My small business has always been global and now I am starting to look at expanding quite quickly. Now I am in a position where I may even be able to execute some ideas that might be of interest to investors.

The question of whether to go global at first is really a very hard question. I think it absolutely depends on the business. Many businesses would benefit by starting locally and working closely with customers at first before going global. Many other businesses would benefit by going global right away. Making the right decision here is sort of tricky.

Now, one thing to note is that this isn't an all or nothing question either. A smart business will globalize where it makes sense and localize where that makes sense. For example, if I am going to go and provide (or send someone to provide) training, I am not going to send someone half-way around the world for a short-term training contract. On the other hand, sponsored development on LedgerSMB is easily global. Payroll subscription services will naturally be a series of local offerings, while technical support for PostgreSQL can be more easily a global one.