You’ve conquered the open market in Michigan, is it time to go international?

Andy Hayes, Michigan State University Extension -

Michigan State Trade Export Program is available to help companies looking to diversify their customer base, provide long-term stability and create new jobs through exporting.

So you feel like you’ve sold all you can on the open market in Michigan but now what? One obstacle a small business can face in Michigan is where to sell your goods. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) may have a solution to your problem; a program called Michigan State Trade Export Program (MI-STEP).

According to the MEDC website “MI-STEP works to increase the number of small business exporters and increases the value of exporters for those who currently trade overseas. Qualifying Michigan companies can use the program to help diversify their customer base, provide long-term stability and create new jobs. Since 2011, MI-STEP has provided support to over 750 Michigan companies for export-related activities.” Now that you know this program exists, how can you take advantage of it? Michigan State University Extension partner Northern Lakes Economic Alliance can assist you in pursuing this opportunity by reviewing the program guidelines and putting you in contact with the export assistant office serving your area.

There are some guidelines in order to qualify for the MI-STEP grant program. If your company has 500 or fewer global employees may qualify for financial assistance for export-related activities. To learn more about what these export-related activities are contact the NLEA at 231-582-6482 or info@northernlakes.net.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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