Brilliant Global Marketing Move For the Day

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Last week, more than 1,000 people received PR packages from Lancôme. Many were content creators who had received free products from the [French-based] L’Oréal-owned beauty brand before.  But something was different this time: the mailers were addressed to A-list actresses Demi Moore and Zoe Saldaña.

If you received a package with Demi Moore's name on it, would you open it?  Or, if you ignored the addressee's name, opened it accidentally and realized quickly it was for Demi Moore, what would you do?

Find out why Lancôme's global marketing strategy worked.

What You Should Know About Filing for IEEPA Refunds Using CAPE

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Law firm Foley & Lardner has received numerous requests for guidance on Phase 1 of the CAPE system. CAPE is the platform that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is beginning to use to process refunds of the IEEPA tariffs that the Supreme Court has ruled unlawful. Unlike standard tariff refunds, which generally are pursued through post-summary corrections or protests, refunds for entries that fall in Phase 1 must be sought through CAPE. 

Read on to learn more about key points.

Today in Global Small Business: The Human Side of AI Adoption

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

• The human side of AI adoption:  Lessons from the field.
• Why great ideas come from nowhere.
• One of these Trump threats is not like the others (requires free trial subscription to read full story).
• Quote of the week:  “Artificial intelligence will be the most transformative technology of the 21st century." – Jensen Huang, CEO, NVIDIA
• The decline of daily dialogue.
• Are factories the new frontier of big tech? 

The Day the Lord Created Hope

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring." – Bernard Williams

An Oldie But Goodie: 20 tips to Grow a Global Business by Laurel Delaney

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Six years old and still pretty relevant.  It's an article I [Laurel Delaney] wrote for GoDaddy.  From choosing the right market to having a payment plan in place, this is your cheat sheet to growing a global business.

Instacart to Acquire Retail Tech Platform to Fuel International Expansion

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The deal for Instacart to acquire Instaleap will give Instacart a grocery-specific fulfillment solutions services platform.  It will also expand access to established retailer relationships outside of the United States, including with major grocers such as Cencosud in Latin America and Continente in Portugal.

Instacart said the acquisition is part of its efforts to advance its presence internationally and that it is seeing demand outside the U.S. for its enterprise offerings, which include its e-commerce, in-store, advertising and data technologies. 

Set Boundaries to Stay Healthy

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As I wrote over at the Exporting Guide, we set boundaries when we decide on and communicate our personal and professional limits.  To help people enforce their limits in healthy ways, some therapists direct them to books. These five titles offer insights and tools for safeguarding your needs, especially as you grow your global business. 

How Section 122 Tariffs Are Being Challenged

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At least two separate cases have now been filed at the Court of International Trade seeking to stop the Trump administration from utilizing Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act to impose tariffs on all imports into the U.S.

Learn more about Section 122 and ST&R's update.

Today in Global Small Business: Artemis II Crew Reunites with Families

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

• The four astronauts on Artemis II made an emotional return to Houston a day after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean at the end of their 10-day lunar journey.
• Sources say a stalemate persists over the Strait of Hormuz, where the US said it began mine-clearing operations (4/11/26).
• How to not embarrass yourself in a British pub.
• Quote of the week:  “Looking back at Earth…it truly emphasized how alike we are." – Christina Koch
• In the first weeks of the war, the Chicago-born Pope Leo was initially reluctant to publicly condemn the violence and limited his comments to muted appeals for peace and dialogue.  But the Pope has stepped up his criticism.
• Melania Trump throws her husband under the bus. 

Owe To My Angel Mother

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." – Abraham Lincoln 

6 Leaders On What Is Actually Scaling When It Comes to AI

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Artificial intelligence is finally crossing a threshold. Companies have long talked about AI as a transformational force, but most activity stayed in sandboxes and innovation labs. In 2026, that balance has begun to shift.

As more than 300 corporate strategy leaders gathered in Munich for the World Economic Forum's Industry Strategy Meeting this month, the question was less “Can AI work?” and more "Where is it already changing how we operate at scale?"

Find out more on what it takes to scale with AI.

Eat An Orange. Be Happy.

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Eating an orange a day may lower a person’s depression risk by 20 percent, according to a study led by Raaj Mehta, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital. 

That might be because citrus stimulates growth of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (F. prausnitzii), a type of bacteria found in the human gut, to influence production of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine – two biological molecules known to elevate mood.

In this edited conversation with the The Harvard Gazette, Mehta discusses key takeaways from the study.