Not every export will make a business money up front. Part of developing a world economy is creating a positive image of your business and your country. What the United States needs more than anything is to hear the world give a sigh of relief when our military arrives instead of a groan. Somehow, we went from the guys with the white hats to the new imperialists. Although we’re still exporting good will, it is often received with skepticism. As an American with a business that does international trade, make sure you’re putting some social activism in the mix.
That doesn’t mean getting politically involved. It means helping where you have the means to help. If your company imports textiles from a impoverished nation, give something back as a way of saying thank you for the opportunity to do business there. It could be sending boxes of clothing or medical supplies. It could be visiting the country and helping to build houses or orphanages. As you do these things, it could also be good team building for your American employees. Of course, your payment for the services rendered are a welcome export, but that money is not distributed in a way that is fair to the worker. Take a little of that profit margin and give it back. Not only will you look good, but you help your nation look better in the eyes of the people who live in emerging economies.
Whenever there’s something that can bring profit to a business, political conflict seems to follow. Sometimes it’s a rising middle class that starts to stand up to an oppressive government, and sometimes it’s a rising political class that wants to keep all the commodities for themselves and shift the power to a more oppressive place. If American businesses are involved, that’s when the military shows up. We know they’re not there strictly for the good of the people, and so do they, but has your good will export made the situation more tolerable?