Saturday, September 30, 2017

Laugh. Cry. Think. That's a Good Day.

©2017 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.
"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special." -- Jim Valvano

Friday, September 29, 2017

Global E-Commerce Explosion Takes Place in Chicago 10/20/17

©2017 GSBB Media, LLC.  All rights reserved.
We are starting to ramp up on our marketing and social media efforts on our forum.  After all, a party, or in this case, our 3rd Annual Global Small Business Forum, is absolutely not as impactful unless key people like you — business owners and entrepreneurs — attend.

Here's what is in store for our program and why you should attend.

GLOBAL E-COMMERCE EXPLOSION (#GEE)!  Third Annual Global Small Business Forum sponsored by: Global Trade Source Ltd.; MB Financial Bank; Center for International Business, Loyola University Chicago, Quinlan School of Business; and supported by the International Trade Association of Greater Chicago and others.

Speakers include: Jennifer Bayon, Vice President of International Sales, Paris Presents; Laurel Delaney, President, GlobeTrade; Logan Hanes, International Account Executive, UPS; James Kornacki, Chief Wine Revolutionary, Ullo LLC; Alexander Lans, Founder and CEO, FOAL LLC; Chantal Wittman Meier, Vice President, International Trade Banking, MB Financial Bank; Lil Mohan, Entrepreneur and Academician; Richard Paullin, Executive Director, International Trade Association of Greater Chicago and Chairman, Illinois District Export Council; Marc S. Schulman, President, Eli’s Cheesecake Company; Andrea Sreshta, Co-founder, LuminAID; Robert S. Steiner, District Director, U.S. Small Business Administration, and Ernie Watts, Executive Director, Global Chamber Chicago.

Why you should attend:
  1. Network with entrepreneurs, business leaders, business owners, top executives, young professionals and students.
  2. Enjoy and learn from experienced business owners who run multimillion dollar e-commerce companies as they share their perspectives and stories on expanding their businesses internationally.
  3. Connect with seasoned international trade experts who can help you grow your business globally.
  4. Be eligible to enter an exciting raffle for a chance to win special prizes donated by the speakers' companies.
Time:  7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Location:  The John and Kathy Schreiber Center, Loyola University Chicago, 16 East Pearson Street, 9th floor, Chicago.

Fee:  $125 (Students - $75; Vendor Table - $500). For information and to register, please visit: http://globalsmallbusinessforum.com/.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Small Businesses Going Global Video Challenge

©iStock/leolintang
Have you used the Internet to take your business global?  Can you share your story in under 4 minutes via a YouTube video?  Then you're in.
The proposal is for a video competition inviting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to share their stories, through a short video, about how they have used internet technologies to participate in trade. The competition will be called the “Small Businesses Going Global Video Challenge.”
The challenge is intended to help show how small businesses can leverage internet technologies to become global exporters.

Learn more at the Small Business Champions initiative.  You've got until October 31, 2017 to prepare your video.  Make sure you follow instructions.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

How to Improve the Global Economy? Consider Blockchain Lending Platforms

©iStock/Zapp2Photo
According to "Blockchain Lending Platforms Can Bail Out SMEs and Improve Global Economy," SMEs are the cornerstone of economic development.
In most countries, they provide the platform for job creation and economic growth. Therefore, any product or system designed to encourage the entrepreneurial adventure of SMEs or simplify the business environment may as well be recognized as a solution to a global problem.
Blockchain lending platforms are becoming popular across the industry and are being considered by a lot of small businesses. These platforms do not require the kind of strenuous processes that is associated with bank procedures.

How to improve the global economy?  Consider blockchain lending platforms.

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Expect the Unexpected When You Take Your Business Global

©iStock/Poike
Why should you take your business global?  Oh it's so simple.  I've elaborated on nine (9) unexpected reasons to take your business global.  The first reason is to generate greater revenue for less effort.

Read 9 Unexpected Reasons to Take Your Business Global

Monday, September 25, 2017

Today in Global Small Business: Be Innovative and Be Strong Via Global E-Commerce

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

Saturday, September 23, 2017

You Work for Coca-Cola?

©2013 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.
"Coca-Cola is the only business in the world where no matter which country or town or village you are in, if someone asks what do you do, and you say you work for Coca-Cola, you never have to answer the question, 'What is that?'" -- Muhtar Kent

Friday, September 22, 2017

80 Percent of Female Billionaires Who Started From Scratch Came from China

©iStock/Electra-K-Vasileiadou 
According to the Hurun Global Rich List, about 80 percent of female billionaires who started from scratch came from China.
Additionally, Zhang [Zhang Yu, CEO of Beijing Operation Center of China-Israel Biotechnology Company] noted that with the high-paced social development, women had difficulties in starting up businesses regarding the needs of technique and energy. She said, compared with men, women were better at interpersonal relations.
The Beijing Women's International Exchange Center and Lean In China jointly desire to facilitate female development, aimed to assist women in their entrepreneurship and innovation and motivate them to fulfill their goals of self-realization and increased social value.

Read more here.

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Growing on a Global Stage

©iStock/Ildo Frazao
Can a new logo reflect the diversity of the business trades it serves?  An insurance company has undergone a rebrand as it seeks to grow on the global stage.

See you what you think here.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Meeting the Needs of E-Retail Customers

©iStock/kurmyshov
External demands are being placed on express parcels carriers to meet the needs of e-retail customers and will continue to drive changes in the industry for many years to come. However, this year's "Global Express and Small Parcels 2017" report will take a different perspective - examining how technological forces have the potential to transform the supply side of the industry from within.

Learn more ...

Monday, September 18, 2017

Today in Global Small Business: How a Startup Secured a Big Global Contract with Microsoft

©iStock/Rawpixel Ltd
What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Shaping the World by Prayer

©2017 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.
"God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil." -- Mother Teresa

Photo taken by Laurel Delaney at Madonna Della Strada Chapel, Loyola University Chicago, Rogers Park, Chicago, Illinois, Wednesday, September 13, 2017 at 8:13 p.m. Central time.

Friday, September 15, 2017

Hackers Around the Globe

©iStock/Phaelnogueira
Retired U.S. Air Force intelligence officer Col. Cedric Leighton said the implications of such a large, targeted cyberattack are the warning signs that show how vulnerable internet-based information systems are in today's global society.

The recent data breach of one of the country's three major credit reporting firms can serve as a stark reminder for businesses and individuals nationwide about the increasing threat posed by hackers around the globe.
"The major effort is really going to be focused on how to protect one's self during times where the geopolitical climate is changing around the world," he [Col Cedric Leighton] said. "It's all about mitigating risk and figuring out what's best for individual businesses as well as — to some extent — society at large."
Read more ...

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Top Global News Highlights

©iStock/Violka08
According to Fox News, U.S. small-business confidence shows slight gains last month (August).  In addition, global stocks edged higher following an all-time high for the S&P 500, as fears from Hurricane Irma and geopolitical risk in North Korea continued to ebb.

Why does the market keep going up and what would bring it down?

Learn more ...

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Made in India

©iStock/AmitRane1975
Can India become a top global manufacturing hub?  Are they limited on entrepreneurship?
If the call for globalisation and free international market access is vital for export-oriented China's growth and survival, India's biggest challenge to its progress and economic stability is just the reverse — ensuring substantial localisation instead of facing an onslaught of globalisation.
According to Nantoo Banerjee for millenniumpost, "India must manufacture more in the country to find new jobs with a sustainable income for its people."

Read more ...

Monday, September 11, 2017

Today in Global Small Business: Prayers for All Floridians

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

Saturday, September 09, 2017

KOVAL: America's Leading Craft Distillery Is Open For Your Visit on 9/19 in Chicago

What a great opportunity to learn a little about taking a product overseas and visit the best little craft distillery on the planet:  KOVAL Distillery.  I'll be there on September 19th.  Will you?
With over 50 awards, including gold medals on both sides of the Atlantic, KOVAL is considered one of America’s leading craft distilleries. Recently earning the title, Illinois Exporter of the Year, KOVAL has demonstrated a focus on international distribution and growth abroad with availability throughout the EU, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and in the coming months, Taiwan and China.
To learn more and to register, visit here.  The event is co-hosted by WEGG and SBDC/ICNC with special support from UPS, IBM and B•A•L.

Friday, September 08, 2017

The Challenges of International Business

©iStock/DenijalZemanic
Expanding your business internationally is no walk in the park.  If it were, everyone would be doing it.  Yes, there are some challenges -- from finding customers to getting paid to language/cultural differences.  But with the right mindset, a little preparation and a healthy dose of perseverance, you can master taking your business across borders, I promise.  Here are some challenges you should prepare for before going global.

Thursday, September 07, 2017

The Key to Unlocking Global Prosperity

©iStock/illcha
What is the key to unlocking global prosperity?  It may be right under our noses.
Partnering with small and growing businesses -- commercially viable ventures with five to 250 employees, and with significant potential and ambition for growth -- can create social wins even for corporations not explicitly focused on social impact.
Good example?  Unilever has partnered with d.light, a global solar energy company delivering affordable solar-powered solutions to the more than 2 billion people without electricity

Read more ... to find new benefits to collaboration.

Wednesday, September 06, 2017

How to Achieve Seriously New Highs with Your Business

©iStock/NicoEINino
What's a seriously new high with your business?  It would be taking it global, of course.

“Paul [Dunn -- four-time TED talk presenter] is an expert in the field of small business – he’s great at helping business owners build their businesses and achieve seriously new highs,” Hawke [Kirsten Hawke, CEO of the East Tamaki-based business advisory company, BUSINESS buddy] says.

Learn more here.

Tuesday, September 05, 2017

The Majority of the World's Commerce Lies Outside the USA

©iStock/Vaniatos
Bill Seward, president of UPS U.S. International says, "The majority of the world’s commerce lies outside the United States, yet exporting remains a challenge for most small businesses."

And UPS is about to help small businesses make a go at exporting with their X-Port Challenge.  The nationwide competition allows qualifying start-ups, entrepreneurs and small businesses to compete for a $10,000  prize in international shipping credits with the company.
According to UPS, less than one percent of American companies export their products. Of that number, 58 percent of U.S companies export to only one country.
If you've got what it takes to export, then sign up for the Challenge.

Read more ...

Monday, September 04, 2017

Today in Global Small Business: Happy Labor Day Americans

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

Saturday, September 02, 2017

Center of the World

©2013 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.
"Coney Island was the centre of the world for me.  I loved the rides, the hot dogs - I've never gotten over it." -- Harold Feinstein

Friday, September 01, 2017

Finding Funding For Your Global Small Business Through Grants

©iStocketernalcreative
Finding funding for your startup or ongoing global small business can be daunting.  You can do a KickstarterIndiegogo, or GoFundMe campaign and see where it goes.  Or, you can turn to friends, angel investors or venture capitalists.  But you can also look for grants -- grants that focus on making a local or global impact.

Have a look at what is available here.