Expanding a business across borders has never been easy, but for Dmytro Makarov, it became both a personal challenge and a professional calling. The Kyiv-born entrepreneur, now based in London, has grown a marketing agency from humble beginnings into a team of more than 100 people, working with clients that include BMW, Durex, Intel, NIVEA, Domino’s and Hugo. His approach to international growth is built on adaptability, cultural intelligence and what he describes as his principle of GMG, or “Grind Mastery Growth.”
From Kyiv to Global Reach
Dmytro Makarov’s entrepreneurial career began in esports and marketing, where hands-on experience gave him the confidence to pursue bigger goals. But at some point, he envisioned building something beyond the local market. That vision soon turned into reality, with campaigns that have now reached more than 2.6 billion people online.
The entrepreneur’s philosophy is simple but powerful: “Marketing is about people and environment. When entering a new market, the key is to learn to listen before speaking. Only then will the strategy start to work.” This focus on people has allowed him to craft campaigns that connect authentically across different cultures and platforms.
The Challenge of Crossing Borders
As Dmytro Makarov points out, there is no single blueprint for global expansion. “One of the biggest challenges in scaling a marketing agency internationally is the absence of a universal formula,” he explains. A campaign that works in one region can easily fail in another.
He has faced a host of barriers along the way: cultural misunderstandings, weak local credibility, language nuances that distort marketing messages, and the ever-changing popularity of digital platforms. Even the smallest details, such as colours or timing, can drastically affect outcomes.
To overcome this, Makarov insists on testing campaigns thoroughly before scaling them. “Local partners or consultants, even at a freelancer level, who can say, ‘No, this definitely will not work here,’” he says, are crucial to success. Whether through consulting local influencers or studying competitors, he has built a system that embraces constant feedback and flexibility.
Lessons for Aspiring Global Entrepreneurs
Real-world examples show the value of his method. In Asia, switching from international to local email domains suddenly improved response rates. In another market, simply aligning campaigns with local pay-day schedules led to a surge in sales. Visuals also proved market-specific: in Latin America, humour and colour dominate, while in Northern Europe, minimalist styles are more effective.
For those looking to follow a similar path, Dmytro Makarov advises a cautious and practical approach. He recommends avoiding quick deals with large local agencies, instead of working with independent teams that know their audience. He stresses testing campaigns before rolling them out widely and warns against relying solely on click-through rates to judge performance.
At the heart of his success is the GMG, or Grind Mastery Growth mindset. Grind means perseverance, Mastery means developing expertise in strategy and execution, and Growth means expanding not only financially but also as a leader and team. For Dmytro Makarov, this philosophy has transformed him from freelancer to global strategist, proving that adaptability and persistence are the real keys to international success.
