Thousands of businesses have increased their sales, growth and stability by selling overseas. We can help you explore the potential of exporting with guidance, services and support from the Department for International Trade.
Whether you’re an experienced exporter looking to expand your activities and break into new markets or are thinking of exporting for the first time (even if you think this might be just a few orders through your website), we can link you to the great range of support to help develop and grow your export activity.
There is a wide range of courses and workshops available to help to connect your business with international buyers.
Wherever you are on your journey, from securing your first overseas sale to developing a strategy that will help you to grow and succeed, our international experts are on hand to help you.
These fully-funded workshops will enable you to understand the benefits of selling abroad, what your company needs to do in order to position itself for long-term success and how to avoid the common pitfalls associated with exporting.
These free workshops covers all the basics that you should consider to make international trade a success for your business, including:
- The benefits of exporting
- The challenges encountered
- The ingredients of a successful export strategy
- Market research
- Establishing the right route to market
- Finding customers, agents and distributors
- The support available from the Department for International Trade. Find out more here.
Additionally, we can help both member and non-member businesses trade internationally.
Our accredited export documentation services ensure exporters have the correct paperwork every time, avoiding lengthy delays and saving money.
Our export team are here to help you with the regulatory processes governing international trading and can processing the following documents:
- EC Certificates of Origin
- EUR1 Movement Certificates.
- ATR Certificates
- Arab-British Documents
Chamber members benefit with a significant discount on all international trade documentation. To find out more, please contact Lesley on Lesley@cumbriachamber.co.uk.
The Department for International Trade’s Internationalisation Fund: North West
Grant funding available via new fund for eligible businesses in England.
What is the fund?
The Department for International Trade has launched its new Internationalisation Fund for eligible businesses in England. The fund is designed to support businesses looking to grow their international trade. SME’s can apply for match-funded grants of between £1,000 and £9,000 which will be available for proposed future activities (subject to eligibility).
To secure a grant, the business will need to fund a proportion of the costs itself. This varies according to where your business is based and will be up to 50% of the total cost.
Funding is subject to availability within your region, and will be prioritised for businesses who can demonstrate they have high export potential.
Eligible Activity
The fund can be used to support areas including but not limited to:
- PR
- Market Research
- IPR
- Translation / Cultural Advice
- Social Media and SEO
- Participation in trade shows
- Market development
- Routes to Market
- Overseas Business Environment / Due Diligence
To find out more about the fund, please contact Lesley Robinson at Lesleyr@cumbriachamber.co.uk.
North West Export Academy
The Export Academy is a free programme of support for SMEs across the North West. It’s a comprehensive step-by-step programme ideal for anyone:
- New to exporting
- Exporting already but needing to upskill staff
- Exporting already but wanting to refresh knowledge, or fill gaps
The programme is made up of a series of ten core interactive, educational sessions with exclusive content based on feedback from our delegates and designed specifically to help small and micro businesses understand everything they need to know in order to sell internationally.
The main sessions will focus on:
- Understanding benefits of and barriers to export
- Steps to export
- International market research
- Pricing strategy and route to market
- Customs, export controls, and trade deals
- Selling services overseas
- International commercial (INCO) terms
- Creating an Export Action Plan
- Customs, VAT, and rules of origin
- Movement of money
There will be additional masterclasses led by industry experts focusing on topics such as social media, SEO and eCommerce. Delegates will also have the opportunity to hear from DIT Export Champions on their exporting experiences, and advice for success.
The Export Academy, from the Department for International Trade (DIT), gives small and micro-businesses the know-how to sell to customers around the world with confidence. The programme is made up of a series of ten core interactive educational sessions with exclusive content based on feedback from our delegates and designed specifically to help small and micro businesses understand everything they need to know in order to sell internationally.
You can find out more about the Export Academy here, and on this flyer: Export Academy NW – Flyer S10 11
