how to become an exporter or importer

this post is from my other blog (businesssolo.blog) i repost it here

Several weeks ago I just meet my old friends. They were my friends when I still an employee in an export furniture company. I just little surprised that several of them now have they own export furniture company. I curious how to become an exporter, because there were not only one but several of them now are an exporter. They don’t have website they don’t have a blog but they are an exporter. The only weapon is an email which they use to connect them with their buyer.

The conclusion become an exporter is very easy. Most important is having a buyer.
How to have a buyer? My friends told their buyer is people they know who living outside Indonesia. Anyone who lives outside Indonesia can become an importer. One of my friends said their buyer is their brothers who living outside Indonesia. They other said their buyer is tourist they meet accidentally when accompanying their BOS in a trade show.

This made me very jealous because I just try to find an importer with website for a year nobody buys from me. Only having friend outside Indonesia they become an exporters.
My friends said that a chair in Indonesia you can buy from maker in $5-7 Importer can sell it twice from that to user.

So congratulations for you who having friends outside Indonesia, you have chance to become an exporters.