Unlocking Export Potential: How Biskit Supports UK Companies in International Trade
For over two decades, Biskit has partnered with hundreds of companies across diverse sectors, witnessing firsthand their growth journeys, challenges, and triumphs.
This extensive experience has honed our understanding of business development and the myriad obstacles companies face. Among these challenges, exporting often emerges as a significant yet undervalued opportunity.
Exporting is frequently dismissed by UK business leaders as time-consuming, distracting from core operations, and ultimately unprofitable. Despite the UK’s rich history in international trade, contemporary exporting performance remains lacklustre. This raises crucial questions: What truly hinders our trade efforts? Are the barriers primarily logistical, or do they stem from a leadership mindset, knowledge gaps, or inadequate planning?
At Biskit, we believe the core issue lies in planning. Many UK SMEs and MSBs lack a comprehensive business plan for domestic markets, let alone international ones. Constraints such as limited time, skills, and access to quality planning tools exacerbate this issue, relegating exporting to a low priority.
Business Overview
The Department for International Trade, now the Department for Business & Trade, provides support to UK companies with both importing and exporting. With access to a raft of support services, including hundreds of staff worldwide, the organisation helps thousands of company export every year,
Project Overview
Recognising this gap, Biskit collaborated with the Department for International Trade (DIT) (now the Department for Business and Trade) in Yorkshire to develop a unique pilot programme.
This initiative aimed to help companies formulate robust business plans for the UK market while exploring export opportunities. With a clear strategic plan, businesses are better equipped to integrate exporting into their growth strategies.
The pilot programme, conducted with over 15 companies across Yorkshire, included workshops and activities in Leeds, Sheffield, and York. These sessions covered key areas such as strategy, innovation, marketing, communications, performance metrics, budgeting, and, of course, exporting. Biskit’s collaboration with Export Advisors ensured that each business received tailored support to develop a viable export plan.
The programme’s success was marked by significant achievements, including the development of strong export plans by participating companies.
- Strategy
- Marketing strategy
- Cultural adaptation for exporting
- Marketing communications: choosing the right channels: eg PPC, Social Media
- Identifying export markets
- Measuring success and budgeting
- Internationalising your customer export journey
Notably, Quality Bearings Online, a participant in the programme, later received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise. This success story underscores the impact of Biskit’s approach to fostering export readiness.
Following the pilot, Biskit continued to work with the DIT on various projects. We delivered educational webinars on marketing and social media, and conducted one-on-one business clinics to help companies refine their export marketing strategies.
Additionally, Biskit played an exporting and communications role in the Tour de Yorkshire, organising high-profile exporting workshops and events. We sourced key industry speakers, promoted the events, and collaborated with external partners to ensure their success.
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- Biskit supported DIT with a series of high profile exporting events across Yorkshire
