America's Export Goals Target Small Businesses

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Only 4 percent of U.S. small businesses export, according to the Small Business Administration. Fortune 500 firms dominate exports, even though they comprise a small percentage of U.S. businesses.

Our friend, esteemed colleague and foreign correspondent, Josh Kurlantzick (check out his book "Charm Offensive"), writes a good piece on:

Obama's Export Goals Target Small Business for AllBusiness.com

One of my comments was:

What’s more, she says, history suggests small companies respond to these initiatives: As the Commerce Department has expanded its Gold Key program, which helps exporters connect with potential buyers overseas, demand for Gold Key has increased steadily among small companies. And once these entrepreneurs stick their toes into exporting, they learn that they can manage some of the risks. Besides Gold Key, entrepreneurs who work with the Export-Import Bank can get credit insurance that steps in and pays exporters when customers don’t. “Once you have that security,” says Delaney, “exporting doesn’t seem so scary.”

Read the entire article here.