Investing in export opportunities can drive business growth
EXPORTING has become a key tenant of many businesses’ growth strategies.
During a round table discussion in central Birmingham, businesses and professional advisers discussed their approach to trading overseas.
Charles de Rohan, chief executive of The Binding Site, said: “Our overseas strategy includes growing the markets we are in now. But we are not yet in Latin America and China. There are regulatory hurdles. We are two years away from having products registered in China.
“Certainly there is an outlay. Investing in finding the right partner is important, as is finding your own people.”
Deborah Leary, chief executive of Forensic Pathways, said: “We are very focussed rather than reactive. We have just signed a four year deal through our distributor in France.
“And South Africa has been a good area for us.
“Around 55% of our business is international. The US is our next target market. It is way behind us in digital forensics.”
LDC director Andy Lyndon said: “Often customers take you into their territories.”
Jason Wouhra, a director at Birmingham’s East End Foods, admitted: “I’m not sure we do enough. Exporting is only 20% to 25% of our turnover.
“We’ve actually sold spices to India but Europe is the big opportunity. It is going the way the English market did 20 years or so ago. We are starting to do quite a lot in places like Scandinavia.”
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