There’s a line in a recent Operators podcast episode that stuck with me:

Freddy Ward, co-founder of Wild, was talking about how they expanded internationally from the very early days. Before their home market even peaked.

Why?

Because if you wait until your core market starts softening, it’s already too late.

That mindset doesn’t just apply to ad spend or logistics.

It applies to compliance infrastructure too. Especially when you’re trading across borders.

Most operators overlook one crucial thing when planning international growth.

Tax complexity doesn’t scale evenly. It compounds.

And if your back office can’t keep up, international growth turns into a slow leak.

Avalara’s new State of International eCommerce 2025 report spells it out clearly:

I’ve seen this firsthand.

Brands trip up more often from compliance gaps than from marketing or supply chain failures.

Here’s the back-office cheat code

If you’re expanding into new markets or even selling across multiple states

You can’t afford to be reactive with tax

Start by:

• Automating rate updates and filings

• Localizing your compliance workflows

• Getting tools in place before your ops team is stretched thin

The most effective teams I’ve worked with don’t treat tax as a finance problem

They treat it as a growth infrastructure decision

And they use platforms like Avalara for Shopify to make it scalable and seamless

This isn’t just about avoiding penalties

It’s about protecting margin, saving your team hours, and keeping the customer experience clean and predictable

Manual tax processes don’t scale

Neither do surprise fees at checkout or fulfillment delays because of customs issues

Wild’s early bet on international expansion was a smart one

But what made it work was a foundation of operational discipline

Avalara’s latest report backs that up

If you’re serious about scale, this isn’t just a tax read. It’s a strategy doc

Download the report here.

— Kunle