Your UPS guide to cross-border commerce for small businesses: China

The first UPS Snapshot for Small Businesses offers tips for doing business in China.

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If international trade offers big possibilities for small businesses, why do less than half of American companies pursue overseas opportunities?

The reasons are familiar: Some say it's too risky, while others say that impenetrable regulations make it seem impossible to easily send more than a postcard abroad.

Although increasing numbers of companies are cracking the cross-border code, unraveling its complexities can be challenging without deep pockets – or plenty of time.

Frequently, it's small business owners – those wearers of too many hats who aren't yet ready to hang any of them up – who miss out by not having time to uncover the opportunities.

"Large companies can employ international specialists, but when you are the company, you're focused on getting through the week and the month," says Andy Maslanka, an Atlanta-based small business owner who manufactures eco-friendly potting sheds and children's playhouses from recycled wood. "It's you and your order book – there's no time to plan world domination," he adds.

Maslanka isn't alone – but concedes that his business model is restrictive. "I'd love to expand, have my products built more inexpensively in Asia and expand sales into Europe, where there's a hot market for green products," he says. "The biggest problem is, where do you start?"

For business people like Maslanka, Compass Online is this month offering an occasional series of UPS Snapshots for Small Businesses, reports analyzing opportunities in overseas countries.

These business intelligence reports are designed to quickly familiarize busy decision-makers with the facts and trends in overseas markets, including business etiquette tips, country-specific advice from specialists and three-minute interviews with small-business owners who have gone global – and reaped the rewards.

Dan Brutto, president of UPS International, says the guides will contain important resources to help small companies overcome common global commerce obstacles. "As globalization continues to make the world smaller, businesses that don't conquer these obstacles will be left behind," he warns. "But these guides will help get companies started on the road to international success."

Read the UPS Snapshot for Small Businesses: China