Here’s a mistake I see constantly: companies assume that because an employee is bilingual, or grew up abroad, or simply “isn’t American,” they’re automatically qualified to run international market entry.
You shouldn’t just use your in-house employees to do international marketing and international business, even if they’re from another country. Speaking the language and understanding the culture is genuinely valuable. It is not the same skill set as market research, entry-method selection, and negotiating a foreign distribution agreement. Those are learned separately — often the hard way.