Dream of seeing your item in stores around the world? Unless you
have months of international knowledge, youd be wise to find some
overseas distributors. Otherwise, your unfamiliarity with foreign
business customs could stall your efforts.

The most helpful distributors will buy products from you, then
warehouse, distribute, and sell them to customers. Theyll also handle
customer service. (Note: These folks are not always called
distributors. In Japan, theyre known as wholesalers.)

Networking among trusted business colleagues is the best way to find a
reputable distributor. If you dont have many overseas contacts, take
heart. The U.S. government offers an alphabet soup of programs that
are constructed to help small business with this -- and many of them
actually work. The U.S. Department of Commerce (http://www.doc.gov/)
offers a wealth of resources through the U.S. Export Assistant Center,
the International Trade Administration (http://www.ita.doc.gov/), and
the U.S. Commercial Services (http://www.usatrade.gov