The Plan Was the US. Advertising Was 4x More Expensive. We Entered Mexico. Results Exceeded What We Expected.
The original international go-to-market plan was the US. Costs made it unfeasible. Mexico was plan B that turned out to be better than plan A.
Project App
Engineering Team
When we decided to explore the international market, the obvious destination was the US. The world's largest software market, with companies that pay well, advanced tech culture, available budget for custom development. The logic was solid. Until we started looking at digital advertising costs to reach that market. CPCs in the US for B2B software are 4 or 5 times more expensive than in Mexico. And with the available budget, the equation simply didn't close. So we looked toward Mexico. Expecting results similar to Colombia. We found something different.
Why the US Wasn't the Right First Step
It's not that the US market isn't good — it's that getting there properly requires an investment in advertising and brand building that we didn't have at this moment. Competing in Google Ads for B2B software in the US against companies that have been building presence for years and have marketing budgets orders of magnitude larger isn't a battle you win from the start.
The Cost Difference That Changed the Decision
CPC (cost per click) for B2B software in the US can be 4 to 7 times higher than in Mexico. With the same ad budget, in Mexico you can generate 4 to 7 times more qualified traffic. That's not minor — it's the difference between a profitable channel and one that burns budget without return.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
- 1The original plan isn't always the best plan — the restrictions that force you to change course sometimes lead to something better.
- 2Mexico has higher tickets and more qualified leads than Colombia for B2B software — exceeded expectations in both dimensions that matter most.
- 3The first international market doesn't have to be the largest — it has to be the one that generates real learning with the least risk.
- 4Every international client is a success case that opens the next market.
The plan was the US. The numbers said Mexico. Mexico said the numbers were right. That wasn't brilliant planning — it was the right constraint taken at the right moment. And that's also part of building a company: knowing when plan B is actually the right plan.
If you're evaluating entering international markets with a software company and don't know where to start, that conversation interests me. We're in that process right now.