Recently, I watched a manufacturer walk into a Canadian networking event with a clear goal. He needed a distributor. He left with nothing.No leads.No follow‑up calls.No meaningful conversations. Not because his product wasn’t strong.Not because Canada wasn’t the right market. But because he played the wrong game at the wrong time. The Situation: New Market, Familiar Pressure Like many manufacturers expanding beyond their home market, he felt urgency. A new country. New costs.