An Undiscovered Gem in Rogers Park, Illinois

Super easy to find -- right off the red line Jarvis stop in Rogers Park, Illinois.  It's Anto Pizza Chicago, a little storefront restaurant with limited seating that offers, among other things, freshly made pasta in a cone cup (yes you read that right) and Roman-style pizza.

Grab your seat at this little gem of a restaurant and enjoy the Italian fare.

Photos courtesy:  @2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Grow Global with Google

©iStock/Mykyta Domatov

Google has always offered tips and tools on how to build an online presence.  But in this case, listen in on Google's President of Global Customer Solutions, Mary Ellen Coe, who shares specific tips to help your small business grow.

Grow your global small business with Google.

With a Digital Presence, Small Businesses Can Grow Global

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Jersey Business is expanding its presence from local – mechanics, hairdressers and electricians – to an off-island customer base that enables them to thrive, globally.

A number of our [says Alexia McClure, head of operations, Jersey Business] successful stores have a digital presence, particularly on social media, which allows them to sell to the UK and further afield. These sales enable our favourite outlets to be financially sustainable and, as a result, we, their local customers, benefit from their ability to maintain a vibrant offering.

It is a fact:  Many of these businesses think internationally right from the start.

McClure goes on to say:

"I think the breadth of Jersey’s existing exporting success has only just come to my attention because it is only in the past 12 months that we have really started to develop our support for businesses selling internationally."

Why limit your ambition when the world is there at your feet?

For Jersey and NY business owners, feel free to register for an export seminar on 7/18 that helps you develop a digital presence.

Ambitious Women Are Unleashing Their Potential by Starting Businesses

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Foreign correspondent Tanzeel Akhtar talks to successful female entrepreneurs from Nigeria and South Africa to find out about their achievements and discover what motivates them.

Female entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa is rising rapidly, with a number of ambitious women defying the odds, going solo and unleashing their potential.

There are also a number of global initiatives supporting and propelling female-run businesses on the continent but the fact remains that there are still challenges women need to overcome.

For example:

In sub-Saharan Africa, at least 40% of the labour force is female, according to the Pew Research Centre.  However, 74% of women’s non-agricultural employment is informal, in contrast with 61% for men.

Read more about the wonderful stories of women who dare to dream.  Be inspired.

Free-of-Charge Cybersecurity Toolkit for Global Small Businesses

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When it comes to cybercrime the risks are great, especially for small businesses that are the lifeblood of the global economy.

The statistics, according to the World Economic Foum (WEF) show that 58% of cybercrime targets small businesses, with the global cost of cybercrime standing at $600 billion in 2018.

What many people don’t know, however, is that small businesses are often the easy way into larger enterprises. Attackers will, for example, gain access to the credentials of a small business in the supply chain of a large enterprise as a pathway into the larger company, and the breach will often go unnoticed until after the attack has been carried out.

Read more about how helping small businesses fight cybercrime benefits the global ecosystem.

Tip of the day:  The GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Small Business enables smaller firms to navigate the confusing array of advice free of charge, to help them shore up their cyber defenses and reduce their cyber risk.

Let's all work together to fight cybercrime on a global scale!

Today in Global Small Business: The Future of the Norwegian Startup Ecosystem

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

• McDonald's menu to feature worldwide favorites.
• Quote of the week:  “I find the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” – Thomas Jefferson
• Chinese brands quicken pace to go global.
• Japanese drugmaker Takeda is strengthening its roots in the United States and enriching its global research heft, by unveiling a 165,000-square-foot facility in San Diego, California, in addition to its existing R&D center in Cambridge, Massachusetts and plant in Shonan, Japan.
• The future of the Norwegian startup ecosystem.
• When international expansion can go wrong.

Women Who Have Very Little Fear

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"A lot of people would say 'sexy' is about the body. But to me, 'sexy' is a woman with confidence. I admire women who have very little fear." – Allegra Versace

Global Startup Ecosystem Report

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Europe leads in the “number of top growing ecosystems across phases," says a recently released report Startup Genome’s 2019 Global Startup Ecosystem Report.

The Global Startup Ecosystem Report is “based on primary and secondary data from over 10,000 founders and more than one million companies across over 150 cities worldwide,” according to the authors, Startup Genome and the Global Entrepreneurship Network.

Amongst the top 10 global startup ecosystems, Paris and Berlin have the least amount of female founders.

Four key takeaways from the report:

1. Paris and Berlin to step up female entrepreneurship
2. Frankfurt’s Fintech focus
3. Blockchain in the Balkans
4. Keep your eye on Helsinki

Read more about the takeaways from the Global Startup Ecosystem Report.

Facebook's Push to Make Money Off WhatsApp: A Mobile Payment

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Facebook has been seeking ways to make money from the messaging service WhatsApp and has been testing payments via the app since last year in India, WhatsApp’s largest market with more than 200 million users.

Where will the rollout start?  Facebook intends to drive a global expansion of mobile payments on WhatsApp from London, accelerating its efforts to make money off the popular messaging service.  They are dispatching engineers from Britain to support its initiative.

Read more about how Facebook is plotting a global expansion of mobile payments on WhatsApp.

From Stage-Paralysis to Expressive Self

The Coca Cola Company Is Proof That Small Businesses Can Go Global

©iStock/ClaudineVM 

For a business that was started as a concoction experiment and has survived different strategic transitions, one can say that The Coca Cola Company is a testament that small businesses can go global.

In 2018, The Coca Cola Company raked about 31.9b dollars in revenue. Recognized as a top ten private employer, providing a means of livelihood to more than 700,000 people. 

In your quest to expand, founders should not neglect virtues like persistence and patience because the journey is an adventure. Even The Coca Cola Company realized this.

Read more about how small businesses still go global.

Today in Global Small Business: Create a Winning Global Marketing Strategy

©iStock/metamorworks

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

• An international lesson from Airbnb.
• Quote of the week:  “Female talent in shipping is promoting diversity. I think it can also promote innovation and give this industry a more competitive advantage.” – Katerina Stathopoulou, WISTA EXCO Board Member.
• Embracing different approaches for global B2B payments will go a long way towards strengthening the supplier relationship and minimizing payment pain.
• Creating a functional world-class team.
• LUX Blox wins FedEx grant!
• Create a winning global marketing strategy.