Going global is exciting.
Building demand in another country is a different game.
Australian founder Stefan Di Benedetto from Solbevi International shares what 51 international expansion really looks like in the middle of it, a 20-foot first order to Malaysia loaded with no forklift, a retail deal that kept the business alive but stalled growth, a Singapore distributor who went silent, and how he rebuilt with a partner who acts like an owner.
In This Episode, You’ll Discover:
- The reality of your first export shipment: How Stefan navigated his first 20-foot container shipment to Malaysia with little exporting experience.
- Why Malaysia didn’t go to plan: The challenges of market education, product classification, retail exclusivity and limited distribution.
- The importance of choosing the right distributor: How an unresponsive distributor nearly ended Soul Bêv’s Singapore expansion, and how a new partnership changed its trajectory.
- Why exporting requires more than shipping products: The need for local marketing, activations, product education and ongoing brand investment.
- When to offer distributor exclusivity: Why trust, performance targets, market reach and shared investment matter before signing an agreement.
- Balancing global consistency with local relevance: How Soul Bêv maintains its brand identity while adapting its approach to different markets.
- The personal cost of international growth: Stefan’s candid reflections on resilience, financial pressure and the realities of building a global business.
