How I Saved Time and Money when Exporting

Exporting any product can be timely and costly, not forgetting stressful, especially when there are so many things to take into consideration. From the item you are exporting to shipping to pricing. My journey through exporting has not been plain sailing, but there are lots of valuable things I have learnt along the way, things I want to tell you that I wish I had learnt before getting into this exciting new venture. Like with any venture I undertake I always find it wise to speak to trade bodies before I do anything. Get some initial information on the country you are wishing to export to and go from there.

In addition to trade bodies, here are some things I did to save time and money.

1. Do the legwork, the more research you do the better you have at succeeding. I don't think you can ever do enough research. Do both primary and secondary research. Find out what your target market is about, who they are, where they buy from and how much they have to spend, as there is nothing worse than trying to sell a luxury car to a family who has little or no disposable income.

2. Find out what laws, rules and regulations the country you wish to export too has. Different countries all across the world have various rules and regulations that can have an affect on how you promote your product to the price you charge, so take these things into account. Try to establish contacts that are local to the area, I found this very useful as it gave me first hand experience and knowledge that I might never have got before.

3. Use a trader or exporter who has experience and contacts within the local market. I have found it to be very difficult to try and get established within a country or market without the help of a local business, so take this into account before proceeding with exporting.

4. Get to grips with the costs beforehand. As I know exporting can be a very costly affair, so keeping this in mind it's wise you create and stick to a budget for the whole venture. If possible I find it useful to try to get access to exporting grants as and where you can. Getting any type of funding or grant will take, or at least ease the financial burden on both you and your business.

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