Thanks to AI, Smaller Companies Are Rapidly Going Global

©iStock/PhonlamaiPhoto 

Thanks to advanced technology, smaller companies are rapidly going global, deploying a variety of technology-enabled solutions such as automated call centers, customer service bots, and digital marketing intelligence.

As small companies scale their operations, they can lose touch with their customers.

... the root of the problem: a lack of clear understanding of customer needs, what to do to satisfy them, and failure to effectively enhance the customer experience (CX for short).

With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), companies can now improve CX by learning more about the customer and anticipating their needs.

Read more how, thanks to AI, smaller companies are rapidly going global.

Today in Global Small Business Business: "When" Shows the Importance of Timing in Life

©iStock/William_Potter

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

• Why learning and growth must always be at the forefront for students, executives and entrepreneurs.
• Is there a risk for a recession?  Indicators to watch.
• Quote of the week:  “The view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life.” ― Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft
• How to compete in a winner-takes-all digital global economy.
• Have some fun:  Why I always eat McDonald's when I travel abroad.
• Listen to Dan Pink's NPR interview "when" shows the importance of timing in various aspects of life.  

Breathtakingly Beautiful Views of the Chicago Skyline

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

360 CHICAGO observation deck, located 1000 feet above the famed Magnificent Mile in the iconic John Hancock Building, offers breathtaking 360 degrees views of the city skyline and Lake Michigan.  Plan your visit.

Questions to Ask Before You Global

©iStock/ponsulak

Oh it is so nice to see our friend and colleague Dr. Jana Matthews, ANZ Chair in Business Growth, Professor, and Director of the Australian Centre for Business Growth at the University of South Australia’s Business School talking about questions you need to ask before you go global.

She says:

While there are many benefits to taking a company global, there are also many pitfalls. Answering these questions should help identify whether you have the people, processes and systems in place to successfully “go global."

Read the entire article to learn whether your product will be relevant in a different market, what pitfalls you are likely to experience, how much cash you will need to ensure success.

And for more on going global, visit the best of the best here.

Embrace a Digital Strategy to Thrive Locally

©iStock/juststock

As much as this blog is about thriving globally, Chris Porteous has a different take on marketing for a small business. He says, "The first key to success when it comes to local business marketing is finding or creating your local niche and then exploiting it for all it's worth. Countless corporate empires have been spawned by clever CEOs who had an idea which succeeded locally, then regionally, then nationally, before spreading all over the globe."

Read more about how to transform your business with local marketing.

College of DuPage: Become a Digital Rock Star on 2/19/19

©2019 College of DuPage.  All rights reserved.
Used with permission.

If you are in the neighborhood, please join us at the College of DuPage for an engaging, educational and fun time learning from Laurel Delaney on how to become a digital rock star on Tuesday, February 19 at 1:00 p.m. Central time.  For more information, contact Bev Carlson.

Where to Turn for Global Trade Help

©iStock/pigphoto

I [Laurel Delaney] have prepared a list of 15 places to look for help in taking a business global.  Check it out here.

Today in Global Small Business: Embrace Free Trade

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

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

• To beat Trump, former chairman and president of Exim Bank USA Fred Hoch says "embrace free trade."
• Are the United States and China heading for a new Cold War?
• Quote of the week:  “Differentiate yourself! Why are you different? What's important about you? Why does the customer need you?” – Sara Blakely, founder and CEO of Spanx
• Brits are already feeling the impact of Brexit -- and it hasn't even happened yet.
• Global horse racing calendar for 2019.
• Uruguay's attempts to enter the global cannabis market fall flat as marijuana shortages abound.

Get Back to the Polish Style

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Chicago-based White Eagle offers Eastern European and American comfort foods in an old-school carpeted space with booths, tables and a nice little bar.  The delicious Polish food, especially the desserts, is worth a visit.

Are Global Trade Deals Really About Trade?

Smaller Can Be Better When it Comes to Business and Personal Happiness

iStock/AlexStar

The allure of building a BIG business can seduce even the most grounded person.

In spite of this, Paul Jarvis [a designer and writer who deliberately kept his business small over the span of two decades because of the personal freedom it gives him] wants to change the narrative with his new book, Company of One. He challenges the belief that bigger is better and offers a smarter, smaller solution that replaces the hustle with happiness — while still being highly profitable as a business.

Jarvis goes on to provide five pointers:

1. Embrace the “company of one” mindset.
2. Value what’s important to you.
3. Choose how you prefer to engage with your audience.
4. Teach everything you know.
5. Know the difference between more and enough.

Read more about how one entrepreneur built a big career by staying small .

Once a Small Business with Only Five Employees and Now a Global Behemoth

©iStock/bkkm

It's hard to imagine that Generac Power Systems was once a small business with only five employees, especially when you drive past its sprawling, newly remodeled corporate headquarters off Genesee and Hillside roads southwest of Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Today the company employs 5,600 — 3,800 at plants in Jefferson, Eagle, Whitewater, Berlin and Oshkosh, and its headquarters in Waukesha.  The rest of its employees can be found in plants in Mexico, Brazil, Poland, Italy, Germany, India and China.

Read more about how Generac Power Systems went from small business to global player.