I’m mapping out my first 90 days in the US market, and I’m realizing my playbook from Russia isn’t going to translate directly. Back home, I had relationships, I knew which agencies to call, I understood the regulatory landscape, creators knew the relocation space. Here? I’m starting from zero credibility with zero existing partnerships.
I’ve been trying to figure out the sequence of what matters most. Do I:
- Start by finding and vetting 5-7 US-based agencies first, then have them help me identify creators?
- Jump directly to creator relationships and use those to attract agency attention?
- Spend the first 30 days just learning the market through interviews and case studies before committing to any partnerships?
- Set up the coordination infrastructure first (team structure, comms workflows, data pipelines) so everything can scale?
I know these aren’t mutually exclusive, but in 90 days, the order and timing matters. Right now I’m worried I’m going to spend 30 days talking to people and learn nothing, or I’m going to jump into partnerships before I’m ready and waste money on the wrong channels.
Has anyone actually built a sequential GTM plan for this? What did your first 30, 60, and 90 days actually look like? What did you wish you’d done differently?
Okay, this is a classic market entry sequencing problem. Here’s the framework I’d use:
Days 1-15: Rapid Market Intelligence
Don’t try to build partnerships yet. Instead, conduct 15-20 structured interviews with: existing US relocation brands (3-4), US-based creators in adjacent niches (travel, home services, lifestyle, 5-6), and US agencies that work with international brands (4-5). Your goal is to answer: What do customers actually care about in US relocation? What are the content formats that move audiences? Where are the credibility gaps?
This costs almost nothing and saves you from blundering into the wrong partnerships.
Days 16-35: Identify Your 2-3 Pilots
Based on your intelligence, you should have identified: (1) a creator type that actually understands relocation enough to create authentically, (2) a messaging angle that resonates, and (3) an agency partner who gets international expansion. Target small partnerships here—not big spends, but real work. The goal is proof points you can reference later.
Days 36-60: Optimize & Document
Take what works in your pilots, create 1-2 case studies, and get feedback from creators and agency partners on what felt off. Iterate the messaging based on real market response. Start recruiting your next tier of partnerships based on pilot learnings.
Days 61-90: Scale & Position
Now that you have proof points, you can approach bigger agencies and creators with actual data. You move from “we’re new and learning” to “here’s what’s working, and here’s where we’re going.”
The mistake I see most often? Founders start at day 16 instead of day 1. They jump straight to partnerships without understanding the market. That costs them 2-3x more in wasted spend.
How much of your 90-day budget are you willing to allocate to learning (days 1-15) versus execution?
I’ll give you my honest perspective from running an agency that works with international brands: the agencies worth partnering with? They’re going to want to see that you’ve done your homework first. They’re not going to build your GTM plan from scratch—they want partners who know enough to be dangerous.
So my sequencing is different:
Month 1: Creator-first approach. Find your first 3-4 micro-creators in relocation/lifestyle/immigration niches. Pay them well for a few pieces of UGC content that test different messaging angles. This is cheap compared to agency work, and it gives you directional signal on what actually resonates.
Week 4-5: Synthesize learnings. By the time you’re pitching to agencies, you can say, “We tested three messaging angles with creators. Angle X got 40% higher engagement.” That’s meaningful data.
Month 2-3: Agency partnerships. Now you approach agencies—not for full service, but for partnership. “We’ve validated initial product-market fit with creators. We need help scaling distribution and refining.” That’s attractive to agencies. It signals you’re serious and that you’ve de-risked the experiment.
The outcome of a 90-day plan should be: 1 case study, 8-10 creator relationships you’d do round 2 with, and a signed agreement with 1 agency partner. Not massive scale, but real momentum.
How much creator work have you done so far?
I’ll frame this around learning velocity and compounding insight. You have 90 days and probably a limited budget. Here’s how I’d structure it:
Phase 1 (Days 1-30): Network mapping & hypothesis setting
Conduct research (not heavy, but structured) to identify: What are the top 10 barriers to relocation in the US? Which creators/agencies already work in adjacent spaces? What are the content formats that perform in similar niches?
Output: 1-2 strong hypotheses about what your messaging should focus on.
Phase 2 (Days 31-60): Pilot testing
Test your hypotheses with small, contained partnerships (3-4 creators, maybe 1 small agency project). Measure: engagement, creator feedback, audience sentiment, cost per lead.
Output: Data on which hypotheses hold up.
Phase 3 (Days 61-90): Refinement & iteration
Build on the winning pilots, create a documented playbook, and establish your first 1-2 ongoing partnerships.
Output: A repeatable process and early proof points.
The metric I’d track across all 90 days: cost of learning per insight gained. Some conversations cost you time but give you high-quality market intel. Others waste both. Track which are which.
Who’s currently on your team to execute this? That affects how much you can parallelize versus sequence.
I love thinking about this as a relationship-building journey first, execution second. Here’s how I’d sequence it:
Weeks 1-2: Listen & learn
Introduce yourself to people in the US relocation ecosystem. Not to sell anything—just to understand the landscape. This builds goodwill and gives you real intel.
Weeks 3-4: Identify champions
Find 2-3 people (creator, agency, brand, whoever) who get your vision. These become your core circle. You don’t need huge partnerships—just people who believe in what you’re doing.
Weeks 5-8: Co-create
Work closely with your core group on proof-of-concept work. They’ll help you understand what lands locally and what doesn’t.
Weeks 9-12: Expand
With case studies and champion testimonials, you now have standing to approach your next tier. The network grows naturally.
I’m serious about the “champion” part because when you’re new and coming from outside, people believe each other more than they believe you. Get 2-3 people inside the market vouching for you early, and everything else flows better.
Do you have any US-based connections yet, even distant ones, that could become champions?
From a creator’s perspective, here’s what would make me want to work with you in the US market:
Don’t come in asking for a full partnership right away. Come in saying, “I’ve got this idea for relocation content. Want to experiment together?” Small budget, collaborative. That’s way more appealing than a big formal campaign where I feel like just an execution channel.
Month 1: Do 3-4 small collaborations with creators you think understand the vibe. Pay them fairly, but keep it exploratory. Most creators will give you honest feedback if they see you’re being real.
Month 2: Reach out to creators who outperformed in month 1 and do something slightly bigger. Also get them to intro you to other creators they know. Relationships matter in the creator economy.
Month 3: You should have a small roster of creators who get your brand and are excited to work with you. That’s your proof point. Agencies will notice.
Honestly though, a lot of the best relocation content comes from creators who’ve personally experienced relocation. That’s a creator type that might be worth specifically hunting for.
What content formats are you thinking about testing? That affects which creators would even be interested.