export year 2007

Last year I was selected for the Wellington regional Exporter programme which was organised as part of Export Year 2007.

As part of the Export programme, I attended several free events including the 10 week BizFuel Growth Series - organised by the chamber and the awesome Ruth McDavitt, coordinated by Business Porirua and sponsored by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. Various training and case study seminars were held around the city, where I got to meet some inspiration kiwis in the business of exporting. It was really encouraging to meet and share with other companies already enjoying the fruits of their export success. I was surprised though to be the only web-based SAAS company attending with the majority of businesses product-based or selling manufactured goods over the web.

An interesting theme emerged during the course - that Australia is a more difficult market for kiwis to break into than UK, Europe or the States, mostly because of the Aussie attitude towards kiwi-made. Hasn't stopped many New Zealand companies though from making it big overseas in some of the more distant markets, and in Aussie too. With the phenomenon of the internet as a ubiquitous marketing equaliser, and many kiwi producers now creating and using their web presence to sell and ship product, I imagine Aussie attitudes will continue to evolve and it will only get easier to sell products across the ditch.

Thanks to those who selected me for the Export programme, the sponsors and to Business Porirua for organising a great lineup of speakers and tutors for the BizFuel Growth Series.