
Get Off the Sidelines: It's Your Turn to Play•
The PM Role is Evolving. Enter the Producer.•
The OKR Paradox: Why Google's Goal-Setting Framework Became Its Own Enemy•
Your Dashboard Is Lying to You (Stop Hiding Behind Data)•
Pricing is Power: If You Can't Raise It, You Don't Have a Business•
The Hidden Crisis: How Silent Quitting Reveals a Broken Feedback Loop in Modern Organizations•
The OKR Paradox: Why Google's Goal-Setting Framework Became Its Own Enemy•
Why GTM Is Suddenly Everywhere (The Shift from PLG)•
Get Off the Sidelines: It's Your Turn to Play•
The AI Revenue Illusion: GMV vs ARR•
The 'Imaginary Customer' Problem: Why ICP Often Misleads•
The PM Role is Evolving. Enter the Producer.•
GTM 101: Startup Revenue Architecture•
Agile: The Secret Behind Success vs. The Reason We Fail•
GTM 101: Startup Revenue Architecture•
The Hidden Crisis: How Silent Quitting Reveals a Broken Feedback Loop in Modern Organizations•
Pricing is Power: If You Can't Raise It, You Don't Have a Business•
Your Dashboard Is Lying to You (Stop Hiding Behind Data)•
The 'Imaginary Customer' Problem: Why ICP Often Misleads•
Get Off the Sidelines: It's Your Turn to Play•
Agile: The Secret Behind Success vs. The Reason We Fail•
The OKR Paradox: Why Google's Goal-Setting Framework Became Its Own Enemy•
The 'Global Market' Myth: Why Local Wins First•
The 'Glass Slipper' Trap: Why Early Retention Metrics Mislead•
The Hidden Cost of 'Friendly' Feedback•
The PM Role is Evolving. Enter the Producer.•
Why GTM Is Suddenly Everywhere (The Shift from PLG)•
The AI Revenue Illusion: GMV vs ARR•
The 'Global Market' Myth: Why Local Wins First•
The Hidden Crisis: How Silent Quitting Reveals a Broken Feedback Loop in Modern Organizations•
Your Dashboard Is Lying to You (Stop Hiding Behind Data)•
Why GTM Is Suddenly Everywhere (The Shift from PLG)•
GTM 101: Startup Revenue Architecture•
Get Off the Sidelines: It's Your Turn to Play•
The 'Glass Slipper' Trap: Why Early Retention Metrics Mislead•
The OKR Paradox: Why Google's Goal-Setting Framework Became Its Own Enemy•
The Hidden Cost of 'Friendly' Feedback•
Agile: The Secret Behind Success vs. The Reason We Fail•
The 'Imaginary Customer' Problem: Why ICP Often Misleads•
Pricing is Power: If You Can't Raise It, You Don't Have a Business•
The AI Revenue Illusion: GMV vs ARR•
The PM Role is Evolving. Enter the Producer.•
GTM 101: Startup Revenue Architecture•
The 'Global Market' Myth: Why Local Wins First•
The Hidden Cost of 'Friendly' Feedback•
Why GTM Is Suddenly Everywhere (The Shift from PLG)•
Agile: The Secret Behind Success vs. The Reason We Fail•
The 'Imaginary Customer' Problem: Why ICP Often Misleads•
The AI Revenue Illusion: GMV vs ARR•
The 'Glass Slipper' Trap: Why Early Retention Metrics Mislead•
Get Off the Sidelines: It's Your Turn to Play•
The PM Role is Evolving. Enter the Producer.•
The OKR Paradox: Why Google's Goal-Setting Framework Became Its Own Enemy•
Your Dashboard Is Lying to You (Stop Hiding Behind Data)•
Pricing is Power: If You Can't Raise It, You Don't Have a Business•
The Hidden Crisis: How Silent Quitting Reveals a Broken Feedback Loop in Modern Organizations•
The OKR Paradox: Why Google's Goal-Setting Framework Became Its Own Enemy•
Why GTM Is Suddenly Everywhere (The Shift from PLG)•
Get Off the Sidelines: It's Your Turn to Play•
The AI Revenue Illusion: GMV vs ARR•
The 'Imaginary Customer' Problem: Why ICP Often Misleads•
The PM Role is Evolving. Enter the Producer.•
GTM 101: Startup Revenue Architecture•
Agile: The Secret Behind Success vs. The Reason We Fail•
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The 'Global Market' Myth: Why Local Wins First

The 'Global Market' Myth: Why Local Wins First

3 min read

"We are preparing for Global Expansion."
"We are entering the US Market."

Whenever I hear a founder say this, I check their traction in their home market.
Often, it is not yet proven.

"Going Global" can be the most expensive misconception in the startup world.
It often feels like a strategy, but can be an escape.
It is what founders sometimes say when they face difficulties selling to the people across the street.

"The Global Market" is a Generalization

Let's be clear: There is rarely a single Global Market.
There are only specific people, with specific problems, in specific contexts.

The internet made distribution global.
It did not make Trust global.
It did not make Pain global.

Just because someone in Brazil can access your website, does not mean they will buy your software.
Accessibility is not Demand.

The "US Market" is Many Markets

When a Korean or European founder says, "We are targeting the US Market," I ask:
"Which US Market?"

  • The bankers in Manhattan?
  • The farmers in Iowa?
  • The hipsters in Austin?
  • The retirees in Florida?

These are not the same country. They are very different environments.
Lumping them together as "The US" is imprecise.
It is an administrative definition, not a commercial one.

Markets are defined by Behavior, not Borders.
If you cannot define your customer by their Pain, geography will not save you.

Translation is Not Localization

Most "Global Expansion" plans look like this:

  1. Hire a translator.
  2. Translate the landing page to English.
  3. Run Facebook Ads targeting "United States."
  4. Wait for money.

This is risky.

Language is the smallest part of localization.
Real localization is about Context.

  • Who pays? (In the US, the VP of Sales pays. In Japan, the procurement department pays.)
  • Why do they pay? (In the US, to make money. In Europe, to save time.)
  • What is the alternative? (In the US, Salesforce. In Korea, Excel.)

If you do not know the answer to these questions, you are not "entering a market."
You are likely just paying for reach, not acquiring customers.

The Law of Geography

Distance magnifies friction.

If your product has a small crack in your home market, that crack becomes a canyon when you cross the ocean.

  • If your onboarding is confusing in your native language, it will be impossible in English.
  • If your value proposition is weak to your neighbors, it will be invisible to strangers.

You cannot run away from a product issue.
Crossing a border does not fix your retention problem.
It only makes it more expensive to fix.

Conclusion: Start with the Market Closest to You

Look beyond the map.
Look at the customer standing right in front of you.

If you cannot sell to 10 people in your own city, it is hard to sell to 10 million people in the world.
Win your local market first.
Then, and only then, buy the plane ticket.