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www.sba.gov
5. Developing Your Marketing Plan 50
Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) represent a national network of nearly 100 educational centers
designed to assist women start and grow small businesses. Find your local WBC.
As a general rule, SCORE is well-suited for very new exporters; SBDCs typically work with
exporters who are a little more advanced. To find the most appropriate resource for you, take the
self-assessment at www.export.gov/begin.
U.S. Export Assistance Centers (USEACs)
USEACs are designed to provide the U.S. exporting community a single point of contact for all
federal export promotion and finance programs.
USEACs can provide you with direct service or refer you to appropriate public and private sector
partners. The centers integrate representatives of SBA, the Department of Commerce (DOC) and,
at some locations, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank), as well as additional
federal and state agencies.
• Whenever feasible, the centers are conveniently co-located with other partners who concentrate
on assisting export-ready firms in all areas of export development and trade financing.
• The USEAC staff can assess your company’s export readiness and can refer you, if you are a
start-up business, to basic “How to Export” programs.
• For new-to-market companies, the specialists at the USEAC have a full menu of market entry
programs, including industry and country profiles, help with finding distributors overseas, identifying
tariff and regulatory requirements and assisting with financing or questions related to securing
payment.
Typically, small business owners who are new to exporting should work with SCORE or an SBDC
before seeking out a USEAC.
Export.gov
The federal government’s exporting portal, www.export.gov, is a valuable source of advice and
information. Managed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, export.gov is a useful starting point
for your online search for information about export development, federal export support programs,
services, and staff.
• Country research is available in the Market Research section of export.gov. You can find Country
Commercial Guides for each country where there is a Foreign Commercial Service presence.
District Export Councils (DECs)
District Export Councils, affiliated with the Commerce Department, are another useful resource.
Appointed by the Secretary of Commerce, they are comprised of leaders from the local business
community, whose knowledge of international business provides a source of professional advice for
local firms. For more than 25 years, DECs have served the U.S. by assisting companies in their local
communities to export.
• Council members come from banks, manufacturing companies, law offices, trade associations,
state and local agencies, consulting companies and educational institutions.
• The volunteers draw upon their own experience to encourage, educate, counsel and guide
potential, new and seasoned exporters in their individual marketing needs.
Learn more about District Export Councils.
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