We are all global businesses within a global village.

She's an  import-export expert.

Otay Mesa, California and Tijuana, Mexico: Since 9/11 the work of people like Leonor Ferrer, the owner of Ferrer Custom Brokers,  can no longer be taken for granted. There is an urgency that she and all the people in her industry do their work very well. At the same time, however, we are very glad that she continues to teach; she helps empower any small business that comes to her to learn how to export and import correctly.

Leonor learned the ins-and-outs of this business working for somebody else. When her boss said that he was not interested in handling small businesses, people who only had small shipments to export or import, she struggled with herself, "Should I break away and start my own business to service these small accounts."

And, of course, she did. We are glad she did.

And she did it so well, she came to the attention of the SBA and the Department of Commerce. She has received awards as the Small Business Exporter of the Year and she actively champions the small businesses who might otherwise never gain access to these markets.

Ferrer Brokers has nine employees and a building across from the commercial border crossing. She is in Otay Mesa, just south of San Diego, California. Her offices are less than 100 feet from the Tijuana border. As all the 18-wheel truckers cross the border, they have to turn right or they would go into her parking lot in front of her building.

Leonor Ferrer is the first Hispanic customs broker in the greater San Diego area and she is still leading the way. She is president of the San Diego Chapter of National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America. She and thirty of the leading thinkers among the import/export business are eager to help you begin to go global.

Go to all the Key Ideas and video from this episode...