What actually happens when you take your business global

Four weeks. Four countries. Multiple time zones. One slightly questionable tray of figs.

In this week’s episode, we take you behind the scenes of what it actually looks like to run an e-commerce business across the world. The good, the chaotic, and the unexpectedly insightful.

From climbing mountains in South Africa to navigating distributor-heavy markets in the Middle East… and then straight into the complexity of European expansion, this episode is less theory, more lived experience.

Here’s what you’ll take away:

• Why building a global business feels like climbing a mountain (and what happens when you hit the “why did I start this?” phase)

• What South Africa taught us about emerging markets and where Amazon still has work to do

• How the Middle East really works (hint: it’s not as simple as “just launch on Amazon”)

• The hidden challenge of scaling in Europe and why it’s more fragmented than most expect

• US vs EU expansion: which path actually makes sense for your brand right now

And yes… we also cover:

• The climb up Table Mountain (and why recording a podcast mid-hike was a terrible idea)

• What happens when 3 people eat the wrong figs

• Why in-person time with brands changes everything

This one’s a mix of strategy, perspective, and real-world lessons you don’t get from a dashboard.

If you’re building or planning to build across markets, this episode will help you think differently about how you scale.

🎧 Watch or listen to this week’s Upside now 👇

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