Expand your business by exporting

Exporting can be a profitable way of expanding your business, spreading your risks and reducing your dependence on the local market.

Austrade research shows that, on average, exporting companies are more profitable than their non-exporting counterparts. Exporting exposes you to new ideas, management practices, marketing techniques, and ways of competing that you wouldn’t have experienced by staying at home. All this considerably improves your ability to compete in the domestic market as well. By going overseas, you can become more efficient and increase your productivity. Exporting companies have better growth prospects, highly skilled, highly productive staff and tend to adapt technology and best practice techniques faster.

Even if you have a limited domestic market, you should think about exporting - around a quarter of new exporters are born globals. Global brands can be built from small local companies – especially in rural and regional Australia.

This section will guide you step-by-step through exporting.

General info and advice

It’s important to consider if your business is ready and to be sure that you understand exactly what exporting entails before you start.

Exporting consumes time and money, and requires strong management commitment. In the initial stages management are usually diverted from existing domestic business but for many companies, this short term stress will provide longer term rewards.

Getting ready for export

Tailored Services

Austrade offers tailored services to individual Australian organisations seeking to export or expand their export markets in growth and emerging markets.

Tailored services provide customised information specific to your company’s requirements. We deliver these through our Advisers network across key trade markets around the world. We can assist you by compiling key information on the market you are targeting and talking directly to local industry players to gauge their interest in meeting you and reviewing your products or services – saving you valuable time.

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Financial assistance

  • Take a course in export basics
  • Get your objectives right and commitment will follow
  • Talk to your finance advisor
  • Research your industry and competitors
  • Talk to an Export Adviser who can work with you through the process.

Call 13 28 78

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Australian Suppliers Directory

When it comes finding opportunities with overseas companies, Austrade knows how hard it is to stand out from the crowd. Which is where the Australian Suppliers Directory comes in. Now you can get your international business off the ground with far less effort and significantly less cost than it would take to do it yourself.

Export Grants

The Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) scheme is a key Australian Government financial assistance program for aspiring and current exporters.

Who can apply? Any Australian individual, partnership, company, association, co-operative, statutory corporation or trust that has carried on export promotion activities during the year for which they wish to apply for an export grant.

How does EMDG work?

Apply for a grant

You can apply directly or have a consultant apply on your behalf. In either case, applications must be submitted during the standard lodgement period between 1 July and 30 November each year.

Consultants meeting certain criteria can apply for the Quality Incentive Program (QIP). Consultants approved for this program can lodge on behalf of their clients for an extended period until the end of February each year.

Contact a consultant

“Funding from EMDG has been critical to the success we have achieved with our growing international customers.”

Aaron Brown, Director, Indice Ecotech Pty Ltd

EMDG success stories