I've helped tech startups enter new markets for years. The same three mistakes keep showing up — and they're all fixable before you burn your budget.

1. Copying your home market playbook

What worked in the US won't work in DACH or SEA. Every market has different buying cycles, decision-maker structures, and trust signals. If you're localizing your pitch deck instead of rebuilding your GTM motion from scratch, you're already behind.

2. Hiring local sales before you have local signal

Founders love to "hire a country manager" as their market entry strategy. But if you don't have validated ICP data, channel fit, and at least a few lighthouse customers, you're just paying someone to figure out what you should've figured out first.

3. Treating launch as a moment instead of a motion

A press release and some LinkedIn posts isn't a GTM strategy. Market entry is a 90-day sprint with weekly iterations on messaging, channels, and targeting. The startups that win treat it like a product launch cycle, not a marketing campaign.

If any of this sounds familiar, that's what we solve at LaunchPath. We build the playbook, validate the approach, and execute alongside your team.