Starting Your Import Export Business
Duty Drawback Software | Import Export Consulting | Processing Filing | Full Service
Starting your own business is hard. Starting your own import/export business is even harder. There is much more to understand and things can go really bad really fast if you are not careful. That being said, if you have the experience, education, grit, and drive to take on this industry you can be successful. If you are looking to get into the import/export industry by starting your own business here are a few pointers that we recommend you follow.
You need a strong online presence. Without an online presence you will not be able to have a networked import/export business. The goal of this is to balance the flow of communications, sell products online, and most importantly build your customer base to drive profits for your international business. Having a professional blog on your website will allow you to have a continuous flow of engaging communications with your clients, something that most customers want in brand new companies.
Along with an online presence you need to find out what you want to sell. This includes understanding which markets are good to enter. We recommend that you find a product or industry that you are passionate about and that you think could sell in international markets. Looking for which markets to enter is where your trend-spotting skills come in to play. In general, the best products are ones that are just starting to become popular or show some promise to being so in the future. Do your research and think before you begin because finding the right product and the right market is probably the biggest decision you will make.
When you have your online presence and product/industry decided, focus on your logistics. Logistics is the most complex aspect of importing and exporting. Think about it, you have to take a product created somewhere and sell it somewhere else. For example, how do the grapes from the vineyard in South Africa make it to the wine glasses of drinkers in California? Every successful business has a strong logistics team, plan, and strategy that makes the flow very easy for all employees. When you get your logistics down to a science, you will be ready to hit the ground running.
Building a strong online presence, figuring out what to sell and where, and getting logistics down is all very important in this industry. However, these are only three of the many aspects that make a successful import/export business. Bottom line is that this industry is a complex system that requires nothing but hard work and determination.
For more recommendations or for more general information on the import/export industry give us a call or browse our website.
