Favorite Off-the-Clock Worldly Accommodations

©iStock/SOMATUSCANI

Donna Bulseco, for the WSJ, asked three global hoteliers, notoriously picky guests (and also considered hotel know-it-alls), to share their favorite off-the-clock accommodations.  Some are surprisingly modest.

1.  Frank Marrenbach, CEO of the Oetker Collection, which includes the French Riviera's Hotel du cap-Eden-Roc, based in Baden Baden, Germany – Beyond [by Geisel] hotel, in the Marienplatz, the heart of Munich.

2.  John Stirratt, Wilco bassist and partner in Tourists, a renovated roadside motel in North Adams, Massachusetts – Both the old Miyako [now Hotel Kabuki] in San Francisco, and the Hotel San Jose in Austin, Texas.

3.  Cornelia Samara, general manager, the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences at the Surf Club in Surfside, Florida – Rosewood Mayakoba in the coast of Riviera Maya. The arrival experience is so graceful. Another hotel with a unique arrival:  La Posada del Dragon, in the center of Madrid, which dates back to the 1800s.

What's your favorite place to stay in the world?

Global Entrepreneurship Week Kickoff 2019

©iStock/monkeybusinessimages

Headlines from around the world celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week, which removes unnecessary barriers to entrepreneurs in creating and growing new ventures.

• NERv Technology from Canada takes top prize at EWC global finals
• Crown Plaza Partner to invigorate startup ecosystems around the world
• Photo Exhibition at Palais des Nations shows entrepreneurial migrants and refugees
• Mind the Gap: New Index of Dynamic Entrepreneurship (IDE) encourages countries to strive for systemic balance
• Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® weggchat® from USA conducted via Twitter brought women entrepreneurs the world over together to learn what it takes to go global

Today in Global Small Business: Superstars Run Away with Globalization

©iStock/Piotrurakau

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

• Superstar firms are running away with globalization.
• Increasingly, the best strategies have the best metrics.
• Quote of the week: "I can give you a six-word formula for success: Think things through--then follow through." – Edward Rickenbacker
• Shoppers are ready to spend during the 2019 holiday season but retailers need to personalize.
• How agile is your company?
• 2019 cyber threatscape report.

How Beautiful the Leaves Grow Old

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"How beautiful the leaves grow old.  How full of light and color are their last days." – John Burroughs

Doing Business in India with Nixon Peabody's Help

©iStock/Sanjog Mhatre

Join Nixon Peabody LLP, SFAsia, and Singhania & Partners on November 22 from 10:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at the Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA as they explore opportunities in India for local companies and investors and the strategies to succeed for doing business in this vibrant economy.

India is the world’s sixth largest economy, and still growing quickly. A relatively young country (median age of 28) with a burgeoning middle class. Plus, India is rapidly digitalizing. The bonds between the Bay Area and India are strong—creating opportunities for both investment and trade. A recent Bay Area Council Economic Institute Report concluded, “Sustained economic growth and national strategies that push digitization across a range of sectors and services are creating unique synergies with the Bay Area that open the door to new opportunities, as Bay Area companies expand their global footprint and diversify their market presence in Asia.”

For more information and to register, visit:  Innovative India: Cross-Border Trade and Investment Opportunities

Like to Be Alone? These 12 Special Personality Traits Apply to You (Video)

Challenges and Opportunities to Selling Internationally

©iStock/blackdovfx

With global growth comes new challenges that small businesses have to learn how to navigate. The uncertainty around trade agreements worldwide and escalating tariffs between the U.S. and China are hindering the growth American entrepreneurs are seeing in these markets.

That said, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sat down with four small business owners to better understand the opportunities and challenges to selling internationally. Here are some of the key takeaways from the discussion – from what's hot in export markets, to long-term trade agreements, to IP protection – it's all here.

Light Up Your World with Andrea Sreshta of LuminAID at weggchat® November 13th

©2019 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global™.  All rights reserved.

To celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Network week, join wegg® at their weggchat® on 11/13/19 with Andrea Sreshta, co-founder of LuminAID. Conducted via Twitter, Andrea will be talking about how she took her business global at 11AM CT.  Andrea is winner of the Shark Tank award and recent recipient of the Women in Tech Award.

The program is made possible due to:  Bank of America, GlobalCare Clinical Trials, FedEx, Greensfelder, Associated Bank, APCO Worldwide and Union Pacific Foundation.

To learn more about lighting up your world and participating in the weggchat (no charge thanks to sponsors), visit: https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/2019/10/01/weggchatwith-andrea-sreshta-november-13-at-11cst/

Today in Global Small Business: Small Businesses Create One-half of the World’s GDP and Employ Two-thirds of the World’s Global Workforce

©iStock/Dutko

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

• Small business creates one-half of the world’s GDP and employs two-thirds of the world’s global workforce.  That's a big reason why Cisco is going after it.
• Gene Marks says, "No matter how many studies you read about small business optimism, keep in mind we’re never as secure as we seem."  Find out why.
• Quote of the week: “One idea alone is a tactic, but if it can be executed a number of different ways, it becomes a great strategy.” ― Marc Benioff, Trailblazer: The Power of Business as the Greatest Platform for Change
• Want Amazon to promote your products during the holidays? Be prepared to fork up millions.  Ouch.
• Working capital is the lifeblood of small business and payments firms have been actively responding to this growing need.
• Apps that have impacted our lives in the last 10 years.

What a Room Without Books is Like

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"A room without books is like a body without a soul." – Marcus Tullius Cicero

November is Global Entrepreneurship Month

©iStock/undrey

November is officially Global Entrepreneurship Month according to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee because entrepreneurship is seriously important to a state's economy.

“More than 90 percent of our state’s businesses are small businesses,” stated Lisa Brown, Department of Commerce director. “They are the lifeblood of local economies, creating jobs that strengthen communities. Global Entrepreneurship Month is a unique opportunity for everyone to explore the idea of starting a business and being their own boss.”

This month-long series of events is part of an international celebration of entrepreneurship that dates back to 2008. More than 170 countries participate in Global Entrepreneurship Week in November, which is supported by the Kauffman Foundation.

More than 250 events statewide (check out one here) are expected to be hosted all month long.  Learn more here.

Two Great Illinois Export-Related Events 11/14/19

©iStock/Surlyapong Thongsawang

Depending on your exporting needs and where you are based, don't miss these upcoming morning programs:

International Trade Workshop, November 14, 2019 in Grayslake, Illinois (8:30-10:00 a.m. CT)

Learn the fundamentals of trade finance so you can turn your export opportunities into actual sales and receive payment on time for them.  You will gain knowledge in export financing, the basic concepts of foreign exchange and billing customers in U.S. dollars versus local currency. You will also learn how to design a foreign invoice in the buyer’s currency.

Manufacturing Export Forum, November 14, 2019 in Schaumburg, Illinois (7:30-9:30 a.m. CT)

The Manufacturing Export Forum will provide an overview on the financing tools, risk mitigation strategies, and accounting considerations that manufacturers face when exporting.