Let me tell you the truth right at the start: If you have come this far because you thought exporting was a quick, easy route to wealth, you should close the book right now, tie your shoelaces and go back to your normal life. This book is going to introduce you to one hundred stages that hit your face like hard slaps from reality.
We live in a world where everyone is looking for shortcuts and two-day tricks for success. Everyone wants to turn overnight from an ordinary person in their town into a global trader. But the truth is that exporting is like a deep well: before you reach the gold, you are going to swallow plenty of dirt. This book is written for people who know that success means making their way through every rise and fall, every failure and mistake.
I have prepared one hundred lessons for you here, but not as the fanciful, dreamy instructions you read in “How to Become a Billionaire” books. These one hundred lessons are the bitter, painful and sometimes funny realities that every successful trader has experienced along the way. This book will not teach you how to do everything right; in fact, it is more about teaching you how to prevent possible mistakes and do fewer stupid things.
So if you are ready to move away from illusions and comfortable daydreams, if you are willing to accept falling down and getting up again, and if you truly want to understand what exporting means, this book is exactly the map you need.
One warning, though: After reading this book, you will have no excuses left for your failures. So, in God’s name, get started—but know that your journey into international trade begins on this very first page, and there is no turning back!