Hawaiʻi State Trade Expansion Program (HiSTEP)

What is HISTEP?

Funded in part through a Grant with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the Hawaiʻi State Trade Expansion Program, known as HiSTEP, is a comprehensive program designed to assist Hawaiʻi small businesses with their export development. The goal is to increase the number of small businesses that want to export as well as the value of exports for those small businesses that currently export. Today it is easier than ever for companies, regardless of size, to sell goods and services across the globe and this program can help achieve that.

Benefits

Hawaiʻi is a small market, so growth is limited if businesses sell only locally
95% of world’s consumers are outside of the U.S.
Exporting can help diversify the client base and grow Hawaiʻi companies

To demonstrate the scale of export activity in Hawaiʻi, here is the updated total economic impact of exports for 2022 (not including tourism) – for each billion dollars of exports:

Sales generated = $1.64 billion
Household income generated = $400 million
State taxes generated = $70 million
Jobs (generated + retained) = 8,100

Success metrics for HiSTEP and our Hawaiʻi-based companies using HiSTEP include, but are not limited to:

Total growth in overall export activity
Increased export revenue
Activation of more Hawai‘i-based companies
Entering new overseas markets

Eligibility

Businesses must meet the following requirements to participate in HiSTEP:

Meet the federal requirements of an Eligible Small Business Concern:
- Organized or incorporated and operating in the U.S.
- Meets SBA small business size standards
- One year in business
- Has access to sufficient resources to bear the costs associated with trade
Must be an export-ready U.S. company seeking to export goods or services of U.S. origin or that has at least 51% U.S. content
Certify that your company is not barred from receiving federal funds
Be registered in good standing with the State Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ Business Registration Division at vendors.ehawaii.gov
Have a current general excise tax license with the State Department of Taxation

Please note:

Priority for selection to participate in the Hawaiʻi Pavilions (HiSTEP-HP) will be given to companies whose Hawaiʻi-made product meets the “Made in Hawaiʻi” designation as defined under Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes Section 468-119, stipulating that the product will have at least 51% of the wholesale value added by manufacture, assembly, fabrication, or production within the State. For service providers, the eligibility requirement is that the company be registered to do business in the State of Hawaiʻi and the service, although for a foreign market, is substantially performed in Hawaiʻi.

How to Prepare

Step 1 – Complete the Exporter Assessment

For companies that may be unsure if they are export ready, please take the exporter assessments on the website of the International Trade Administration of the US Dept. of Commerce. There are step-by-step assessments for new exporters, expanding exporters and experienced exporters that will help you determine next steps in your export development.

Step 2 – Review the Exporting Checklist

When first considering exporting, please review this exporting checklist to better understand how to structure your business. When you are ready for exporting, be sure to register for HiSTEP, receive consulting, attend seminars, and sign up for Hawaiʻi Pavilion trade shows.

Step 3 – Review Exporting Resources and Past Seminar Videos

Learn about patents and trademarks before you enter new markets. Watch videos of past HiSTEP seminars you may have missed in order to do market research and or scale your business to be able to export. Refer to all the exporting resources before, during, and after participating in HiSTEP to help strengthen your export strategy.

Registration

The 2025 HiSTEP Registration is now open. Please fill out the 2025 HiSTEP Registration Form. There is no cost to register and no obligation to participate in any of the HiSTEP activities. Once registered, you will be paired with one of our HiSTEP partners for an initial consultation. You only need to fill it out once, but we use other online forms for all HiSTEP activities.

HiSTEP Programs

HiSTEP has three integrated components:

Export Readiness Program (HiSTEP-ERP)

About the HiSTEP Export Readiness Program

The Export Readiness Program (HiSTEP-ERP) is a training and advising program to prepare Hawaiʻi companies to begin or expand their export market development.

The program includes one-on-one export business advising and export training seminars. HiSTEP-ERP is open to all types of businesses considering exporting. At the conclusion of the program, companies will have a go-to-market strategy and export plan.

Go Global! (HiSTEP-GG)

Go Global! (HiSTEP-GG) is a program that creates opportunities for Hawaiʻi companies to sell in overseas markets, either through digital platforms or via in-person trade and consumer shows.

Interested companies should first register for HiSTEP.

Company Assistance (HiSTEP-CA)Company Assistance (HiSTEP-CA)

The Hawaiʻi State Trade Expansion Program – Company Assistance (HiSTEP–CA) is designed to increase exports of Hawaiʻi produced goods and services by assisting individual Hawaiʻi companies with export market development activities such as participation in trade shows and missions.

HiSTEP is supported by a grant through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

The RFP for 2024 HiSTEP Company Assistance has closed. Please check back in Fall 2024 for the 2025 program details.

Mahalo for your participation!

HiSTEP Resources

Resources for Hawaiian business owners.

Patent & Trademark Resource Center

Located at the Hawaiʻi State Library, this center offers support related to patents, trademarks and copyright issues. Resources and services offered:

One computer dedicated to patent and trademark searching
Specialized reference services
Training on preliminary patent search
Intellectual property seminars
Free access to patent and trademark databases, including PubEAST and PubWEST
Collection of full-color plant patents in print
Collection of books on intellectual property

Location:

Hawaiʻi State Library, Federal Documents Section, 2nd Floor
478 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96813

Phone: (808) 586-3477

Email: ohsfed@librarieshawaii.org

Hours:

Monday & Wednesday: 10 AM – 5 PM
Tuesday, Friday & Saturday: 9 AM – 5 PM
Thursday: 9 AM – 8 PM

View the Patent & Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) Brochure for basic planning and searching.

Funded in part through a Grant with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

HiSTEP Past Seminars

View a full list of presentations and videos of past HiSTEP seminars. Just click on the link, register your name and company, and you can watch the video according to your schedule.

Export Financing Solutions

EXIM Bank

What’s your greatest challenge in expanding your global sales?

The number one answer in a recent survey of small and mid-sized exporters by the National Small Business Association:

“I worry about getting paid.”

No need to fret. With EXIM, you have options. Our Export Credit Insurance empowers American exporters to safely offer competitive open account terms to international customers, while protecting against nonpayment. With EXIM’s backing, you’re able to meet customer demand and lock in margins you can depend on.

We offer policies featuring FREE credit analysis of foreign buyers, streamlined processing and no up-front costs: no advance premium, no first-loss deductible—nothing owed pre-shipment. You pay only for what you ship, after you ship it.

Getting started is easy. We have specialists in 12 regional offices around the country ready to jumpstart your journey to global growth. Request a FREE consultation today, and your local, on-the-ground EXIM expert will be in touch within two business days to talk through your business’ situation and how we can support your sales.

Making Exporting Easier & Safer

How do you balance what your business requires to safely sell products overseas against the needs of your foreign buyers?

Many firms struggle to capture foreign sales, simply because they are unaware of the options available.

The Trade Finance Guide: A Quick Reference for U.S. Exporters was designed to help U.S. firms learn the basic fundamentals of trade finance so that they can turn their export opportunities into actual sales. Developed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, and provided to you by the Export-Import Bank, this guide offers an easy to understand overview of the financial tools available and where to access them.