If you have little or no money but you want to do big international business if your small business is not performing so well or your money is low, why don’t you turn to the Internet? The Internet is the fastest and most effective technique for the newcomer and the struggling businessperson to turn out to be an international broker of goods and solutions.

To start, you may order directories of importers but they are not absolutely essential: importers can be found on the business portals too.

My favourite importer’s directories are Interdata’s International Directory of Importers, and of Agents, Distributors and Wholesalers. (Visit Interdata online: http://www.export-prospects.com). Both feature companies worldwide with company info, contact individual, phone and fax figures, e-mail address, products handled, bank reference, and much more. With the purchase of a directory, you obtain a year’s totally free subscription to an internet website providing you access to global export sales prospects.

Because you will conduct your business on the Internet, an e-mail address and Internet connection are a must. If you don’t yet have an e-mail address, you can get one for totally free from popular websites such as hotmail (Visit Hotmail online: http://www.hotmail.com) and yahoo (Visit Yahoo online: http://www.yahoo.com). I choose yahoo because one gets 1 GB of storage area. That is ideal for your business considering the quantity of messages and attachments you will obtain. As for an Internet connection, if you can’t afford it, libraries give you totally free access to theirs simply by possessing their cards. A phone is also essential and a fax number will be an advantage. If you can have a website, that will be a big as well as.

Now to the nerve of your business: generating contacts with importers, agents, distributors and wholesalers and obtaining suppliers on the business to business (B2B) portals. Your importer’s directories will allow you to contact potential customers in your nation or area. It is much better to start with companies nearby prior to broadening out. If your presentation is expert, you should obtain positive answers. B2B portals like alibaba, indiamart, ec21 and bidmix will allow you contact suppliers worldwide. (Visit them online respectively at http://www.alibaba.com, http://www.indiamart.com, http://www.ec21.com, and http://www.bidmix.com). They are totally free to join and their advertising tools can help you promote your business online.

Let’s use alibaba to clarify the system. Open the homepage www.alibaba.com. Click on on the hyperlink Join Free and supply your details. Submit and you turn out to be a member of what Forbes Magazine and Alexa.com respectively rank as &quotBest of the Web&quot and &quotN° 1 B2B website.&quot

Do you want to purchase? Then search and browse the industry class homepages for products classified into classes contact suppliers or post purchasing trade prospects which will allow sellers to contact you straight.

Are you a seller? Then browse the website to find purchasers in the wealthy database you can also let purchasers find you by publishing your product info in the Want to Sell channel you can also deliver quotations immediate to purchasers by clicking the Deliver Quotation button but at best turn out to be the first choice of purchasers.

How? By having to pay US $349 a year, you turn out to be a TrustPass member. Your Trust Pass profile proves to potential business partners that you are genuine and credible. The provider allows you to have a product showroom where you give detailes of your products. You can also have a company details page which presents an introduction to your business.

Another helpful advertising device you can use is Trade Alerts. It is effective, fast and productive. But be warned: offers will flood your inbox daily and you must truly have the time to answer them.

Good results stories abound on the B2B web sites. Personally I have been able to have business partners on all the continents and have done business past my expectations. An Indian manufacturer of designer put on wrote on indiamart, the gateway to the Indian market, &quotWe regularly get emails from happy customers all more than the world.&quot On alibaba we study from an American supplier: &quotWe got 45 purchasers in three months. The reward is numerous occasions really worth the expenditure&quot a broker from Mainland China raved: &quotI really feel now that business isn’t difficult after all, why did not I know of this website prior to?&quot A south American member praised: &quotWe obtained normal orders from Hungary, China, Taiwan, Uk. Our first order was really worth US$ 160,000&quot and a European businessman says he is &quotstunned by the 1,823 % online sales increase. The Internet is great.&quot

With the Internet by no means have business possibilities been so broad and so near: just at the click of a mouse. But beware of the dangers of performing business on the net. Some of them are phoney and unscrupulous businesspeople, scam artists who will try to defraud you, and malicious people who will cram your box with virus-infested mails. Your ability to sidestep these pitfalls will also mostly determine your good results on the net.

Sidebar

Broker: a businessperson who acts as intermediary in between a seller and a buyer for a commission.

Trade Prospects: a request to traders to deliver you offers or quotations.

Trade Alerts: a request to the website search engine to e-mail you offers or quotations.

Ideas for business good results: Not all companies succeed. But if you respect certain fundamental guidelines, yours can. Amongst others, you must embrace your business wholeheartedly have the will to succeed display perseverance, self-self-confidence, organizational spirit, honesty and integrity. Information is good results: get help to run your business from organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce research with business colleges in your spare time or through distance education. Also study widely on business creation, sales, advertising, management and organization and go to training seminars.

My name is Akoli Penoukou. I was born in Lome-Togo (West Africa) in 1953. I went to school in Ghana (West Africa) up to the higher school diploma level. I taught French there for one year and then returned to Lome to work. From there I went on “adventures” in Nigeria (West Africa) and Germany. Back again home in 1983 I started my business profession.

This started with a West German import and export company which represented major German producers like Henkel cosmetics in West Africa. I began as Executive Secretary and ended up 5 many years later on as Supervisor. Then I founded my personal company in 1987 which I ran part-time. The actions of the firm getting increased dramatically in 3 many years, I diversified into imports and exports. The brokerage business and trade representation constitute the main thrust of my buinsess now.

I have trained as a freelance writer for kids and adults and have printed in newspapers and magazines such as “Aim” and “Clubhouse” in The united states.

Hobbies: writing, reading, gardening, languages, music, traveling, and teaching. I am married and have three kids.