DURHAM, N.H. - The UNH New Hampshire Small Business Development Center (NH SBDC) has launched two e-courses on exporting as part of its new exporting portal.
"Basics of Export Documentation" and "Basics of Online Global Marketing" cover two topics for companies that may be new to exporting: the detailed documentation required to sell and ship products or services to other countries, and building a website to be global-ready both culturally and on a business level.
The two new exporting e-courses were funded through the federal Small Business Jobs Act of 2010. They are available at www.nhsbdc.org and are part of the extensive e-course selections available at no charge on the NH SBDC website.
"Exporting is a tremendous opportunity for small businesses to grow their companies and tap into new markets," U.S. Sen Jeanne Shaheen said. "Over 95 percent of the world's customers live overseas, but only one percent of small businesses export. I am glad that New Hampshire businesses will benefit from Small Business Jobs Act funding to apply the lessons of these courses and increase their exporting opportunities."
Included in the NH SBDC exporting portal are U.S. Small Business Administration resources to help businesses explore exporting their products. Businesses also are led to many other federal and state agencies serving potential and current exporters. The agencies, websites, articles, and books listed in the portal are all intended to help New Hampshire business owners think through the many steps they'll need to take to grow from a local or regional company into a foreign exporter.

Mary Collins, state director of NH SBDC, states, "New Hampshire's businesses have an excellent track record for exporting their goods and services. We were thrilled that the 2010 Small Business Jobs Act funding enabled us to enhance support for the state's exporters and entrepreneurs new to exporting through e-courses available 24/7. These courses will supplement the services offered by the state's International Trade Resource Center and the U.S. Department of Commerce office."

According to the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, 2,200 companies in New Hampshire export goods or services, and the majority of these are small and mid-sized businesses. The most common countries to which New Hampshire exports are Mexico, Canada, China, Germany and the United Kingdom.

NH SBDC is an outreach program of the University of New Hampshire's Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, and a cooperative venture of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the State of New Hampshire Department of Resource Economics and Development, the University System of New Hampshire, and the private sector. A part of 64 SBDC programs nationwide, the NH SBDC was fully accredited in 2010 by the Association of Small Business Development Centers. The NH SBDC has advised businesses for 26 years, helping 8,000 businesses create and retain more than 4,500 jobs over the last decade.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.
PHOTO
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NH SBDC launches its exporting e-courses at its advisory board meeting. From left to right: Tim Dining, Greenerd Press & Machine Co.; Janice Gregory, NH SBDC; Liz Gray, NH DRED; Erle Pierce, Pierce Public Affairs; Fred Kocher, Kocher & Co.; Maura Weston, MM Weston & Assoc.; Jonathan Smith, TD Bank; Mary Collins, NH SBDC; Scott Merrick, Office of U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen; Adria Bagshaw, W.H. Bagshaw; Jason Cannon, NH SBDC; Paul Creme, Hamblett & Kerrigan; Heidi Edwards Dunn, NH SBDC; and Greta Johansson, U.S. Small Business Administration.

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