Time to scale? 4 ways to get your business ready

By Brandon Spear, CEO, TreviPay

Business leaders everywhere are seeking opportunities to expand operations and capture new markets. This growth mindset brings a surge of excitement heading into 2025. Yet, scaling a business—particularly in the B2B space—comes with its unique set of challenges. From navigating complex regulatory environments to managing financial strain and developing robust strategic plans, the path to growth requires careful consideration. As only 22% of new businesses launched in the past ten years have successfully scaled, it’s not something that can be done well without a plan.

By 2027, the global B2B payments market is expected to grow to USD 137 trillion, representing a significant opportunity for merchants looking to capture more share of wallet. McKinsey cites two-thirds of the value created in new-business building is created in the scale-up phase, highlighting that businesses who are ready and equipped to execute a global expansion strategy will see tremendous growth. As we head into the new year, it’s time to break free from legacy payments models and embrace innovative solutions that drive customer loyalty, streamline operations and boost sales.

But how do we make that happen? Let’s explore four key considerations to position your business for successful entry into foreign markets.

1. Understand Your Customer

Success in B2B payments starts with a deep understanding of your buyers’ needs and preferences around payment preferences, cultural distinctions and loyalty drivers. Payment choice is paramount for building loyalty and increasing average order value. While some businesses instinctively choose the convenience of using a credit card, 78% of global business buyers claim it is necessaryfor merchants to offer invoicing with a flexible net terms program (offering 30-, 60- or 90-days to pay). Detailed line-item reporting for reconciliation is also an important B2B preference that should not be overlooked for these buyers.

Different countries and regions have cultural nuances that savvy business leaders should recognize when looking to do business in new geographies. For instance, sending a payment remittance may not be common in every region. Tax regulations and VAT invoice requirements may also vary significantly across jurisdictions. A successful scaling strategy must account for these differences to help maintain operational efficiency and build a strong buyer-seller relationship.

Loyalty programs are also gaining traction in the B2B space. Rewarding your clients will result in more revenue and a more positive association with their buying experience.

To help incentivize growth, merchants should tailor these programs to address specific B2B value propositions. Rather than thinking in points, consider other loyalty-driving features like volume discounts or contract price verification to define buyer pricing tiers down to the SKU level.

2. Incorporate Strong Risk Management

By shifting more operations online to reach global buyers, business identity theft has become a growing threat. More than one-third of online merchants experienced identity theft in 2024, highlighting financial and reputational risks for retailers and e-commerce merchants. Successful scaling requires robust risk management strategies that evolve with emerging threats. This includes maintaining and constantly revising data sets to recognize warning signs and embedding identity verification systems into your tech stack.

Partnering with an expert can be a great option to help ensure the right tools are in place to balance security with user experience, ensuring legitimate transactions flow smoothly while effectively blocking fraudulent activity. The continuous monitoring of transactions and accounts also supports the expanding role of the CFO who uses this information to better forecast and support teams.

3. Be Easy to Do Business With

Automation and streamlined invoicing systems are transforming global supply chains. To effectively scale new payments or A/R automation initiatives, understanding foreign mandates is a must to ensure your technology is ready to integrate with other business systems. For example, governments around the world have begun mandating e-invoicing to impose and collect taxes. While sending international invoices digitally can reduce paperwork and enable businesses to report transactions in real-time, many merchants aren’t set up to support this capability. Without a compliant e-invoicing system, global companies can run up additional costs to process invoices and might pay regulatory penalties. This lack of harmonization between invoicing standards and formats makes it harder for sellers to do business with you. Before you can properly scale, take time to address these operational obstacles.

In the case of a national retail franchise, standardizing payment acceptance across all locations while maintaining local payment preferences can also reduce complexity for corporate buyers. It’s why Mastercard has incorporated net terms financing into its global acceptance network, so buyers can seamlessly shop at different locations. The Universal Acceptance solution allows B2B buyers shopping at retailers that accept Mastercard to pay on 30-, 60- or 90-day terms with an invoice – a key preference of this group.

4. Leverage Partnerships in a Network Model

Businesses don’t need to own the entire order-to-cash ecosystem. Collaboration creates greater efficiencies in payment processing, supplier relationships and financing options. Strategic partnerships and composable architecture offer a way to build a modernized tech stack. This is especially true in B2B, given the complex buying process and cross-border nuances.

By integrating technology, services and financing options into a network model, businesses can track and manage transactions more effectively while maintaining operational agility. Partnerships with industry experts enable businesses to offer a more seamless, consumer-like purchasing experience while catering to the unique needs of B2B buyers. This collaborative, composable approach allows organizations to focus on their core competencies while leveraging specialized expertise for payments and financial services.

The Path Forward

The opportunity to scale B2B payments operations has never been more promising. By focusing on customer needs, embracing automation, leveraging partnerships and maintaining strong risk management practices, businesses can create sustainable growth trajectories. The key is to act with strategic intent, understanding that successful scaling requires both technological innovation and operational excellence.

As we look toward 2025, organizations that take these considerations to heart will be better positioned to capture market share, drive buyer loyalty and deliver the seamless payment experiences that modern B2B buyers demand. The time to transform is now—your competitors certainly won’t wait.

Author Bio:

Brandon in the CEO of TreviPay with expertise in managing large, diverse global teams. His strength is discerning and focusing on the most important challenges facing an organization at a particular point in time and unifying all stakeholders behind accomplishing a set of specific goals. Brandon has a unique ability to connect across all levels of an organization, motivate staff with diverse skill sets, while ensuring a common alignment and results. Connect with Brandon on LinkedIn.