In today’s turbulent business environment, many entrepreneurs are looking for new strategies for growing their businesses. International markets represent a wealth of opportunity, according to international business expert and global entrepreneur, Tonya McNeal-Weary. Yet, she says many entrepreneurs and small business owners are not looking to foreign markets for business growth.
Research has shown that international trade is a key driver of small business success. So why aren’t more small businesses doing business globally? According to Tonya, many small businesses see language, cultural differences, and lack of knowledge of foreign markets as barriers, but they are not considering the massive opportunities.
Tonya also realized the lack of women-owned businesses engaged in international trade. That is why she launched the Women Going Global Movement which inspires and encourages women entrepreneurs to explore international markets. Through specialized training and consulting to address the specific challenges and barriers faced by women-led businesses, Tonya is helping women entrepreneurs build their capacity to become export-ready and scale their businesses beyond their local borders.
Tonya is the Founder and Managing Director of IBS Global Consulting, a global management consulting firm that specializes in helping small and medium-sized companies expand internationally. Tonya has traveled to countries around the globe helping small businesses overcome the challenges of doing business in foreign countries. She has worked with numerous small businesses from the UK where she has assisted business owners in exploring the American market and expanding their business to the USA.
Tonya admits that expanding to international markets can be challenging. But with the proper tools and resources, small businesses can find success abroad. She also says that identifying the right partners and building relationships are key to successfully doing business internationally.
We asked Tonya what her future plans were. “I’m on a mission to help more entrepreneurs and small businesses identify and pursue new business opportunities abroad,” she said. “Foreign markets not only provide diversification and additional revenue streams, it also exposes business owners to new methods of doing business,” she added.
Her newest project is to collaborate with other women entrepreneurs on a book entitled “Women Going Global: Real-Life Stories of Women Entrepreneurs Doing Business Across Borders” which shares inspiring true stories of 14 remarkable women from countries around the world who have overcome the odds and are successfully doing business beyond their country’s borders.
With her wealth of knowledge as a global entrepreneur, paired with her experience working and traveling in all regions of the world, Tonya is helping other entrepreneurs to “Think Global” and expand into new markets worldwide.