Exporting might feel like a big step, but the benefits can outweigh the risks, opening the door to higher revenue, new markets, and the customers to grow into them.
Although there's no one-size-fits-all approach to international trade, it's important to have a clear understanding of your business capabilities before committing time, money, and resources to exporting — regardless of the industry you're in.
In this section, we step you through some key tasks and provide a range of resources to help your business get ready to take on the world.
How well do you know your business?
A robust business plan is essential for understanding your business's capabilities and improving your chances of securing finance and investment for your export journey. Treat your plan as a living document that you update regularly.
An export plan extends your business plan, helping you map out a strategy to find new customers and business partners overseas, define your goals, and determine if you have the resources to meet those goals.
Our Export Business Plan Template is a practical, step-by-step guide designed to help you build a clear, considered plan for taking your business to international markets — whether you're exporting for the first time or refining an existing strategy.
Getting to know your competitors before you start exporting provides valuable insights into what they’re doing well. This helps you highlight what makes your business stand out and position your products or services more effectively in the market.
The Four-Step Competitor Analysis is a practical worksheet designed to help you understand exactly who you'll be up against before you start exporting. Knowing your competition early gives you valuable insight into their capabilities — and the opportunity to position your own offer strategically, so you can minimise head-to-head competition and play your strengths against their weaknesses.
It's a straightforward, do-it-as-you-go tool built around four steps, with ready-to-use tables you fill in as you work.
Export skills training gives your business the confidence and capability to take on international markets with a clear plan rather than guesswork.
Austrade provide an excellent, free resource that we recommend to get you started. From assessing whether your business is export-ready to choosing markets, understanding regulations and getting your first orders away, Austrade's Guide to Exporting walks you through the fundamentals of selling internationally.
It's a trusted, government-backed starting point that complements the planning tools in this toolkit, so you can build your knowledge and confidence before taking the next step.
Choosing the right export market for your goods or services requires thorough research.
Tariffs vary across product types and markets and should be carefully considered when choosing an export destination.
Similar to import regulations, they're frequently revised and subject to change without notice, so it's important to reconfirm tariffs before you start exporting.
Australia has several Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with international trading partners.
FTAs provide many benefits for exporters, such as:
Find out which FTAs apply to you
You’ve done your research, you’ve chosen an export market, but how you enter the market will be driven by the nature of your goods or service, industry requirements, and where in the world your market is located.
A market entry strategy will outline important specifics—from understanding your target market to contractual entry modes, investment entry modes, and selling online.
Our Exporting Strategies document provides a comprehensive guide to various exporting methods, encompassing direct and indirect strategies, countertrade, online selling, and contractual and investment entry modes. It elaborates on the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy, offering insights into their practical implementation.
Download Global Victoria's Exporting Strategies document Exporting-Strategies.docx (DOCX 107.67 KB)
If you're a Victorian business that imports products with the intention of then exporting the finished product, you may qualify for the Tradex Scheme. You can apply for a Tradex order at any time.
Learn more about the Tradex Scheme
Trusted Trader reduces border red tape, improves certainty in export markets, and expedites the flow of cargo in and out of Australia, which means faster market access.
Administered by Home Affairs with the Australian Border Force, Trusted Trader is free and accredits Australian businesses with compliant trade practices and a secure supply chain.
Once accredited, businesses have access to a growing range of benefits that simplify their customs processes.
Learn more about Trusted Trader
Exporting opens new opportunities but also comes with risks and challenges. Being aware of these risks helps you manage them effectively.
Cultural awareness and adaptation can maximise opportunities for your export business, and prevent misunderstandings.
It's important not to generalise because some countries are incredibly diverse and have different cultural nuances.
Take time to understand the culture, language, religion, ethical standards and business practices of your target market, as well as getting to know your customers and business partners well. Make an effort to understand how culture impacts attitudes towards your product and service.
There are essentially four types of legal systems across the world.
Visit Austrade's Market Profiles to find out which laws pertain to your market
Intellectual property (IP) includes everything that has been created by you or your business, including ideas, technologies, literature, products and services.
Before entering a foreign market, we highly recommend that you seek legal advice from a reputable IP law specialist – such as a patent attorney – who knows the local conditions.
While Australia has a strong and extensive IP framework to protect the IP rights of businesses and individuals, other countries may not.
Visit IP Australia’s website to learn how to develop a strategy for your Intellectual Property
The types of export documentation you may need depends on where you're exporting to, and how you're planning to transport your cargo.
The Australian Government's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) controls exports of agricultural products. This assures our trading partners that Australian agricultural products meet import requirements.
Their website provides commodity-specific export guides, as well as up-to-date information on halal certification for different countries.
Learn about the requirements set by Australia's agricultural export trading partners according to the Manual of Importing Country Requirements (MiCor).
Visit the Australian Government's Export Finance Australia website to learn more about insurance products, including credit insurance and political risk insurance.
Austrade also provides details about the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System or the Harmonized System (HS), which forms the basis for describing and classifying goods for customs purposes by most trading nations.
Discover Austrade’s Export Market Development Grants: Funding Support for Australian Businesses
