You don’t need to be rich, know a senator, or have an MBA. America has free helpers whose whole job is getting ordinary people started. This is the path every game plan below builds on.
Step 1 — Talk to a free mentor first. SCORE (score.org, free retired-executive mentors) · SBDC (americassbdc.org, ~1,000 free small-business centers) · USEAC (trade.gov, ~100 federal export-assistance offices — the one nobody’s heard of).
Step 2 — One-page plan (SBA’s free builder at sba.gov): what you sell, to whom, for how much, what it costs.
Step 3 — Make it real (a week, usually under $500): LLC at your state’s Secretary of State ($50–$500) → free EIN at irs.gov (⚠️ never pay a third-party site) → business bank account → city license + state seller’s permit (SBA license lookup).
Step 4 — Money, in order: savings → SBA microloan (≤$50k) → SBA 7(a) → export specials: Export Express ≤$500k (90% guaranteed), EWCP ≤$5M (fund a won order), International Trade Loan ≤$5M (equipment/buildings) → your state’s STEP grant (free money for trade shows, translations, buyer trips).
Step 5 — Find buyers: USEAC’s Gold Key Service = U.S. embassy staff find, vet and schedule up to five real buyers in your target country. Plus state trade missions and industry shows.
Step 6 — Shipping is hired, not learned: a freight forwarder (cargo travel agent) + customs broker (paperwork pro) per shipment. Your three words: Schedule B code, Incoterms (start EXW or FOB), commercial invoice.
Step 7 — Get paid safely: new buyer = cash up front or irrevocable letter of credit; repeat buyer = terms insured by EXIM export credit insurance (~95% covered if they don’t pay). Never ship on a promise.
Step 8 — Laws for every exporter: free Consolidated Screening List check before every sale (trade.gov) · OFAC sanctions (no Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria, sanctioned Russian entities) · EAR export controls (most goods are license-free “EAR99”; BIS free line (202) 482-4811) · FCPA (never bribe) · taxes (CPA + IC-DISC export tax break).
💡 Best first move: call your nearest USEAC and say “I want to start exporting and I don’t know where to begin.”