EXPORTING GOODS AND SERVICES is vital to the growth and development of small businesses, but the challenge lies in getting the funding necessary to take that step.
This suggestion has come from Small Business Association (SBA) chief executive officer Lynette Holder, who said the SBA was doing its part to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) spread their wings outside Barbados.
“There is this view that a business that would normally export is one that can be considered a large company, but this is not entirely true. Here in Barbados, according to some figures that I have seen, since 2009, there has been some growth in terms of the exports that SMEs are doing,” she said.
According to Holder, in 2008 when the SBA started its export programme, seven to nine per cent of its membership was exporting goods or services.
“Based on that, we thought that that number could be a bit better and so we started our export thrust, conducting training workshops and seminars with them in an attempt to help build their capacity and by extension, increase their export chances,” said Holder, adding that they have been seeing an increase in the number of small businesses venturing into markets outside Barbados.
The SBA chief noted that this was critical as there was some promise from foreign markets as they rebound from the global economic crisis. (PR/MM)
