EXPORTING FROM BOTH SIDES 44 A CCIB PUBLICATION Winter 2026 EXPORT JOURNEY N u e z A c r e s c o - f o u n d e r A n t h o ny W i n g h a m s h a r e s v a l u a b l e l e s s o n s o n h o w t o g r o w y o u r b u s i n e s s b e y o n d y o u r l o c a l m a r k e t E xporting is one of those words that sounds much bigger than it actually is. Until you are doing it. Then it becomes very real, very fast. My export journey did not start with a plan to sell internationally. It started with trying to build a product that worked, listening to customers, and slowly realizing that people outside our home market were paying attention. I am a Métis entrepreneur and co-founder of Nuez Acres, a water-free skincare brand built around pecan oil. I am also an export advisor, supporting businesses that are curious about growth beyond their local market. I sit in a unique place because I expe- rience exporting from both sides — as a founder navigating real risk and real cash flow, and as an advisor helping others decide if exporting even makes sense for them. What I have learned is simple. Exporting is not about going big. It is about going smart. THE BEGINNING Most people think exporting starts when you ship a product outside of your province or country. In reality, it starts much earlier. It starts when you understand your product. It starts when you know your costs. It starts when you can explain what you do without being in the room. With Nuez Acres, we spent a lot of time getting the basics right before we ever thought about exporting. Product consistency. Packaging. Labels. Compliance. Pricing. All the unglam- orous work that quietly determines whether a business can grow. At the time, it felt slow. Looking back, it was essential. In my work as an export advisor, I see businesses rush through this stage because they are excited or feel pres- sure to grow. Exporting should support your business, not overwhelm it. If your foundation is shaky, exporting will find the cracks very quickly. CLOSE OPTIONS Exporting does not always mean over- seas. For many businesses, exporting starts with another province or another state. One distributor. One buyer. One retailer willing to take a chance. For us, the United States made sense early on. Not because it was easy, but because there was already demand. Customers understood the product, the price point worked, and the story translated. I often tell businesses to follow the signals they already have. Online orders from another region. Inbound emails. Social media traction. That is not luck. That is information. You do not need to chase every market. You need to choose the right one. NATIONAL PROGRAMS There is a common belief that export support programs are only useful for large companies. That has not been my experience. As a business founder, access to the Trade Commissioner Service helped us understand markets before we spent money. Trade commis- sioners offered market insight, intro- ductions, and, just as importantly, honest reality checks. Sometimes, the most valuable advice is being told to slow down or wait. Support from Export Development Canada also plays a critical role. Exporting changes your risk profile. Payment terms stretch. Cash flow gets
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