According to a recent blog entry by the Foreign Trade Division of the U.S. Census Bureau the U.S. export of goods and services hit a record high during the month of June 2013 with more $134 billion in goods and close to $57 billion in services being vended abroad.

The second quarter of 2013 (April-June) saw a grand total of $565.8 billion in U.S. goods and services exports which is the highest quarterly amount ever recorded. In 2011, 98% of exports were produced by small and medium sized U.S. businesses with fewer than 500 employees.

Your small business might benefit from expanding abroad. Many businesspeople are unaware that there are federal programs in place to help small businesses achieve just that. The U.S. Department of Commerce supports a network of U.S. Export Assistance Centers around the country to provide either free or low cost advice and support to small businesses to find lucrative markets for their products and services abroad.

There are five U.S. Export Assistance Centers located in the New York City area.

• The area below 96th Street in Manhattan is served by the downtown office near Federal Plaza.
• Above 96th Street and the other four boroughs, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, are served by the Harlem office on 125th Street.
• The remaining three metro area offices are found in Long Island, White Plains and Newark, NJ.

In addition to this service you can also investigate the potential of foreign markets by visiting the Science, Industry and Business Library and speaking to a reference librarian or conducting research on electronic databases such as Business Monitor Online, Emerging Markets ISI, Reference USA (One Source) and USA Trade Online. If you are engaged in import, the database Panjiva will reveal the types of goods U.S. companies are importing and who their foreign suppliers are.