Cross-Border B2B Product Growth: Lessons from Security Tech

5 MINS

After nearly five years leading product partnerships at Hikvision UK & Ireland, I've learned that cross-border B2B growth is less about translation and more about transformation. Every market has its own rhythm, regulations, and relationship expectations.

The 30% Faster Launch Framework

We managed to deliver product launches 30% faster than the industry average. Here's what made the difference:

Localized compliance mapping — Understanding each market's regulatory landscape upfront, not as an afterthought

Partner-first discovery — Involving channel partners in the product development cycle early

Modular GTM playbooks — Building flexible go-to-market strategies that adapt to local conditions The key insight: speed comes from preparation, not rushing.

Onboarding at 80%+ Adoption

Achieving 80%+ onboarding adoption across regulated GTM rollouts required rethinking our approach entirely:

Simplified first experiences — Reducing time-to-value for new partners from weeks to days

Compliance as enablement — Positioning regulatory requirements as competitive advantages, not obstacles

Continuous feedback loops — Building mechanisms to capture and act on partner feedback quickly When partners succeed, products succeed. It sounds obvious, but most B2B products optimize for features over partner success.

The Cultural Layer

Working across UK, Ireland, and coordinating with headquarters taught me that product decisions are cultural decisions:

Communication styles differ — some markets prefer direct, others value relationship-building first

Decision timelines vary — what's fast in one culture is rushed in another

Trust is built differently — credentials matter in some markets, results in others The best product managers I've worked with are anthropologists at heart.

What's Next

Now at Tenda UK, I'm applying these lessons to a new market expansion. The fundamentals remain the same: understand deeply, adapt thoughtfully, and always put partner success first.

Cross-border B2B product management isn't about having all the answers. It's about asking the right questions in the right markets.

Why I Study Psychology to Build Better Products

Edward skipped presentations and built real AI products.

Edward Jou was part of the November 2025 cohort at Curious PM, alongside 20 other talented participants.