Are you looking to cross border markets for your growth?

Take a look at the map of Africa - it’s a big potential marketplace for any woman entrepreneur on the continent looking to push the growth button on their business. But it can also be daunting for those who have never considered exporting their products and service offerings to neighboring countries, and more than a little scary a prospect. But the bottom line is that if you are not looking to the business opportunities that are on your geographic doorstep and working out how to get your goods to market, then you are holding your business and brand back and limiting yourself to a very small consumer universe. So, if you still need some convincing as to why you should start thinking about exporting to other countries on the African continent, here are 5 very good reasons to change your mind and to start looking at the potential of one of the fastest growing and potentially most exciting parts of the world from an export sales perspective. Firstly, if you are looking to keep up with or pass your competitors, then the quicker you look outside your comfortable geographic box, the better - if you don't, they will! Secondly, leverage the proudly #WomanMadeinAfrica connection to make customers take notice of the high quality, unique products you are creating and the back stories behind them. Thirdly, get more productive and get ready to scale up once you start to gain interest in these new markets. Fourthly, make sure you don’t put all your eggs in one basket and focus on one new market only - spread your potential risk when you put a toe into the water in these new African markets. Finally, do your research really well on all the new cross border markets you are considering before you start your in-country marketing - it will make it less stressful once you are on the ground there.