Discussion: Small Business Expansion

To expand, or not to expand, that is the question. If your decision is to expand your business, what factors do you need to consider as you expand regionally? Nationally? Globally?

For this Discussion, think of a small business that you would like to start locally, grow regionally and nationally, and eventually expand globally. What factors would you need to consider in order to expand into each market?

Does the nature of the business itself (the services provided) impact the location of the expansion (regional, national, global)? Why or why not? What makes a product successful in one region, but not another?