Looking Abroad for Niche Markets

Business in You provides helpful advice and signposting to further information for business just starting out or looking to grow. Advice covers everything from mentoring to taking on employees, as well as exporting. Business in You also aims to inspire entrepreneurs by sharing stories of other business owners, such as Nick Gill, a small business owner who found great success in exporting.

After finishing university in 1975, Nick Gill decided to combine his passion with his newly-acquired business skills. With encouragement from his father, Nick set up in a corner of his father’s textile factory and set about his goal of creating the best sailing clothing possible. Five years ago, Nick’s company, Gill International, began to invest heavily in research and improving its products–making them more innovative, more technical, and therefore easier to sell. The result was that the niche market in the UK became too small for Nick’s company, and he decided to start exporting.

Nick began travelling overseas to meet new buyers, attending and exhibiting at relevant trade shows in the UK and abroad, and gradually built their export business to just over 70% of their total trade. Since then Nick says Gill has had its best five years ever. Nick’s future plans include working in additional European markets as well as Australasia and Asia, where he sees further export representing the potential to continue growing his business.

Business in You partners with UKTI to provide business owners with the information they need to start exporting or improve their international trade. For advice on running your business, or for more information on how to start exporting, visit Business in You.