Customer Reviews

How Small Business Trades Worldwide: Your Guide to Starting or Expanding a Small Business International Trade Company Now

5 star:		(40)
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3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I've read a lot of books about business, investing and similar and this one is superior in writing clarity and focus. It was written by a true teacher who has that special gift of being able to explain the complex and make it understandable. He is able to predict questions the reader will have and answer them. He has broken down the sequence a beginner needs to take to be successful in starting a small importing business.

Having not a clue about how the importing business works, I can't verify how accurate this teacher/writers lessons are, but having common sense (at least I believe I possess it) and a generally good sense of reading people, I firmly believe that Spiers is one of those rare people that really enjoys teaching and helping people and has written this book in the hopes that lots of students are going to be successful. I have read (and reviewed) other works where I thought the author was trying to sell something or was simply blowing smoke, in this case I believe that the writer is genuine.

Now all that doesn't necessarily mean this is the book for you, so read on:

This book clearly lays out a plan to start and develop an importing company, small at first but I think the basic rules would still apply to most companies as they grow. The plan, which I'll briefly outline in a second, is not easy in the sense that it isn't going to be hard work, but it is easy in the sense that it's understandable and taken small step at a time is something most anyone with a strong work ethic and a little bit of brain power could accomplish.

Now that we've weeded out a good ninety percent of the population, let me briefly outline the process that Spiers explains in this book, if it interests you still, by all means you should make the purchase.

Spiers explains that to succeed at importing (small business level) one must be an innovator, that is one able to bring a product to the market that is unique. This product doesn't necessarily have to be an unheard of product, it just has to be a little bit better and different from other similar products. With this newly designed product the importer can now compete on something different than simply price.

Spiers explains all the reasons to forget about trying to patent or trademark or to go to a far away country and hope to find some cool item to import and sell. He explains why it doesn't matter if you know someone in Peru or have a relative in Japan or think you have some other inside track.

Something people often forget when they are getting exited about an idea is that it must actually sell to a public, and despite what people often think the public isn't predictable and often acts in a counterintuitive way.

First the prospective importer must determine if this product already exists, then if there is any interest from prospective buyers (usually the retailers that would most likely sell this type of product). If there is interest, and it doesn't exist already, then the product must be costed (that is the importer must find the best place to make it and the total cost of bringing it into the country).

Once the importer has a cost basis for the product and knows what the minimum order that must be placed is, he then sets the sales force (independent sales reps) loose with samples to try and obtain the necessarily orders to meet the minimum order.

The key here is that the importer doesn't order the factory to make the product until such a time as the minimum order quantity has been sold to various customers. This reduces risk and gives the importer the greatest chance to succeed by not tying up money on losers and only going forward with winners (or at least with potential winners). A product initially ordered isn't really a success, that comes later if the product is reordered, only then will the customers of the importer be saying we need more product because the buying public liked the offering.

There is so much advice and how-to in this book, I've only just scratched the surface, some of the best advice is how to avoid being scammed and ripped off. If you've read this far and are still fascinated and interested, then I'll give you strong recommendation to purchase it.

Great praise for this book!!! If you are about to start a product-based business this is a MUST-HAVE. Mr. Spiers is an expert in his field, this is a hands-on manual for every step of the way.. to finding a concept ("compete on design"), where/how to source your product, importing logistics, pricing, marketing, sales, etc. He emphasizes solving a problem, and to be passionate about your product.

Two years ago I bought this book and have re-read it 30 times since. Mr. Spier's book (and online class) steered me away from some bad ideas to good ones and now my business is up and running, and growing. "How Small Business Trades Worldwide" is a phenomenal resource!

This is without a doubt the best book out there on how to get your product ideas out in the market place. I've read this book twice and refer to it constantly and I swear every time I refer to it I learn something new. I have tons of books on bringing products to market but none of them offer the amount of wisdom that this book does. Although the title may sound complicated the book is essentially about how to find suppliers for your products and retailers to carry them with you acting as the importer. EXCELLENT BOOK! Also the author has a very helpful Yahoogroup set up for discussing the book topics. After reading the book you can even email the author directly and he is very good about answering questions. Best money I've ever spent!!!

The author knows his material very well, and that authority saturates the writing. For every point he makes, he marshals an impressive collection of anecdotes and reasoned-out thought processes that make his point seem not only a good idea but common sense. And the best is the winningly uncomplicated tone of the writing; it lacks pretension. The book's structure is easy to follow, as the author has rigorously structured the chapters to give the reader a clear arc of thinking. He takes the reader thru all the steps, until there are no aspects of the topic left unexamined. It's an ambitious menu of subjests, but the author manages to address it all and have it make sense.

John Spiers has produced a top-notch product with this book! I am very wary of accepting advice from those who tell you "how-to-do-it." Most of the time, you end up getting "advice" from some phony who has never really done it, but instead has made all his money on the books and materials claiming he has! John Spiers really HAS done it, and he's done it for over 20 years. The beauty in this book is the simplicity in which he walks the prospective trader through the process, step-by-step, of starting an importing firm. Mr. Spiers also uses his gifts of wit and humor so the reader actually enjoys the learning process, from beginning to end. This book lays out a totally different plan as to how trade is actually carried out by the small firm compared to the rest of the books out there. He gives plenty of suggestions to avoid the traps encountered by countless other wanna-be traders, ensuring you don't become one of them. To echo other reviewers of this book, the recommendations given by John are useful to anyone starting any kind of business. If you're serious about starting a trading firm or even just thinking about it, your $20 will be well spent.

I have an interest (along with my wife) with selling specialty novelty items. We always seem to have lots of ideas but have lacked a system for getting them to market.

After reading the reviews on Amazon for this book, I picked it up How Small Business Trades Worldwide and read it cover to cover. Excellent pragmatic advice. One of the greatest parts of Spier's system is how you can test the market without investing a substantial amount of money. He provides a great step-by-step system to opening your own import/export business. Added bonus: he's got one heck of a sense of humor.

I would also recommend signing up for his online class too.

I purchased this book and then ended up enrolling in one of John Spiers' classes on world trade. I can not say enough good about this book and John Speirs' approach to small business. After researching many other books, courses and programs, that seemed to be nothing more than marketing schemes designed to get you to purchase some "must have" resource for an import/export business. While reading this book I feel as if I have a mentor teaching me step by step the way to succeed in small business world trade. His approach is clear and concise. The book is easy to read because it is so well written. I feel that this book has changed my thinking and strategy and has probably saved me from making fatal business mistakes.

I definitely recommend this book. I read many reviews while looking for a couple of good books on import-export, and this one was highly recommended. Just read some of the other good reviews about this book. They are true. I bought the book by Carl Nelson a few years ago and was disappointed, confused, and discouraged. Maybe Nelson's book is better for someone with experience??? On the contrary, John Spiers book cuts through the BS and gives it to you straight. This book is perfect if you are intested in world trade, but don't know much about it or if it the right decision for you. Also many great ideas that apply to running almost any business. He opened my eyes to many misconceptions I had about this business. great book!! Also, you can get a lot of technical info with the US Customs Service book- guide to importing.

I've dipped into many books on international trade, but this one stands apart. The advice it gives, well explained by the other reviewers, is practical, real and immediately useful. There is not a single line of fluff.

The reason why this book is superior is because it focuses on the one thing that matters in business: getting customers. The financing, logistics, regulatory compliance--all of it is secondary. Yet these secondary topics are all the other books talk about. I suspect it's because the information contained in these topics is widely known, objective, and generally available to everyone. But to explain how to get customers--that takes a lot of experience and a lot of success. That's what Spiers' book does, and that's why it's the best.

I normally do not review many items, but I felt that this book was a great help in explaining all of the intricacies involved in small business trade. If you are deciding between this and other books, this clearly is the best book out there regarding international trade. I have read most of the other books on Amazon regarding this topic and in each of them they provide very little in terms of how to be successful. Additionally once you finish the book, the author is more then willing to answer any questions you might have while providing a medium in which to further your knowledge in international trade (listserv). If you want to be successful in international trade or are wondering how small businesses trade worldwide, order this book as it will provide you with a clear picture as to how to get into this field.