From Workshop Floor to Shipping Containers: The Real Path of an Exporting Entrepreneur

For many small business owners, exporting still sounds like something reserved for large corporations, with layers of paperwork and risks that are hard to measure. Yet at a time when Latin America is searching for new engines of growth, looking to strengthen its small and mid-sized companies and reduce dependence on domestic demand, stories like this suggest that selling abroad is no longer a distant ambition.

For Iván Giraldo, founder of the Colombian company Novaplas, foreign trade was never part of a boardroom strategy. His career began on the factory floor, working in the plastics industry. Over nine years he moved up to head of production. The turning point came when his boss decided to shut down the company and made him an unexpected offer: buy it.

With no capital and more uncertainty than clarity, Iván negotiated a one-year grace period before starting to repay the debt. That was the beginning of his life as an entrepreneur, a path that would eventually lead him to ship full containers to the United States, the Dominican Republic, Central America and other regional markets. His trajectory mirrors that of many Latin American SMEs now looking beyond their local markets in order to remain competitive and grow.

An Unexpected Entry into Exports

Novaplas entered foreign trade in 2018, almost by chance. A Colombian client exported goods to the United States using packaging manufactured by the company. The quality caught the attention of the U.S. buyer, who traveled to Medellín to visit the plant and explore potential partnerships.

“We started out knowing nothing about exports. We sent samples, built molds and committed to delivery times that were simply unrealistic. That was our first big mistake,” Iván recalls.

Inexperience came at a cost, paid in long hours. The team worked around the clock to fulfill the first order. Loading a container once took six hours; today it takes just 35 minutes. Over time, shipments became routine: 40-foot containers to California, smaller loads to Panama, exports to Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and, more recently, Guatemala. It is a progression familiar to many companies in the region. You learn by doing, but learning alongside experienced partners reduces the price of those early mistakes.

The Blow That Nearly Stopped Everything

Growth was not uninterrupted. In 2022, a global logistics crisis following the blockage of the Suez Canal left nine of Novaplas’s containers stranded at the port of Cartagena for 180 days. “We lost close to 470,000 dollars. It was a devastating hit, almost fatal,” he says. “But we kept going.”

The episode reshaped how he thinks about business. When asked what an entrepreneur needs in order to export, Iván does not begin with procedures or paperwork. “The most important thing is the ability to withstand frustration. In business you win and you lose, and you have to know how to endure both.”

Over time, he came to understand that success in foreign trade depends not only on the product itself, but also on preparation and the environment surrounding the company. Among the key lessons he draws from his experience:

• Get formal from day one: any company aiming to export must comply with tax and customs registration requirements.
• Think through packaging: proper protection and efficient use of space lower both costs and risk.
• Master documentation and incoterms: a poor decision can generate significant overruns.
• Work with specialists: customs brokers and logistics operators make a tangible difference.
• Know your buyer: verifying a partner’s track record helps prevent fraud and losses.
• Plan for volatility: delays, rising freight rates and logistical disruptions are part of the business.

The Ecosystem Matters

Today, exporting is rarely a solo effort. Across Latin America, the surrounding ecosystem plays an increasingly decisive role. Public institutions, private operators, chambers of commerce, universities and technical support platforms all help SMEs take the leap with less improvisation.

Colombia and Panama offer clear, replicable examples. In Colombia, entities such as ProColombia, the Ministry of Commerce, DIAN and the VUCE 2.0 platform provide technical guidance, regulatory validation and access to new markets. In Panama, MICI, ProPanamá and the Panamá Exporta platform serve a similar function, leveraging the country’s strategic position as a logistics hub.

Institutional support does not guarantee success, but it significantly reduces the likelihood of costly errors that can jeopardize an entire operation.

Iván Giraldo’s story reflects a broader shift taking place across Latin America. Many companies were not founded with exports in mind. Increasingly, however, they recognize that growth requires looking beyond national borders. In a region marked by modest expansion and intense competition, exporting is less a gamble than a strategic choice. The real question is no longer whether a small or mid-sized company can export, but whether it is willing to prepare properly and sustain that effort over time.