The Global Readiness Checklist: A Practical Tool for Leaders Expanding Internationally
Most global expansion failures never make headlines. They show up quietly—through pilots that never scale, markets that stall, or launches that quietly vanish from the next annual report.
A recent example: Allbirds, the U.S. sustainable footwear brand, entered China in 2019 with strong momentum and a proven U.S. model. By 2023, it had pulled back, citing low traction in a market that should have been high-growth. The issue wasn’t China’s attractiveness; it was the assumption of readiness. Allbirds expected its eco-message, premium positioning, and Silicon Valley brand halo to translate directly. Instead, it encountered intense local competition, different price expectations, and limited cultural resonance.
This pattern is common. Leaders routinely underestimate how quickly familiar assumptions break when crossing borders. More than 70% of international expansions fail to meet expectations, often because organizations enter markets with optimism—but without a disciplined readiness test.
Why Global Expansion Is So Difficult
Global expansion is a powerful growth lever, but also one of the most complex moves a leadership team can make. Customer expectations, competitive dynamics, and regulatory environments vary sharply across markets. Misreading demand is the most frequent reason expansions falter, followed by regulatory surprises and underestimating the cost and complexity of localization.
Internally, expansion strains leadership bandwidth, exposes talent gaps, and demands cross-functional coordination. Cultural misalignment—both with customers and within the organization—can slow execution and weaken local credibility. Global success requires discipline, adaptability, and a willingness to challenge assumptions—not simply a strong domestic model.
Two contrasting examples illustrate this point. Starbucks built international success by sequencing expansion, investing in local insight, adapting formats and products, and building local supply chains. Allbirds, by contrast, expanded with brand momentum but lacked a market-specific operating model, pricing strategy, and cultural fit—leading to rapid retrenchment.
These recurring patterns underscore the need for a systematic approach. That is the purpose of the Global Readiness Checklist.
The Global Readiness Checklist
The checklist helps leaders evaluate five dimensions that determine success or failure in international markets.
1. Market Assessment & Entry Strategy
Leaders must understand whether the target market is large enough, growing fast enough, and compatible with their competitive advantages. Equally important is selecting the right entry mode—local partnerships, acquisitions, or greenfield investment. Even strong brands struggle when these choices are made without rigorous analysis.
2. Organizational Readiness & Talent
Expansions fail when organizations lack the experience or leadership capacity to manage cross-border operations. Teams must understand cultural norms, manage distributed work, and adapt quickly. Integrating local talent and empowering local leaders are essential for credibility and operational speed.
3. Legal, Compliance & Risk Management
Regulations rarely translate neatly from one market to another. Labor laws, tax structures, data-governance requirements, and sector-specific rules can create delays and hidden costs. Strong IP protection and a structured risk assessment reduce the likelihood of expensive pivots or forced exits.
4. Supply Chain & Operational Capability
Operational readiness determines whether a company can deliver reliably. Leaders must evaluate logistics infrastructure, sourcing options, manufacturing constraints, and distribution challenges—and ensure systems and processes align across borders. Operational discipline enables smooth scaling and minimizes early-stage failures.
5. Cultural Intelligence & Stakeholder Alignment
Culture shapes everything from pricing expectations to messaging, hiring practices, negotiation norms, and regulatory relationships. Companies that listen, adapt, and balance local relevance with global brand consistency gain trust faster and avoid costly missteps.
Quick Cases: Successes and Cautionary Tales
Uniqlo (Success)
Uniqlo grew internationally by conducting deep market assessments, deploying experienced leadership, integrating local teams, and tailoring merchandising while maintaining global operational discipline. Its steady, sequenced approach avoided the typical pitfalls of rushing into unfamiliar markets.
Netflix (Success)
Netflix localized content, built strong regional leadership teams, invested in infrastructure, and adapted marketing and regulatory strategy country by country. This disciplined readiness enabled rapid global scaling with minimal disruption.
Tesco’s Fresh & Easy (Failure)
Tesco misread U.S. consumer expectations and store-format preferences, struggled with local operations, and lacked strong local leadership. Despite significant investment, its model failed to resonate—illustrating how market insight and cultural alignment can make or break expansion efforts.
How to Use the Global Readiness Checklist
To make the checklist actionable, integrate it into existing strategic and operational routines:
- Embed it in quarterly strategy reviews. Evaluate each new market initiative against all five dimensions.
- Assign ownership. Designate functional leaders responsible for assessing and closing readiness gaps.
- Start with quick wins. Identify the top three gaps and address them with cross-functional teams.
- Document lessons learned. Treat each expansion—successful or not—as an input for future decisions.
- Reassess regularly. Markets evolve quickly; readiness must be a recurring process, not a one-time gate.
Conclusion
Global expansion offers immense potential—but only for organizations that approach it with discipline. The Global Readiness Checklist transforms global growth from a high-risk leap into a structured, evidence-driven process. Leaders who assess their readiness rigorously can prioritize investments, mobilize the right teams, and adapt strategies to local realities. With the right preparation, international ambition becomes measurable, repeatable, and sustainable growth.
