Michelle Obama Says Exactly What's On Her Mind (Video)

Coming Up on 10/23: The Global Small Business Forum 2026!

©2026 GSBB Media, LLC.  All rights reserved.

Only 4 days away!  Grab your tickets for the Global Small Business Forum:  AI-Powered Exports & eCommerce: Creating Global Value, on Friday, October 23, 2026 from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. CT. Seats are filling fast.  Let's pack the house!

For many of you, the Forum has become a tradition, and this year it feels like a reunion with so many people I [Laurel Delaney] care about. If you've never joined us, this is the year to start.

Why this year matters: Global buyers are online, yet most businesses still treat cross-border ecommerce as an experiment instead of a scalable growth engine. This Forum hands you a practical export playbook, built on AI and leading platforms, to turn international demand into a repeatable, data-driven business.

Two world-class experts are leading the way:

1.  Fabian Stachelin, Founder, e-traid

2.  Kati Suominen, Founder and CEO, Nextrade Group

They'll share the research, tools, and decisions behind creating value with AI in ecommerce, so you can stop guessing about new markets and start acting on AI-powered insights, tested workflows, and peer experience.

And we have two gifts for you: the Forum is free, and it's fully remote, so anyone, anywhere can join. Bring a friend, a colleague, or a fellow founder.

Old friends and new faces are all welcome.

👉 Register now: https://globalsmallbusinessforum.com/

See you there and looking forward!

Today in Global Small Business: Lego Gives Adults What They Would Love to Build Now

©iStock/Ekaterina79

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

• Lego's marketing chief Julia Goldin says over the past eight years, Lego claims there is a bigger opportunity with adults – not just people who are super-high-affinity fans, but people who maybe built a long time ago or had never built with bricks before – by giving them the things they would love to build now.
• Register for the Global Small Business Forum 10/23 at 9:00 AM CT – only 5 days aways! – to learn about AI-powered exports and ecommerce (free of charge). Sign up here. I [Laurel Delaney] will be there!  This year, we have two world‑class experts – Kati Suominen and Fabian Stachelin – who will share research, tools, and decisions behind creating value with AI and using it in ecommerce.
• Huge riots in France prompt shock and blame game.
• Global economic outlook and financial conditions:  autumn 2026.
• Quote of the week:  "With a bucket of Lego, you can tell any story. You can build an airplane or a dragon or a pirate ship - it's whatever you can imagine." – Christopher Miller
• Global growth remains solid in a challenging environment (PIIE).
• Surprisingly, recent forecasts from international institutions – led by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and global credit rating agencies – point to a significant leap in Saudi Arabia’s economic growth rate next year, with projections reaching 7.9%. 
• Note:  The Global Small Business Blog has been in operation since 2004 and is ranked number one in the world for entrepreneurs and small businesses interested in going global.  As of May, 2026, we average between 700,000-900,000 readers a month.  Thank you for your engagement! 

Look! Up in the Sky!

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Radio & Cartoons: The iconic line ("Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's [a tarantula 😂] Superman!") first popularized during the 1940s Adventures of Superman radio show and the classic Fleischer/Famous Studios Superman animated shorts.

IMF: Sharp Spikes in Food and Energy Prices Will Likely Become More Common

©iStock/nortonrsx

Sharp spikes in food and energy prices will likely become more common, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said, warning such crises drive inflation expectations higher for longer, worsen poverty and threaten economic stability.

IMF research recently released examined three decades of strategies used by governments to mitigate price surges, as well as a new economic model that accounts for the higher inflation experienced by poorer households, which spend a higher share of their budgets on daily necessities. 

Read the article, which is part of the World Economic Outlook report, October, 2026.

Note:  The Global Small Business Blog has been in operation since 2004 and is ranked number one in the world for entrepreneurs and small businesses interested in going global.  As of May, 2026, we average between 700,000-900,000 readers a month.  Thank you for your engagement!

Globalization Continues to Expand Despite a Decade of Populist Policies

©iStock/vadishzainer

Globalization has continued to expand despite a decade of populist policies, tariffs and efforts to reshape international trade following Brexit and President Donald Trump's first election victory. Speaking with hosts David Gura and Christina Ruffini, [Bloomberg news Senior Economics Writer] Shawn Donnan says growing cross-border investment, global supply chains and digital technology demonstrate that the world economy remains increasingly interconnected despite political resistance.

Demystifying Global Trade (and Exporting)

©iStock/thitivong

As a business owner, finding the best opportunities at the right time is critical. Staying profitable, growth, and building a sustainable business are a few of the important elements of owning a business. Exporting complements all those activities and if you aren’t already exporting, here are a few findings that might encourage you consider it. 

Follow along as we demystify global trade!

No Country is a Non-Country

©iStock/nicoletaionescu

Just like no president is a non-president.  No country is a non-country.

“The Trump administration’s raid on Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s home is deeply disturbing and raises serious questions about the continued corrupt weaponization of the federal government against Donald Trump’s adversaries,” they [read the article] said.

Today in Global Small Business: Columbus Day 2026 – What's Open and What's Closed

©iStock/spukkato

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

• Columbus Day 2026 – what's open and what's closed.
• She once was a global star.  Later, many promises were not kept.
• Serving in public office in the United States is dangerous. From state and local government to Congress, an unending river of violent threats is washing through the mailboxes, offices, voice mail and texts of those who govern the nation.
• Register for the Global Small Business Forum 10/23 at 9:00 AM CT to learn about AI-powered exports and ecommerce. Discover how to create extra value at your global small business (free of charge). Sign up here. I [Laurel Delaney] will be there!
• Quote of the week:  "Every ship that comes to America got its chart from Columbus." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Air travel emerges as dangerous front line in global conflicts.
• Buy American, build the future – that's Exim Bank's claim.
• Note:  The Global Small Business Blog has been in operation since 2004 and is ranked number one in the world for entrepreneurs and small businesses interested in going global.  As of May, 2026, we average between 700,000-900,000 readers a month.  Thank you for your engagement!    

A Witch In All of Us

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

“There’s a little witch in all of us.” – Alice Hoffman, “Practical Magic”

Helping Small Businesses Put AI To Work

©iStock/chromadreamcoat

Small businesses are built on a craft you’ve perfected, a skill to share, a better way to serve a community. But turning expertise into a business also means finding customers, managing finances, and handling marketing, often with a small team and little time to spare. 

AI can extend a team’s capacity, but figuring out where to start takes time too. A trusted advisor can make that first step easier.

OpenAI announced a partnership with America’s SBDC⁠, the national network of small business development centers serving 1 million entrepreneurs each year, to help more small businesses use AI at work.

Unlocking Global Philippine Export Markets by DHL's GoTrade Program

©iStock/Joseph Christopher Oropel

Philippine small businesses have enormous economic weight but remain underrepresented in international trade, a gap DHL Express wants to narrow by giving export-ready enterprises the knowledge and logistics support to sell abroad.

Highlights

DHL’s GoTrade program targets export-ready SMEs, helping them overcome gaps in trade knowledge, logistics, technology and access to finance.

Around 900 to 1,000 Philippine MSMEs have opened DHL accounts and shipped internationally for the first time over the past two to three years.

GoTrade has trained almost 200 Philippine businesses this year, with more training sessions planned with public- and private-sector partners.