If you own or operate a business, you understand the inputs required to be successful: a great accountant, a good lawyer, entrepreneurship, getting paid, building market-share, etc. Navigating all these different factors domestically can be daunting, let alone doing business internationally.
To assist businesses navigate the unknown, the World Bank Group publishes annually “Doing Business” a report that documents the challenges and barriers to doing business in over 189 countries. Doing Business is a great resource for small businesses interested in expanding internationally, or simply wanting to know more about potential international customers’ business environment, regulatory culture, or other barriers that may impact doing business in a foreign country. Read Doing Business 2016 to learn more about getting credit internationally, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, and resolving insolvency by country.
Whether you are a U.S. business already exporting or thinking of exporting, there is assistance available to your business that can help your business secure international sales and navigate new markets. These include services offered by the Export-Import Bank of the U.S., the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Small Business Administration, and even your local business development office.
After reading Doing Business 2016, find out more about different financing options for U.S. businesses at www.exim.gov. EXIM offers a suite of products and services for small businesses to support your international transactions, ranging from credit insurance to working capital loan guarantees, so that you never have to worry about being paid or accessing the capital you need to complete an international sale.
