Tradeology, the ITA Blog

Meet two women business leaders who achieved success expanding their sales overseas

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Tricia Van Orden is Deputy Director of ITA’s Trade Promotion Coordination Committee Secretariat

In recognition of International Women’s Day on March 8, the International Trade Administration will spotlight content and resources on our website on women in trade, business, and entrepreneurship throughout the month of March. Learn more about the United Nations observance of this day.

Getting started with anything new can seem overwhelming, whether it pertains to your personal life or your business.  The International Trade Administration can’t help you start a daily flossing habit, but we can help you plan for your global business expansion. If you’ve never considering taking your business global, we have just what you need to research, plan, and execute, all broken into manageable steps.

Today, it’s easier and more practical than ever to sell goods and services across the globe. Most of the world’s potential consumers are outside of the United States, and the global affinity for Made in USA products and services is second to none. Many U.S. companies boost their bottom line and build their competitiveness by selling to world markets, and you can too.

This March, in honor of International Women’s Day, we invite you to learn about women who have taken their businesses global, and we welcome you to explore all the expertise, tools, and resources that the International Trade Administration provides to help you do the same.

For Janet Ryan, the President of SpectraSpray, a New Jersey-based company that creates oral spray vitamins, the first step in her exporting journey was attending a women’s entrepreneurship event. It was there that Janet met an International Trade Administration trade expert, who advised on market opportunities and provided information on everything from product registration to pricing strategies. When Janet was ready for the next step, she was connected to our team in Asia, who helped SpectraSpray participate in an international trade show. At the trade show, SpectraSpray caught the attention of a Singapore distributor with whom they now have an exclusive distributorship. In a few easy steps, Janet leveraged the International Trade Administration’s network of experts to take her business global. This is just the beginning of Janet’s new global business habit. She says, “I’ve learned a great deal from each of you and will now use that knowledge going forward.”

For Kusum Kavia, Co-Founder and President of Combustion Associates, Inc., a California-based power generation company, going global was always a calling. Born in Kenya, Kusum moved to the United States and started a business with her husband. She was always drawn to do business in Africa. After initially exporting to West Africa, Kusum was able to create high-paying engineering and manufacturing jobs to support even more international sales. She worked with the International Trade Administration to expand international sales and to support infrastructure needs across Sub-Saharan Africa. Today, ninety percent of Combustion Associates, Inc. customers are outside the United States, and international sales support more than 100 jobs in the United States. Kusum credits the International Trade Administration’s help with this success, and she says, “For companies that are looking to stretch and export to Sub-Saharan Africa, I would say the first thing to do is to call the U.S. Commercial Service.” Janet and Kusum leveraged the market knowledge, global business insights, and networks of the International Trade Administration, and they took their businesses global in a big way. You can do it too. Make today the first day of your new global business habit with the International Trade Administration. We are in the business of helping your business succeed, so head over to https://www.trade.gov/learn-how-export to start your journey. We promise the first step is easier than remembering to floss every night.