WASHINGTON
- A new online course will help small businesses explore exporting opportunities
in international markets. Global Enterprise: A Primer on Exporting is a free,
self-paced course that provides practical guidance on exploring international
markets.
The new course is available from the Small Business
Administration training Web site at www.sba.gov/training.
To access the course, click on "Free Online Courses," and then select
the first course listed under International Trade.
The
course is a comprehensive training module using script and audio to provide fundamental
information about selling in global markets. It illustrates how to identify international
markets, develop an export strategy, make and receive international payments,
and finance trade operations, plus guidance on determining a firm's readiness
and suitability for exporting. The Exporting Primer includes more than 45 direct
links to many key international resources.
Exporting can
be an avenue to tap into the increasing global marketplace. There are some 236,000
small business exporters, representing 97% of all U.S. exporters, and they generate
some 30% of export sales. In 2007, U.S. exports of goods and services amounted
to $1.6 trillion, with small businesses accounting for nearly $500 billion of
those exports.
"The advantages to exporting can mean
big opportunity for entrepreneurs that want to capitalize on emerging markets
worldwide," said SBA Acting Administrator Sandy K. Baruah. "The SBA
recognizes the value of reaching out to small businesses early in the trade game
by using technology that is readily accessible and easy to use."
In
addition, the SBA's partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Export-Import
Bank offers federal export programs and services through the U.S. Export Assistance
Centers. Small businesses can receive a full range of business export assistance
under one roof to makes it easier to get the help needed to compete and succeed
in the global marketplace.
"More now than ever, small
business exports play a major role in our economy," said Luz Hopewell, SBA
Director of International Trade. "Through the new online exporting course,
the SBA will be able to help more small businesses access new markets, sell more
goods overseas, and create new jobs at home."
Course
participants completing the 30-minute online training programs can earn a certificate
of completion from the SBA, with their name, date and course title. The Export
Primer course is one of nearly 30 online tutorials offered by the SBA on its virtual
campus, the Small Business Training Network (www.sba.gov/training).
SBTN is part of the SBA's Office of Entrepreneurship Education (OEE), which combines
the agency's online education programs, youth outreach, and outreach to underserved
markets under a single umbrella.
