Since the beginning of time, humanity has been involved in trade of some kind or another. The role of intermediary was not far behind. Today, the intermediary, or agent, continues to be one of the most attractive business models for those without capital to invest. And the added benefit is that, unlike franchisees, agents work solely for themselves. But where do you start to get into this type of business? Well, a brilliant idea helps:

Here are three recent success stories:

• frank audsley lives in Croydon, South London. He earns more than 2,500 euros a month exporting wine to the Far East. At the end of 2010 she enrolled in an Import/Export Agent training course with a totally open mind about which sector to work in. “I really had no idea what products to start with. But one night I saw a short article on the news about the Chinese developing Western tastes. A light went on for me and I went to check the course’s database of leads. I knew I had seen a European winery looking for export opportunities. Amazingly, we agreed a deal and the first buyers were found within two months.”
• meryam gul He is a North London merchant. He imports garden fences from India to the UK. She says: “I always wanted to get involved in international trade as I saw my relatives in Cyprus make a good living doing it. “I found out how to get involved in importing and exporting without risking any capital, good news as I had little savings. The fencing opportunity just fell into my hands – an ad I saw alerted me to an Indian vendor seeking representation, and when I contacted him, we really hit it off. I have since learned to find buyers for it, and the product is good and pretty much sells itself. My husband runs the shop now, I’m projecting an income of £50,000 in this, my second year of trading.”
• jamie atwill is a local government worker in the Midlands. He imports organic olive oil from Portugal to Ireland and the Netherlands: “I was on holiday with my girlfriend in Galicia, where she is from. We spent a day in Portugal and found this fabulous olive oil for sale in what amounted to a farm shop. We took in the details, but only when we got back to the UK did we think of importing it here. My girlfriend did some research and it occurred to her that the agency approach was best for us, because we didn’t have any capital to spare. And just the next day I saw an advert for a house- By Of course, study the press. “Between us we started at the end of the first manual, and within six weeks we had negotiated an exclusive farmer deal for Ireland and the Netherlands, and were already sending samples to wholesalers in all two countries. We have almost a dozen customers who already buy olive oil on a regular basis, and we are about to move to organic wines from the same region of Portugal.”

General information on Import/Export is usually easy to find. Websites such as Alibaba and Tradekey are excellent sources of business opportunities, and support is available from a variety of government agencies, trade associations, etc. Yet despite opportunities like these, there is surprisingly little on the web (or anywhere else) on how to become an importer/exporter. Agent. There’s a lot of overlap in the skill sets required no matter which way you approach business, but the agent business model is quite different:

1) It lets you get into world trade without risking your own money or your bank manager’s money in stocks – risky business, especially when you’re starting out.

2) Because you are not legally principal in the dealings you make, you are not ultimately legally responsible if something goes wrong.

3) Compared to an import/export distributor, you can have a more flexible business approach. You can “follow the money” in developing markets with relative ease, making this business model particularly resilient to downturn economic cycles.

4) A full-time agent may well have deals in place with half a dozen or more suppliers, and make all sorts of different products for different markets. So variety is the name of the game!

While it may not always seem like it when you watch the news, world trade is currently booming and now is a great time to start. Even in the UK there are opportunities. UK manufacturing, after years of neglect, is now in a comparatively strong position to export, with a weak pound and low interest rates. Many of them will be delighted to hear from you…

Names have been changed in this article for privacy reasons.