In terms of why should companies export - there are many reasons why companies look to export. Obviously, growth and profit are the key drivers, but also some people are looking for increased productivity and to reduce their overheads. Others are looking to reduce reliance on the UK and to mitigate risk.

Some people are looking to counter seasonality - if you have summer products which are in the garden during summer months, you can have a long winter where nothing's happening, so why not look to a southern hemisphere country where you can balance that volume across?

Other people look towards increasing the shelf life of their products and services. Typically you can look at different countries, I mean the mobile phone market is a good example here, whereby you can start with an advanced economy and you can have your latest Apple iPhone 6 and then you work your way down. Once the Apple iPhone 6 is no longer the trend in the UK, you can then sell it in eastern Europe. When it is no longer the trend in eastern Europe, you can sell it into Asia. When it is no longer the trend in Asia, you can sell it into Africa. So effectively, the same line becomes the new line in different countries, effectively increasing the shelf life of the product.

And of course it helps to create and retain jobs by exporting. It can help you motivate your staff, it can help you keep your business growing, and take it to another level.