Photo credit: LinkedIn
20th century innovations such as air travel, large cargo ships, the internet, and more progressive policies all lead to a shrinking of distance between global communities. International journeys that before took weeks or months to complete now took days or hours. As people moved more often and quickly, so did goods and ideas. Today, developments in e-commerce, social media, and information technologies allows people with internet access the ability to be consumers of a plethora of information and goods right from their home.
For SMEs, it is natural to focus on the most immediate consumer group available, local consumers. However, research has shown that new businesses that take a globally focused approach from day one grow much faster than businesses that only sell to local populations. Unfortunately, many SMEs struggle to enter the global marketplace, as they lack resources to conduct market research, are scared of boundaries to export such as customs and tariffs, and don’t believe they can compete with large businesses. 1Export‘s mission is to provide a solution to these issues.
1Export is a Philippine startup who’s mission is to “lower the barrier of exporting to empower small and medium enterprises in entering global market.” After talking with small business owners in the Philippines who were interested in exporting their goods but didn’t have the knowledge to do so, 1Export co-founder Anna Melissa “Mel” Nava decided to become a liaison for SMEs who wanted to enter the global market.
1Export’s services include processing documentation, pricing research, labeling products so they conform to export regulations, and even conducting customer satisfaction surveys with consumers. By taking on these research intensive tasks, Mel hopes to “save [businesses] time and money that they could use to focus on production or marketing.” So far, 1Export has helped SMEs export their goods to the USA, Australia, Singapore, Qatar, and Sri Lanka. Their Facebook profile is used to advertise to potential customers, highlighting the advantages that each of their services offers. On Twitter, 1Export shows ways they engage communities by speaking at events and sharing facts and tips about exporting.