U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Work With Us

Was this page helpful?

Services for businesses

Data Solutions

Census Business Builder

The Census Business Builder is a suite of services that provide selected demographic and economic data from the Census Bureau tailored to specific types of users in a simple-to-access and use format.

Export Solutions

Classification Search Tool

One of the first questions companies have when they export products, is what is the classification of my product. We have a classification search engine that helps companies with this process. Another great feature about this tool, is that it's a learning search engine.  Previously a user wouldn't be able to search on "iPod" or "iPhone," but now the tool tracks searches to help provide companies with more accurate results.

Connecting You to Global Markets

Learn how to export, connect with foreign buyers, handle trade challenges, and expand operations in new markets. These 12 Export Solutions give you advice, tools, and market intelligence for a successful international sales strategy. 

Commercial Diplomacy

International offices help U.S. firms overcome trade obstacles to successfully enter international markets.

Global Market Finder

This tool is one of the more recently developed visualizations. This is a tool companies can use to identify potential export markets for their products and visualize commodity exports globally. For example, if you export fresh apples, you can find annual data on unit prices for each country and growth rate. The tool immediately provides the top 5 countries for a product but provides analysis for all countries where a product was exported.

Introduction to Export Controls

Export regulations apply to organizations of all sizes, including one-person operations and private individuals exporting items to family and friends. The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) regulates exports of most commercial items and some defense items through the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

USA Trade Online

Many companies are looking for information about foreign markets as possible opportunities to enter for their product. In addition, companies are also interested in learning about foreign competition from products being imported into the country. The USA Trade Online tool allows companies to do a deeper dive into the trade data, allowing users to search on the country of destination, importing country, classification, ports of export, value, quantity, etc. Users can sort on growth rate to find the newer markets for their product.

U.S. Commercial Service

If you're looking for export assistance local to you, start with a U.S. Commercial Service trade professional in more than 100 U.S. Commercial Service offices nationwide and in more than 70 international offices.

Identifying the Risks of Forced Labor in Supply Chains

American businesses play an important role in identifying and addressing the possibility of importing goods made with forced labor.  A free training course is available to help you understand the laws, regulations, and red flags you need to know to help prevent goods made with forced labor from entering the United States. The training also provides information that can help you develop due diligence protocols and supply chain management measures to assess the risks of forced labor in your supply chain and establish policies and procedures that can assist in monitoring compliance throughout your supply chain. 

Intellectual Property

Free USPTO resources for inventors and entrepreneurs

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) offers a wide range of resources, including application assistance, education and training, and other services that support the full spectrum of customers—from independent patent and trademark filers to attorneys and business advisors in both the private and public sectors.  Visit USPTO’s Access our Free Services page for more information.

Intellectual Property (IP) Identifier

The USPTO offers a virtual tool to help IP novices get a basic understanding of the kinds of IP and how to protect it.  The IP Identifier helps inventors, innovators, and business owners learn how to identify their potential IP assets and the resources they can use to protect them.  The first module, the Basic IP Identifier, allows users to quickly determine their potential type of IP (patent, trademark, copyright, or trade secret) by answering six brief questions.  When a user knows or identifies their type of IP, they can use the second module, Advanced IP Identifier, to learn about that specific type of IP and obtain links to additional resources, including links to file an application for protection. After completing a module, users can save the questions, answers, and additional information from that session in a PDF format for later review. Protecting your IP is a smart business strategy, and the IP Identifier is a great starting point for those seeking to learn how to do that.

Search for patents and trademarks

Before dedicating capital to an invention, many inventors find it helpful to search and see what is already out there. The USPTO’s Patent Public Search provides convenient full-text searching of all U.S. patents and U.S. public patent applications, similar to the system patent examiners use. The Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) allows you to search the USPTO's database of applied-for or registered trademarks.

Minority Business Growth

MBDA Business Centers

Minority-owned firms seeking to penetrate new markets — domestic & global — and growing in size and scale can access business experts at an MBDA Business Center. Locate an MBDA Business Center near you.

Bureaus and Offices