Small Companies Thrive in Global Markets

Small companies are often intimidated by the thought of selling their products abroad. To be fair to them, there are a lot of considerations that need to be factored in that do not apply in domestic sales that can be overwhelming. There are often extra fees, legal considerations, shipping concerns, as well as culture and language barriers. Still, selling abroad is a great option for small companies who are looking for rapid growth. By no longer limiting your business to selling within your boarders, countless new customers will become available to you. That is exactly what Charles Popenoe III found out with the help of the US Commercial Service and International Trade Administration.

Popenoe’s company began by working with an Export Assistance Center that was able to help him and his associates to create an export strategy and connect them with an export grant. This helped to open up new opportunities for his company in several different countries. They now sell in South Africa, Japan, Korea, Turkey, Taiwan, and Brazil just to name a few. New online orders from overseas have also helped his business to obtain 50% of their sales from international orders.

Success like this is not far off for many other small businesses. That being said, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Using resources like a local Export Assistance Centers is an excellent option. There are also many great online resources such as our Export Tutorials and all of the programs, data, and services provided by Trade.gov. For more information about Popenoe’s company and his exporting story, read the full interview here!