A Dallas native, Elyse Eriksson has been surrounded by entrepreneurs her entire life. From watching her father build his construction business to owning Classic Cast Stone of Dallas and Slate Select, Inc. and later partnering in an internet based craft company, Elyse has been involved in all aspects of starting and building small businesses including export/import.
It was while serving as Director of Training at the Small Business Development Center that Elyse honed her knowledge of the details of exporting. However, she saw that even great information is ineffective when presented in “old style” training techniques. Like many innovators, Elyse saw a better, more effective way to conduct export training. It was time to teach entrepreneurs in a whole new way! After seizing an opportunity to present at the Guam Export Trade Show, Elyse took her export knowledge and combined it with extensive research on adult learning techniques.
Elyse’s easy-going, fun, and informative style hooks audiences from the “get-go”. Her workshop, “The Riddle of the Exporter™ : An 8 Step Process to Conquer the World of Exporting” is the only workshop of its kind that speaks directly to entrepreneurs.
In September 2013 and 2014, The Riddle of the Exporter™ was the opening day international training for the ASBDC (America’s Small Business Development Centers) Annual Conference. Sponsored by the TPCC (Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee), the SBA OIT (Office of International Trade) and the ASBDC International Committee, it was the only non-government seminar invited to be part of this program. The Riddle of the Exporter™ Letters of Credit video has been translated into Arabic by USAID, where it has been used to train Middle Eastern bankers.
Elyse has also presented to the Wichita-South Central Kansas Public Officials, multiple Small Business Development Centers including their national conference, the Texas Economic Development Council, the Guam Export Trade Show, Puerto Rico Export Initiative Luncheon and the Minnesota Export Expo.
She earned her MBA in International Management and Masters in Civic Affairs from the University of Dallas in Irving, and BS in Design from the University of Texas, Austin. Elyse is also a Certified Global Business Professional and has served as the Director of Training at the International Trade Center – Small Business Development Center in Dallas.
Elyse has served on the board of Scandinavian American Economic Development Alliance and OWIT-DFW and Executive Secretary of the North Texas District Export Council in 2016. In 2011, she submitted “Ode to The Riddle of the Exporter” and was selected as one of the 250 finalists in the British Airways Face Of Opportunity contest and traveled to events in New York, London and Prague, courtesy of British Airways.
In her spare time, Elyse likes to walk Atlas, her 100-lb Rhodesian Ridgeback, study languages, and keep her passport dusted.
