Brent McNiven, from XPM Global Consultants, describes exporters in three categories: 1) Those who are pushed (out of desperation), 2) those who are pulled (unwillingly), and 3) those who jump. The jumpers are the companies that have a strategy behind their market development plan and then leap with confidence, because they have done their homework. Trust me. You want to be a jumper.

But, in order to jump, you need to identify those markets, which have opportunities that will allow you to be successful, and those jurisdictions, which have favourable dynamics at play for your company. These can be basic market forces, such as supply and demand, which open an opportunity for what your company provides. More importantly, there are also supplemental dynamics, which can create opportunities for your company that do not apply to your competition. These market influences can be general advantages, such as trade agreements, regulatory symmetry, or legal systems, which interact easily. They can also include natural technical advantages, which are a product of similar geography, culture, or even religious affinities. Each of these is powerful parameter for consideration when deciding the best market for your company.

Once you have broken down your potential markets based on these factors, there is another level of advantage you should consider as a Canadian company: the Canadian Government. Yes. That is correct. As the oil and gas industry has been blazing their own path to business growth, many other industries in Canada have taken advantage of some strategic relationships developed by various organizations.