Chicago: The Most Beautiful Great City Left in the World

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Eventually, I think Chicago will be the most beautiful great city left in the world." – Frank Lloyd Wright, architect and Oak Park resident

How to Successfully Bring Overseas Brands into the U.S. Market With Top Expert Yvette Laugier

©2026 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

What's the trick to bringing products into the USA market?  Find out during Yvette Laugier's (LIVE) talk – wegginar® – on July 1st at 11 AM CT, "How To Successfully Bring Overseas Brands into the U.S. Market."  Here's a snippet of what she will discuss:

• Understand why the U.S. is not one market and how to identify the right entry point for your brand.
• Learn the five essential pillars every overseas brand must master before launching in the United States.
• Discover how pricing, packaging, and positioning must shift for U.S. consumers and retailers. 

About Yvette Laugier, Founder, YL Advisory

Yvette Laugier has been appointed as Vice President of North America for Dualit Ltd. She is a veteran of the housewares industry, having worked with well-known consumer brands. She opened the North American headquarters of a European manufacturer in 2013 as its Managing Director. and is well-versed in retail distribution across the U.S. and Canada, in both B2B and B2C channels.

She has served on the International Housewares Association’s Board of Directors and remains active with the IHA as a past Chairman. The association is a not-for-profit trade association, based in Rosemont, Illinois, dedicated to maximizing the success of the home products industry with a world class international trade show (The Inspired Home Show held annually in Chicago in March), global e-commerce and a myriad of business development tools for the trade.

She is also a member of IHA’s Government Affairs Committee, Exhibitor Trade Show Advisory Committee and Key Retailer Advisory Committee, and a regular participant in IHA’s regional CORE (Chief Officers Reaching Excellence) meetings across the country.

To learn more and to register free of charge for Yvette's talk, visit:  https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/2026/06/12/how-to-successfully-bring-overseas-brands-into-the-u-s-market/

Global Economic Uncertainty: Unlocking SME Finance for Investment and Productivity

©iStock/ronniechua

While economies have demonstrated resilience over the past several years, economic uncertainty is weighing on the small businesses which are driving our economies. The cost of finance for SMEs remains high, despite recent decreases in SME interest rates, and banks continue to apply stringent lending terms and conditions to mitigate risk.  

Read the full report here that discusses questions such as:  how ongoing economic and policy uncertainty is affecting SME financing and investment decisions; what policy approaches and market-based solutions can help SMEs invest in productivity-enhancing assets; and, how we can strengthen uptake of digital solutions to enhance access to finance and boost SME productivity.

Costco's CEO Ron Vachris Views AI As a Supplement to Human Value

©iStock/jetcityimage

As executives name AI as one of many reasons for mass layoffs, Costco’s CEO Ron Vachris views AI as a supplement to human value.

Last month Vachris spoke at the Economic Club of Chicago about how AI is—and isn’t—changing Costco’s workforce of 341,000. 

“AI has been extremely good for our company in an assistive nature,” Vachris said. “What we found is, it has worked very well, complementing our employees and the systems that we put in place in the pharmacy, in our gas stations, and in the accounting department that we have. And also in some of our IT. It was writing some code.”

Discover how Costco is using AI to empower its employees rather than replace them.

Architect of the Modern American Economy Dies: Alan Greenspan

©iStock/Sparky2000

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, once hailed as a maestro for directing a booming economy but who later received some of the blame for the housing bust and financial meltdown that occurred after he left office, has died [6/22/26], according to his wife, Andrea Mitchell. He was 100.

Greenspan served five terms as Fed chairman under four presidents.

Today in Global Small Business: Uncertainty Over the Strait of Hormuz

©iStock/PeterHermesFurian

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

• The United States and Iranian militaries have offered conflicting accounts over whether the crucial waterway is open, which impacts business owners who import with continued supply chain shocks, skyrocketing freight and fuel costs, and complex contract disputes.
• We've got a problem ... Iranian state media said 6/21/26 that Trump’s comments violated the preliminary peace deal signed Wednesday, which bars the two sides from attacking or threatening each other.
• Trump threatens fresh attacks on Iran.
• Quote of the week:  “You close it, and you won’t have a country,” Trump said of the Strait of Hormuz (6/21/26)
• Deal or no deal?
• Trump warns Tehran "we will take over your country if the Strait of Hormuz is closed."

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! 

Love Is Never Wrong

©2026 Laurel Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Love is never wrong." – Melissa Etheridge

50 Promising Business Ideas for 2026 and Beyond

©iStock/Natalya Kosarevich

If you think you have a great business idea that needs to be shared with the world, you’re in good company. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that more than 5 million new business applications have been filed every year since 2021, and entrepreneurs are on track to continue that trend. 

What are the best ideas for 2026?  They are ones that have clear market demand, the potential for scalability and profit, and the ability to adapt to changing technologies and customer demands.

Find out what those are here.

Meanwhile, celebrate Juneteenth!

We Are Going to Start Using the T

©iStock/leremy

The rise of the world's first trillionaire.  The initial public offering for SpaceX crowned Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire. WSJ’s Theo Francis takes us inside the staggering finances of the world’s richest man, and explores what the impact of his new status might be. 

Elon Musk:  And let me tell you, if people had told me this was going to happen, I was like, "Man, you must be smoking some really good crack." 

Theo Francis:  It's pretty striking. I do our annual ranking of executive pay of CEO pay and every year there's a few CEOs who make a hundred million or more. A hundred million. That's a lot of money. And yet I have to remember to use an M and say million instead of B for billion when you're talking about the wealth of people like Zuckerberg and Bezos and Allison and of course Musk when we're going to have to start using the T. It's a really remarkable moment in terms of individual wealth, and I think the real question is: how far does it go?

Listen to or read the entire interview.

The Global Order Has Been Altered

©iStock/metamorworks

The global order has been altered, and economies are unlikely to simply pick up where they left off before the U.S. and Israel began bombing Iran.

The framework deal between the United States and Iran sets the stage for an end to the bursts of violence and debilitating disruption of energy deliveries and trade in the Persian Gulf. But don’t expect economies around the globe to simply pick up where they left off before the United States and Israel began bombing Iran on Feb. 28.

The war has set in motion changes that will be hard to reverse.

India's May Trade Gap Narrows as Exports Rise

©iStock/ADITCHAROENKUL 

India's merchandise trade ⁠deficit ⁠narrowed marginally in May as higher exports ⁠offset part of the import bill, while firms navigated volatile energy prices, Middle East disruptions and ​ongoing trade negotiations with the United States.

The data underscores pressure on India to sustain exports and contain import costs as ​it seeks greater U.S. market access, with April-May goods exports nearly flat at $17.29 billion versus $17.21 billion a year earlier.

Today in Global Small Business: The Global Women Presidents Organization

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

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

• Making sure the world knows about the global peer advisory group the Women Presidents Organization for women business owners generating $2 million (USD) in gross annual sales for a product-based business or $1 million for a service-based business.  If that is you, discover what a WPO membership could mean for your business.  Note: I ([Laurel Delaney] have been a WPO Chicago Chapter Chair since 2003 so I know first hand how exceptional the organization is.
• IMF Chief:  We can't repeat the mistakes of globalization with AI.
• Alternatives to the major powers must play a larger role, no matter if the aim is preservation of the existing global order, reform of its institutions, or transformation into a new model of governance.
• Quote of the week:  “These incredible women [business owners] have inspired me every single day. Their drive, resilience, and impact have shaped not only the economy but also communities and generations to come. It has been the honor of my life to help support this global movement for women’s economic development and leadership." – Camille Burns (second from left in photo), CEO, at the Women Presidents Organization
• The Qatar lesson:  In the age of globalization, new tools of influence have entered the arena. In the past, a country’s power was measured by the number of tanks, aircraft, and soldiers at its disposal.
• According to the World Economic Forum, globalization isn’t over. It’s being rebuilt around resilience, regions and intelligence.

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!