Seek advice from U.S. government North American consultants before doing business in Mexico

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Commerce are among the U.S. government agencies offering North American consulting services.

I recommend: While we do export agricultural products to Canada, Mexico has become one of our biggest agricultural trading partners. The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers an Export Readiness Training Program (PDF) for American export businesses entering the Mexican marketplace. For American farmers and food companies, the USDA offers a variety of protection programs for trading in Mexico. Their Export Credit Guarantee program helps finance export buyers of American products. Their Dairy Export Incentive Program helps American farmers exporting dairy products. The Department of Commerce's Commercial Service agency offers a trade sector-specific International North American Business Directory  to help American companies and investors entering the Mexican market. They also offer contact information for trade sector-specific trade specialists for Mexico, as well as, listings of trade events for the American and Mexican economies.

Seek advice from U.S. government North American consulting services before doing business in Canada

As with Mexico, the U.S. government offers a wealth of North America consulting services for those businesses and investors entering the Canadian marketplace.

I recommend: The U.S. Commercial Service offers a listing of trade specialist offices throughout Canada. They also offer a listing of services that do background checks on potential Canadian business partners, as well as, a calendar of trade events for American exporters and Canadian buyers.

Seek advice from American consulting services before doing business in Mexico

Even though Mexico is often classified as an emerging market, it often shares common marketplace challenges with more industrialized countries like Canada.

I recommend: The Department of Commerce's Export.gov website offers commercial advocacy assistance and North American trade consulting for U.S. companies engaged in trade disputes abroad. Find domestic locations for U.S. Export Assistance offices at the U.S. Commercial Service's website for face-to-face trade specialist advice. The U.S. Commercial Service's Gold Key Matching Service matches U.S. businesses with Mexican and Canadian business partners, distributors, agents, sales representatives, and North American business consultants.

Find Mexican and Canadian government-affiliated and independent North American business consultants

Like the U.S. government, the governments of Mexico and Canada have their own North American consulting services to help foreign companies and investors entering their markets. These are also qualified North American business consulting companies that are unaffiliated with any Mexican, Canadian, or U.S. government agency.

I recommend: MERX is a Canadian government service with a directory of tenders or government-sponsored projects that are open for bids from American companies. Also sponsored by the Canadian government, the Canadian Importers Database is an extensive directory of contact information for Canadian importers of specific goods. They also offer a Business Startup Assistant providing North America trade consulting for small businesses entering the Canadian marketplace. Gowlings, one of several Canadian North American consulting companies, offers  an extensive guide to doing business in Canada. The Trade Commission of Mexico in Los Angeles is an independent North American consulting company offering their own extensive guide to doing business in Mexico.