full image - Repost: Starting a small import/export business using family networks — looking for advice from experienced founders (from Reddit.com, Starting a small import/export business using family networks — looking for advice from experienced founders)
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Hi everyone,I’m in the early stages of trying to move toward entrepreneurship and would appreciate some advice from people who’ve done this before.I’m an international student based in Australia and exploring a small import/export business(supplements/vitamins/etc) between Australia and Southeast Asia. My family already runs businesses back home (agriculture-related retail + healthcare-related), so I potentially have distribution channels and trusted people on the ground. The idea is to start very small, test demand, and scale only if it makes sense.Right now I’m focused on:keeping startup costs lowavoiding inventory riskvalidating demand before scalingusing social media rather than paid adsbuilding systems slowly instead of rushing I’m not expecting fast money and I’m okay with this being a learning phase.My main questions:For those who started businesses leveraging family networks, what are the biggest mistakes to avoid?When demand is uncertain or the market is unstable, is it smarter to pause selling and focus on setup/branding, or still test sales at a very small scale?Any advice on running cross-border businesses remotely (especially operations, trust, and control)?If you were starting again with limited capital, what would you focus on first?Not looking for shortcuts — just trying to learn from people who’ve already walked this path.Thanks in advance.
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