b'EXPORT PRIMERAccording to EDC research, businesses thatThis is where the importance of networkingThere are resources available to assist with have exporting operations tend to be moreand building connections comes in. Invarious aspects of entering the export successful than those that do not. They citeaddition to the services provided bymarketlike shipping operations, for the following reasons.EDC, Business Development Bank ofexample, which can be extremely helpful Canada, Farm Credit Canada, Canadianfor small business owners shipping their Canada represents less than Council for Aboriginal Business andown products. If youre a company thatstwo per cent of the global market. the Trade Commissioner Service, orga- selling online, many shippers provide nizations such as the Council for thecomplete point-to-point services from Exporting allows you to create moreAdvancement of Native DevelopmentCanada to most parts of the world. Theyllsustainable and resilient businessOfficers, National Aboriginal Capitalmanage the customs and related paper-opportunities for your company Corporations Association and Pow Wowwork for you. This minimizes the time and and community. Pitch offer good networking opportunities.effort that a small entrepreneur needs to Many businesses dont understand thatput into that, Evans says.Exporters make 121 per cent more revenue, on average. they do not need to go all-in with theirPLAN AHEADexporting operations. In fact, EvansWhile the opportunities may seem bound-Exporters are 25 per cent more suggests taking a careful, deliberate approach when entering the global market.less, there are many important factors to innovative and are more likely toOne of the key pieces of advice we tellconsider when planning out a long-term hold at least one type of people is that if youre going to start ship- strategy. One of the most important is intellectual property. ping your goods and services, it makeshaving the necessary insurance and risk A more diverse customer and marketsense to start slow when first shipping yourreduction strategies in place to make sure products to customers outside of Canada,your business is protected.base reduces risk to your business.he says. Dont put your whole business Exporting companies pay higherinto that maybe just do a few test runsIf a small business wins a $50,000 contract, just to get the feel of how it works.how can they insure that to protect them-wages and employ more selves? When companies start growing skilled workers. This can be especially important for compa- their business, there are things that need Evans understands that small businessnies transitioning from online sales intoto be taken into consideration in terms owners sometimes find the concept oflarger retail and wholesale contracts. of protecting their business, Evans says,exporting a little daunting, too risky and not worth the time and effort. They tend to believe it is only for larger companies. This mindset has fortunately begun to fade as younger business owners start up their companies, i.e., a more tech-friendly demo-graphic that is more immersed in the virtual global community.Particularly with younger entrepreneurs now, they are more technologically savvy and more exposed to the world. So, they recog-nize the benefits of exporting more than some traditional businesses, Evans says. A lot of our smaller businesses in particularand this is true for Indigenous entrepreneurs as wellare already providing their goods or services online. Theyre selling through an online e-commerce platform. Theyre doing online sales all over the world, but often dont see themselves as exporters.That said, Evans says more work still needsE.S. Fox Limited is committed to building relationships with Indigenous Peoplesto be done to educate Indigenous busi- and Communities based on principles of integrity and trust to ensure fullness owners on exporting their goods andparticipation in the areas of business development, employment, and procurement.services. A lot of it is around demystifying and taking away the scariness of exporting. Yes, it can be more challenging and takes more work, but there are support services, businesses and agencies that can makewww.esfox.com | 905-354-3700 | hr@esfox.comthings a lot easier for companies, he says. Aboriginal BUSINESS REPORT55'