Bolt-On or Built-In? Rethinking International Growth

Episode notes

Kevin O'Donnell has built his career around a persistent gap in SaaS. Companies invest heavily in product and growth, yet struggle to replicate that success internationally. Across more than two decades at Microsoft, Nitro, and Dropbox, where he served as VP of International Growth, he watched companies build exceptional products but fail to adapt their go-to-market strategy for global markets. Now, as founder of Global10x, he works with leadership teams to improve how they scale globally In this conversation with Jason Hemingway, Kevin outlines the decisions that shape international performance. He explains why expansion needs to be designed into the operating model from the start, how leadership ownership changes priorities across product, marketing, and sales, and why market tiering is essential for focusing investment. The discussion also looks at how AI is changing what is possible. Teams can now create targeted content for specific markets and audiences in ways that were previously too costly or complex. Kevin is equally direct about what doesn't work, from reporting on word volumes to maintaining bespoke tooling for problems platforms have already solved to expecting a U.S.