How She Went Global® podcast with Ming Chen, President and CEO, MSL Global Express (9/15/25)

©2025 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

🌟 ☀ 🌟 🌏   Just dropped (September 15, 2025) – the 55th episode of the wegg® How She Went Global® Podcast with Ming Chen, President and CEO of MSL Global Express, Inc., "Charting New Routes: A Woman Entrepreneur in Global Logistics," – sponsored by VISA and Associated Bank.

Her company moves goods around the world via air, sea, or land – handling all aspects of the transaction. Listen to her inspiring journey at your leisure.🌟 ☀ 🌟 🌎  

Connect, Learn, Have Fun and Export!

©2025 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

Join wegg's next wegginar® with award-winning exporter Joan Laureano, President of Nosotras Boutique Fashion Group tomorrow, Wednesday, April 2nd at 11 AM CT.  Free of charge thanks to wegg's sponsors.

To learn more and to register, visit:  My 10 Biggest Lessons in Exporting.

EXIM Bank Opens Up New Opportunities for Global Traders

©iStock/Iryna Imago

Archana Sharma discovered EXIM bank at a trade show and it opened up new opportunities for her company [that is not mentioned in the article below].  I believe it is:  AKAS – EXIM's Exporter of the Year in 2021. 

Back in her office, “I [Sharma] said, Hey, we can get credit insurance for exporting, so you know what? Next time let's tell them to buy $15,000 worth instead of $5,000 because we're going to give them insurance. And that was a game changer for us.” That’s why she said, “EXIM has been a very important part of our export journey,” and advocates for them, including testifying on behalf of EXIM in Congress.

Read more about how EXIM Bank can be a game changer for businesses who desire to export.

Reminder: Technology Strengthens American Trade

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U.S. economic growth and job creation depend on the ability to sell beyond America’s borders because 95% of consumers live outside the United States.  Moreover, U.S. businesses that export tend to grow faster, create more jobs, and become more resilient in the face of a changing economy.

Read on to learn more about growing small business exports.

Hawaii State Trade Expansion Program Helps Small Businesses Export and Enter New Overseas Markets

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The Hawaii State Trade Expansion Program (HiSTEP), recently announced, for the seventh year, more than $500,000 in federal grant funding from the US Small Business Administration to support global small businesses in exporting and entering new overseas markets.

“Local small businesses must be able to reach overseas markets and share their products if we are going to compete and thrive in today’s economy,” said [U.S.] Senator Hirono [of Hawaii]. “Hawaii made products are iconic and this funding will support continued efforts to diversify our local economy, create new jobs, and draw new visitors to our state.”

Details can be found here.

Looking Beyond Borders for Business

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Making the decision to export as a small business can be a daunting one, but there is considerable help available to help you realise your goal.

There are valuable export opportunities for Australia’s small business sector not only in China but also in the United Kingdom, the United States and Malaysia (to name a few overseas partners). However, for some small businesses, the perception can be that the export market is difficult to access and full of obstacles. 

So here are a couple of things you need to do to overcome export challenges.

Today in Global Small Business: Small Table Maker Vintage Industrial Takes on Alibaba's Fakes

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What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• Learn five takeaways from the ICC World Trade Agenda Day.
• Jack Ma's bold promise—that Alibaba would help create 1 million jobs in the U.S. over five years.
• Souq.com — which sells health and beauty products and electronic goods — has become the highest-valued internet company in the Middle East.
• Why should you export?
• The financial and cultural considerations to importing for small businesses.
• How a small table maker Vintage Industrial takes on Alibaba's flood of fakes.

Today in Global Small Business: Local Payments, Global Reach

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What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• What are ways to lose import-export customers? Find out here with an article I wrote.
• Small businesses that export sell more and grow faster and bigger.
• How to ensure a successful global product launch.
• How to create a successful global brand.
• Get paid faster, here's how.
• Local payments, global reach.

Best Way to Stimulate an Economy? Export!

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According to Rob Lawley, head of international trade at UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) West Midlands, exporting makes people think more about their products and company.  In addition, he says, "Businesses that trade internationally have a better survival rate. They can become more profitable and are more likely to grow."

And I just love this line in the article:

EXPORTING could be the shot in the arm businesses need to survive as the economy flatlines.

Read the entire article here.

Export: How Ventrac Did It

One Way to Expand a Small Business Is To Export

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More and more small businesses are positioning themselves to go global.

"According to small businesses, the only way a business can expand is to export," said trade consultant Al Elgendy at a recent San Bernardino Economic Development Agency workshop for entrepreneurs looking to expand globally, as quoted by the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. "It reduces the dependency on the domestic economy. When there's a downturn in the economy, the only way to expand is to go global."

Read more here.

New Rule Benefits Women-Owned Global Small Businesses

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A rule, published in the Federal Register, by the United States SBA to boost opportunities for small businesses owned by women was finalized this week and expected to be fully implemented in 2011.

The program authorizes 5 percent of federal contracts to be set aside for women-owned small businesses where the anticipated contract price does not exceed $5 million in the case of manufacturing contracts and $3 million in the case of other contracts.

Under the Jobs Act provisions that went into effect recently, SBA has permanently increased 7(a) and 504 limits from $2 million to $5 million, and for manufacturers and certain energy-related projects seeking 504 loans, to $5.5 million.

At it relates to international trade:

The maximum for International Trade and Export Working Capital loans also has been increased from $2 million to $5 million.

SBA also permanently increased microloan limits from $35,000 to $50,000, raised the limit on Export Express loans, from $250,000 to $500,000, and made the program permanent.

SBA Express loan limits have been temporarily raised from $350,000 to $1 million for one year.

Read more here.

Entrepreneurial Export Enabler

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Meet Paul Yap, age 37, born in Selangor and currently living in San Pablo, California as an Entrepreneur. Or, as we call him: Entrepreneurial Export Enabler

Read about what he's up to: Crutch for small businesses

When It Comes To Exporting, Don't Think It, Do It

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The Small Business Administration (SBA) is encouraging you to export.

Go here for more details.

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

Let's Work Together to Invigorate SMB Exports!

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Who stands the best chance at boosting American exports? Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).

'Every team within our building will be involved in this effort to determine what we can do now to make our trade policies more effective in helping small and medium-sized businesses, as we are in assisting ... multinational corporations,' U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk told reporters.

Read more here.

Export Boomcountry

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Surging American exports lighten the gloom. As the dollar skids, small businesses manage to hit a home run with exports. Thank goodness we knew this was coming. Read more here.