Expanding your startup to the US: A practical 90-Day Playbook

Expanding into the US is a huge opportunity for UK startups. It’s the world’s largest market, packed with customers, capital, and growth potential.

But get the go-to-market or product wrong, hire the wrong people, and it’s a very expensive mistake.

In this conversation, Anthony Rose (Founder & CEO at SeedLegals) sits down with Matt Clark from Pangea Consulting to unpack the biggest mistakes founders make when entering the US, and how to avoid wasting years (and serious money) getting it wrong.

Why expanding to the US is so appealing — and so risky

Many UK founders look to the US to:

• Sell into a larger market
• Build a US-based team
• Raise capital from US investors
• Eventually “flip” to a Delaware parent company

But expanding isn’t just “doing more of the same in a bigger place.”

“The US isn’t one market, it’s 50 different markets with different behaviours, regulations, and dynamics.”

What works in London often doesn’t translate directly to New York, Texas, or California.

The most common mistakes founders make

1. Expanding without validating the market

Many companies get pulled into the US organically – a few inbound leads, a potential partner – and suddenly they’re “in the US” without a real plan.

“They haven’t really validated the market… and then they try to scale.”

This leads to activity without traction.

2. Treating the US as one big market

The US is not like the UK.

• Multiple time zones
• Huge travel distances
• Different regional buying behaviours
• Different regulatory environments

A smarter approach is to:

• Pick one region (e.g. New York)
• Focus deeply
• Expand later

3. Getting go-to-market wrong

Your go-to-market (GTM) strategy is the single biggest risk.

In one example shared:

• A company spent 2 years failing to gain traction
• They hired locally too early
• They used the wrong sales channel (LinkedIn)

Only after relocating did they realise:

• Their market ran on trade shows
• They needed higher contract values
• Their CAC required moving upmarket

4. Hiring too early (and too expensively)

US hires are significantly more expensive than UK hires, often by hundreds of thousands annually.

“Companies start hiring people and then try to figure everything out… that’s the wrong order.”

Instead:

• Build the plan first
• Hire to execute it

5. Expanding before you’re ready

Jumping too early is a common trap.

“Make sure you’re revenue positive in your home market… and financially strong before expanding.”

Trying to find product-market fit in two countries at once:

• Splits focus
• Confuses product priorities
• Drains resources

A proven 90-day roadmap for US expansion

Matt Clark outlines a simple but powerful framework:

Month 1: Market validation

Focus on learning, not selling.

• Analyse competitors
• Understand pricing expectations
• Validate your positioning
• Assess whether your model works in the US

Key insight: US partners often require higher margins, your pricing may need to change.

Month 2: Define your ideal customer

Your UK ICP will not translate directly.

You need to understand:

• Who your US customer really is
• How they buy
• Their budget expectations
• Their cultural and behavioural differences

Month 3: Run a pilot

Instead of scaling immediately:

• Pick one geography or channel
• Run a focused experiment
• Test messaging and outreach
• Gather real feedback

“You’re testing your hypothesis, not forcing assumptions on the market.”

After 90 days, you should know:

• Your positioning
• Your pricing
• Your customer profile
• Your go-to-market strategy

Only then should you:

• Start hiring
• Scale sales

A smarter way to enter the US: partnerships

One of the most effective – and underrated – strategies is partnering.

“The US market is very collaborative… you can get introductions to almost anyone.”

Benefits of partnerships:

• Faster market access
• Lower cost entry
• Built-in market knowledge
• Reduced risk

You can:

• Test demand
• Build traction
• Decide later whether to go direct

Why founders should spend time on the ground

Zoom isn’t enough.

Being physically present in the US:

• Builds relationships faster
• Unlocks serendipitous connections
• Helps you understand the culture

“Even a week in New York… will pay off in spades.”

Who should expand to the US (and when)

You’re ready if:

• You have strong traction at home
• You’re revenue positive or well-funded
• You have a clear reason to expand
• You can commit resources properly

You’re not ready if:

• You’re still figuring out product-market fit
• You’re under-resourced
• You’re “testing the waters”

Half-hearted expansion sends the wrong signal to the market.

Final thoughts

Expanding to the US can transform your startup, but only if done right.

The difference between success and failure often comes down to:

• Planning vs reacting
• Testing vs assuming
• Focus vs spreading too thin

Or put simply:

Don’t scale what you haven’t validated.

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