As of 2007, 28,531 minority business enterprises (MBEs) generated products and services valued at over $30 billion, representing 17.5 percent of all classifiable exporting businesses in the United States.² This report, Minority Exporters: Characteristics and Strategies for New Business and Expansion, characterizes the nature of MBE exporters to understand the potential for the further growth of this group and whether lessons learned from this group can be applied to other small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). MBEs have a strong competitive advantage in international business transactions due to cultural affinities, multilingual skills, and close ties to countries of

Minority Exporters: Characteristics and Strategies for New Business and Expansion
U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency

By: Sharon T. Freeman, Ph.D.

Published Fiscal Year 2015

This publication was developed by the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), a bureau within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Sharon T. Freeman, Ph.D. authored this report with contributions and guidance from MBDA and the U.S. Department of Interior’s Federal Consulting Group. We would like to acknowledge Adam Goldman, former MBDA Research Analyst, and Nicol Turner-Lee, Ph.D. Research Expert, for their thorough review and editing. We would also like to thank Kimberly R. Marcus, former Associate Director for Legislative, Education and Intergovernmental Affairs, for her stewardship; and Joann J. Hill, Chief of the Office