Cooperative Approaches to Scaling Exports in Emerging Community Enterprises

(Illustrative Only)

Oscar makes some of the 
best knives and axes
in the country. These 
are custom but there 
are a lot of people who 
want them. He learned
how to scale a basic fishing
fillet knife
and firefighter axe while still
keeping his custom work.

He would like to work
with others in Delta County
to create greater export,
marketing, and hire
a few employees for
the small manufacturing
operations in the back of his downtown
storefront. His hope
is to develop his brand and
expand operations.

He might call them Al's Firefighter Axe
and Kipling Fillet Knife
(Just an example).
Ebay, Amzaon, Walmart online,
and wants to expand with others.
His business needs some export
knowledge and though others
might need that knowledge
as well.

The Value of Innovation
and Start Ups in Delta
County

Developing an export-oriented economy within a community requires careful foundational work. This includes attracting startups, supporting existing businesses, generating tax revenue, and securing grants to enhance local infrastructure, such as downtown commercial spaces. Economic development in this context is an iterative process, where shared knowledge and collaboration among stakeholders can catalyze tangible outcomes.

Even with a cohort of engaged businesses, many may initially be too small to export, whether regionally or internationally, due to limitations in production capacity, distribution, or logistics. Businesses often begin by serving local markets, gradually expanding regionally, and over several years, scaling to access global markets. Achieving this progression necessitates a robust business model that enables startups to establish stability, grow, and eventually engage in export activities.

Expertise in export processes is essential. Whether a community produces maple syrup, custom golf carts, metal-stamped goods, snowshoes, or specialty sports equipment, businesses require structured channels to reach regional and international markets. One effective approach is the formation of cooperatives or business associations, where firms can pool resources, share expertise, and coordinate export activities. Such organizations may be self-funded through a portion of international sales or initially supported through state or federal grants, and can operate as nonprofit or for-profit entities.

The overarching objective is to facilitate the expansion of small businesses into new markets, thereby generating employment, increasing tax revenue, and strengthening the community’s overall economic capacity as firms gain experience and efficiency in export operations.

An Export Readiness Model

• The paper proposes a comprehensive model to assess a firm’s readiness to begin exporting, addressing a gap in the literature where existing models are fragmented or not empirically tested.

• It argues that export readiness is complex and can vary by target market, depending on factors like product nature, firm expertise, and specific foreign market requirements.

• The model integrates key components from existing theories, including internal readiness, management commitment, external readiness, export stimuli, and barriers, with trust and commitment acting as mediators.

• The authors suggest that this model is suitable for structural equation modeling (SEM) to identify the most critical factors influencing export readiness and can help firms evaluate and improve their internationalization preparedness. 

Export status and SME productivity: Learning-to-export versus learning-by-exporting

• The study looks at how UK SMEs differ in productivity based on whether they are domestic, export-capable, or actual exporters.

• Evidence supports both learning-to-export (building capability before exporting) and learning-by-exporting (gaining productivity after exporting).

• Current productivity and both product and process innovation influence a firm’s decision to move toward exporting.

• Product innovation can reduce productivity in the short term, while growth ambition and planned innovation strongly drive firms toward export capability.