Page 21 - MidJersey Business - July-August 2014

GOING

GLOBAL

It makes sense to master

i nternational relations.

C

By Toni Corsini

ould the picture be any clearer? If Once a company learns the basics, exporting is like doing
American small and medium-sized business anywhere else—and most American irms can

businesses intend to grow and prosper, export and do so proitably.
they need to seriously consider doing A New Jersey company specializing in gas-separating

business in foreign markets. Commer- technologies, Adsorptech, used exporting to turn the
cial opportunities are expanding as company around. The New Jersey Business Action Center

new technologies and products emerge. in Trenton helped it get $4,000 in grants to inance trips
Renovation, computerization, and modernization have all to Turkey and Colombia and increase the company export

contributed to unprecedented changes to American indus- sales from zero to $1 million in one year.
try and how companies do business.
21st Century Group is a North Brunswick-based com-

Fundamentally, the main reason to export is to improve a
pany that started exporting solar lighting technology in
company’s bottom line. Increasing sales revenues in a short January 2013. The company received orders from Burkina

period of time is a direct efect of exporting. But there are Faso and Zambia and landed a contract to ship 50,000

several other “good business sense” reasons to export:
solar street lights to Jamaica. Within the next 12 months,
● Exporting opens a broader market base.
the company brought in $7 million in export sales.

● Exporting can produce very high returns by introducing These are just two examples of companies assisted by
fully developed products into new markets.
government resources. Funding can be in the form of

● Exporting expands a company’s global awareness, grants, as mentioned here, or loan guarantees supported
providing an edge in meeting consumer preferences.
by several federal agencies. New Jersey’s Business Action

● Competing overseas provides information more quickly Center and its Oice of International Business Develop-
on a company’s competition.
ment and Protocol can be a point of contact for grants; the

U.S. Export Assistance Centers can assist with various
The global economy outside the United States contains federal resources. The U.S. Small Business Administration

96 percent of the world’s consumers. Many overseas econo- has several guaranteed loan programs speciically de-
mies, as emerging markets, are growing at rates much signed to support American companies looking to export

faster than can be expected from the mature U.S. economy. goods and services to foreign buyers.
If a company is not tapping into the opportunities in For companies, going global means going outside their

markets outside the U.S., it is simply selling that company’s comfort zone. But with education, awareness, and the use
potential short.
of various government resources, the opportunities and

The following are persistent myths about exporting: the results can be proitable and enriching.

● Only large multinationals can do it.
● The product must be exotic or high-tech.
Toni Corsini is the NY/NJ regional manager at the U.S.

● It’s expensive and time-consuming.
Small Business Administration Oice of International
It is a lot of work for not much proit.
Trade. Visit sba.gov or email toni.corsini@trade.gov.
●

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