A Single Genius Cannot Power An Entire Company

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The myth of the omniscient leader has been debunked and for success in this competitive world, entrepreneurial talent needs to hum through the organization.

Once thought to be the sole domain of start-ups or small companies, entrepreneurial talent is a vital engine for larger organisations. One definition is “the ability to discover, select, process, interpret and use the data necessary to take decisions in an uncertain world and, then, to exploit market opportunities."

There are a top 10 countries that have all invested in creating and encouraging entrepreneurial talent. These nations are open economies with a strong emphasis on education. Innovation and talent impact are the areas where they perform particularly well.

Read more to find out which countries are the world's most entrepreneurial, innovative, competitive and talented in 2019.

Today in Global Small Business: My Dream Is

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What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• Think you are too small to be hacked?  Think again, at least if you are a Hong Kong SME.
• Listen to Laurel Delaney's Global Trade Trends Report 2019 and find out what will be booming and what will not.  It's free -- 2-second sign-in.
• How a diverse workforce can help company performance.
• Quote of the week:  "Success is fine, but success is fleeting.  Significance is lasting.” — Beth Brooke, Global Vice Chair of Public Policy, EY
• Global e-commerce sales grow 18% in 2018 -- should be near $6 trillion by 2022.
• Join Jacqueline Smith, CEO, Kiesque on her weggchat™where she will discuss how to startup and take a personal care product global.  It's free and all you need is a Twitter account.  Go here to find out why you should join the chat and how to do it.
• Honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on this day. My dream is ...

Read Something Sensational on a Train

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train." --Oscar Wilde

New Lifeline to Women Entrepreneurs

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A global initiative to support women entrepreneurs with financial management resources and mentorship opportunities, called She's Next, has been launched by Visa.  This initiative is in addition to an already existing and independent nonprofit called wegg®, which helps women entrepreneurs and business owners go global.

The purpose of the She’s Next, Empowered by Visa is to encourage women small-business owners as they build, sustain and advance their businesses, the company said. 

She's Next will be supported by the Female Founder Collective, a network of women-led businesses founded in 2018 by fashion designer and entrepreneur Rebecca Minkoff, co-founder and creative director of the Rebecca Minkoff company.

Learn more about how Visa and Rebecca Minkoff have partnered to support women entrepreneurs.

Global Superstar Lady Gaga Answers 73 Questions

The Current State of Entrepreneurship

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In early 2018, Global Strategy Group and Public Opinion Strategies conducted a national online survey of 2,165 business owners.  This sample included:

• 764 first year startups
• 1133 startups that were fewer than five years old
• 1032 businesses that were more than five years old

Discover the key findings in the report, Breaking Barriers:  The Voice of Entrepreneurs with the ©2018 Ewing Kauffman Foundation.

A Lifestyle Shoe Company Expands Its Footprint

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Today's Global Small Business Blog test for readers comprises 3 questions:

1. Which USA company began in a small condo in Manhattan Beach on 26th Street and The Strand in 1992?
2. How many square feet was their first office?
3. Where are they today in the grand scheme of things?

Answers:

1. Skechers -- cornering the world as they design design, develop and market a diverse range of lifestyle footwear for men, women and children, as well as performance footwear for men and women.
2. 1,800 square feet of space in Manhattan Beach.
3. Skechers has expanded into a global brand with annual sales of more than $4 billion.

Read more about how Sketchers is celebrating its groundbreaking of company expansion.

Today in Global Small Business: Who Will Lead The World Bank Next?

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What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• India's leading export:  CEOs ... how they are leading the global tech revolution.
• World Bank's Kim to take new job.  Who will lead the World Bank next?
• Quote of the week:  "All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” — Walt Disney
• Going global:  what clients need to know (podcast).
• Mobile transactions, particularly with smartphones, continue to grow globally.
• Join a weggchat® 2/6 hosted by @weggtoday with Jacqueline Smith, CEO, Kiesque where she will discuss how to startup and take a personal care product global.  It's free and all you need is a Twitter account.  Go here to find out why you should join the chat and how to do it.

Make Life a Daring Adventure

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." -- Helen Keller

Jeff Bezos on Global Business Strategy: Big Things Start Small

Dubai Exports Promotes Trade

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The export promotion agency, Dubai Exports, of the Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai, recently participated in a series of events in Egypt, Ivory Coast and Nigeria as part of its efforts to promote UAE products and services across promising international markets and connect local trade to the best gateways in the African continent.

Ahmed Al Omari, Director Exports Market Development at Dubai Exports, says:

“Dubai Exports is actively pursuing opportunities in Africa and enabling more exporters to reach out to markets within the continent."

He goes on to say:

"Year after year, we see the export capabilities and international presence of our UAE companies steadily increasing and the missions and events we organize contribute to their business development."

Read more about how Dubai Exports promotes trade with Africa through a mission to Egypt, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

USA Small Business Outlook According to NFIB

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The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) released, "NFIB Small Business Economic Trends" by William C. Dunkelberg and Holly Wade.

The report itself seems to come across as pretty much optimistic from the view of the SME market lens and their outlook.  However, as the author writes:

And no matter how the NFIB spins Tuesday’s [1/8/19] report, reading from U.S. corporates like Apple (AAPL), South Korean giant Samsung, the U.S. manufacturing sector, the Chinese manufacturing sector, the German industrial sector, and the U.S. services sector all point to a global economy that is, at a minimum, in a lower gear.

Factor this in:

This marked the fourth-straight month of declines for the index and is the largest four-month slide since 2012, according to Bespoke Investment Group.

Read more about how small businesses might be starting to lose faith in the current USA administration.