Seeking New Horizons

The View From UKTI

One of the very best places to gain information and assistance for your export venture is UK Trade and Investment, a government department devoted to supporting and promoting UK business overseas. We spoke to Nick Cairns, Trade Marketing Manager at UK Trade and Investment East.

IS NOW A GOOD TIME TO START EXPANDING ABROAD?

Now is a good time, as businesses are trying to find more growth and the domestic market may not be providing that. I recently came across an example of a business that’s surviving the downturn because they have begun to trade abroad. If they hadn’t taken that step of going overseas, then their business would not be still be going.

AS WELL AS A FINANCIAL INCENTIVE, WHAT OTHER BENEFITS ARE THERE TO TRADING ABROAD?

Our research shows that people can certainly develop more refined and efficient business practises. Going abroad means you are up against a much wider set of competitors so your skills become much sharper and in some cases more sophisticated.

WHAT PARTICULAR UK PRODUCTS OR SKILLS ARE IN DEMAND OVERSEAS, AND WHO WITH?

For the East of England, technology is doing very well overseas. This is especially true of Cambridgeshire, which is seeing companies getting involved with supply chains all around the world. One of the biggest export markets for this region is Germany – we send a lot of tech products to what many consider to be the home
of technology. In the UK, we sometimes make the mistake of doing ourselves down because we don’t make as many “finished products” as we think we should, but what is significant is when the things that make an overseas product excellent is all the UK components. It all helps our economy and provides jobs in the region.

HOW MIGHT A SMALL OR MEDIUM- SIZED BUSINESS, COMPLETELY NEW TO EXPORTING, BEGIN THE PROCESS OF TRADING OVERSEAS?

First of all, most important: do your research. What do you think you have that you can offer to an international customer? Is your business geared up for dealing with international customers, do you have any particular language skills or are you around to deal with different time zones? Is your marketing up to scratch, for example, is your website optimised for your new target audience? If you come to UKTI for advice, we can offer you support from British embassies around the world, which can prove hugely helpful: for example, an overseas business may be far more open to receiving a “cold call” from the British embassy than an individual from the UK they’ve never heard of. We also have a network of advisors all over the world who can act as mentors for your business.

WHAT OTHER RESOURCES DO UKTI EAST OFFER TO COMPANIES INTERESTED IN EXPORTING?

Among the many things we offer are events aimed at either teaching people new skills or facilitating networking abroad, for example our trade missions, which are fully supported in the host country by our experienced trade teams. Upcoming examples for the Eastern region include trips to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Sofia, Bulgaria.

For more information, visit https://www.ukti.gov.uk

CASE STUDY:
EVE TAYLOR,
LONDON.
FOUNDED 1963.

Eve Taylor, London, is a skincare company based in Peterborough. Their range of pure essential oils are the number-one selling professional aromatherapy brand in the world. We talked to Chris Taylor, Director of Business Development, about how the organisation achieved such fantastic export success.

TELL US ABOUT EVE TAYLOR, LONDON…

The company was started by my mother, Eve Taylor OBE. It was founded on her passion for teaching and sharing her knowledge. Then came the products, and her key skill was an ability to communicate using education as the main sales tool. It’s still the main driver to our sales development today both in the UK and internationally: education can be a Trojan horse in growing a business particularly for export. People always want knowledge.

WAS EXPORTING ALWAYS PART OF THE PLAN?

Definitely, international sales had always been on the agenda.

AT WHAT POINT IN THE FIRM’S EVOLUTION DID YOU IMPLEMENT AN EXPORT STRATEGY?

International sales really started in the late 70s as my mother started to travel and teach in other countries more and more, so this was the first taste of exporting her knowledge, and then products, outside the UK.

HOW DID YOU START EXPORTING?

My mother literally got on a plane with her products and started to teach, and it started from there – they liked her classes so bought her products.

WHO HELPED YOU?

It was initially a completely self- funded exercise, in the early days export and international travel was seen as very exciting and quite exclusive – selling internationally was quite an achievement for a small UK business that started off at a kitchen table. It wasn’t an easy task but it laid the foundations for a sustainable, long-term business.

WHAT DID YOU DISCOVER IN ORDER TO MAKE EXPORTING A SUCCESS?

Get out there. The more people you see, the more sales you will get – it’s hard work but if you believe and are good at what you do the success will follow. It’s not overnight, but it will follow.

WHAT TOP TIPS WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE THINKING OF EXPORTING NOW?

Never give up. Keep working hard and always look for the positive side. Everybody you meet is an opportunity, always have belief – and above all keep control of your costs and create a great product experience, so that your customers will come back and want more.

Eve Taylor (London) Limited Peterborough, England https://www.eve-taylor.com