Monday, February 29, 2016

Today in Global Small Business: Expressing How You Feel Goes Global

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

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Simplicity

©2016 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.
"Simplicity is the glory of expression." -- Walt Whitman

Friday, February 26, 2016

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Instagram: A Valuable Place for Discovering Businesses Worldwide

©iStock/Rasulovs
Ever hear of Instagram?  Thought so.  But have you heard it defined as the "look book' for brands people love and the shop window for small businesses on mobile?  That's according to The Drum's, "Instagram attracts over 200,000 advertisers following global expansion."
James Quarles, global head of business and brand development at Instagram said the site was "proving a valuable place for discovering businesses around the world."
According to Instagram (owned by Facebook), some 75 percent of the app's active advertisers looking to appeal to Instagram's 400-million strong user base are located outside of the US.

Read more here.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

The Internet of Things (IoT) Marches Into the World of Small Business

©iStock/Evgeny Sergeev
The Internet of Things (IoT) continues its march into the world of small business because everything seems to be connected these days.  And one of the key issues or threats are the latest security gaps.  In the article below, security experts discuss the most current crop of threats that small business owners need to pay attention to in 2016.  Here are five.

Read:  Small Business Security Trends You Need to Know

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Defying Global Economic Developments, Small Businesses Grow

©iStock/Pongsakorn1
Is the U.S. headed for another recession?  We are seeing China slowdown, a glut in oil and commodity prices, too many ships and not enough cargoes.  Yet despite all that, small businesses seem to be humming along.
While no one disputes that all businesses face formidable growth challenges for the rest of 2016, small businesses in the U.S. may be insulated for some time from the growing number of negative developments in the U.S. and abroad.
Reality is, there still may be some rough waters ahead.

Read more:  Why Small Businesses Are Growing (When Big Companies Aren't)

Monday, February 22, 2016

Today in Global Small Business: The Ins and Outs of Doing Business Internationally

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

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Always Snow

"I grew up in Chicago, and there was always snow. In Los Angeles there never was, so we would always import snow!" -- David Hasselhoff

Photos courtesy:  ©2016 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved. Taken in Chicago.

Friday, February 19, 2016

When Small Companies Grow Globally, Everyone Benefits

©iStock/Sean Pavone
There is a huge untapped global market for a state's goods and services.  In this case, Connecticut is making an effort to increase the $16 billion in goods Connecticut already exports overseas each year.

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill recently promoted Connecticut Export Week from March 14 to 18 and the variety of instructional seminars and webinars scheduled during the five-day period, the first export week hosted by the state.

Merrill says. “If smaller companies grow, then everyone benefits."

Read more:  State pushing for growth in exports

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Live in Hawaii? How About Selling to the Rest of the World?

©iStock/7Michael
The Hawaii State Trade and Export Promotion — Export Readiness Program is designed to help small businesses go global.  Hawaii recently received the largest export grant award in the nation!
“A lot of companies, they produce…for the local market,” said DBEDT [Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism] branch chief Mark Ritchie. “(They) think “Oh, could I actually start selling outside of Hawaii?” and that’s what the whole program is about.”
Read more:  Export program helps businesses understand international markets

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Building Bridges to Tackle Global Challenges Together

©iStock/Michaeljung
The 7th Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2016, taking place June 23-24, 2016 in Silicon Valley, California, aims to showcase inspiring African entrepreneurs and investors from around the world, creating new opportunities for investment, partnership, and collaboration.
The summit was previously hosted by the US, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Malaysia and Morocco, and now returns to the US in a move the organisers say highlights Obama’s commitment to building bridges to tackle global challenges together.
Lean more:  African startups invited to apply for 7th Global Entrepreneurship Summit

Participate here (applications accepted only until 2/18/16).

Monday, February 15, 2016

Today in Global Small Business: Maersk Warns About Problems Facing Global Trade

©iStock/Raghu Ramaswamy
What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

Saturday, February 13, 2016

The Legendary and Marvelous Mavis Staples

 
I had the wonderful opportunity to watch the HBO documentary on 76-year old Chicagoan Mavis Staples that recently premiered in Chicago at the DuSable Museum of African American History and listen to her perform live afterwards.  Her new album, "Living on a High Note" comes out next week.  The documentary airs on HBO February 29th.

Photos courtesy:  ©2016 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Friday, February 12, 2016

Ways to Finance Your International Business

©iStock/Rawpixel Ltd.
How do you finance an international business?  Let me count the ways but this webinar, delivered by the famous Dr. Kati Suominen, covers nearly all your options and it's free.  Yes, you read that right.  Here's what you will learn:
  • Export credit insurance: Getting paid from a foreign buyer
  • Export working capital: Getting money to fulfill international orders
  • Factoring: Getting advance payment for your foreign A/R
  • Buyer finance: Finding money for your foreign buyer to buy from you
  • Growth capital: Getting long-term debt or equity to scale production and international sales
Go here to view the webinar.

You can also access Kati’s accompanying PowerPoint here.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

The Age of the Mobile Global Customer: Trends to Watch in 2016

©iStock/LDProd
With more than a third of global online transactions now mobile, three key trends will become explosive growth drivers in 2016. Here they are.

3 Global Mobile Trends to Watch in 2016

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Boosting Foreign Trade a Top Priority for China

©iStock/WinsLiu
Because China's 2015 trade volume decreased by 7 percent from the previous year, its first drop in five years, boosting foreign trade has become a top priority for the country.  Here's why.
Exporters trying to sell to the lucrative Chinese market, with or without a physical presence in the country, will inevitably have heard of its booming cross-border e-commerce industry, which grew over 30 percent in 2015 despite the slowing international trade. It is predicted that trade via cross-border e-commerce alone will exceed RMB 6.5 trillion in 2016, accounting for 20 percent of total trade volume.
Learn more, especially about China’s cross-border e-commerce industry, and the common sales approaches used by foreign merchants engaged in the industry:  Exporting to China:  Import Tax Slashed in Cross-Border E-Commerce Zones

Tuesday, February 09, 2016

3 Challenges That Threaten Small Business Owners

©iStock/dashadima
Small business owners always face challenges -- from raising capital, to retaining talented employees, to finding time to work on the business as opposed to in the business.  But who knew that marketing remains one of the biggest challenges that threaten local entrepreneurs as well as global small business owners.

In the article below, the author at the Global Dispatch talks about three specific marketing challenges that entrepreneurs face:
  1. Not enough online presence.
  2. Adapting to mobile (check out three global mobile trends to watch in 2016).
  3. Increasing local awareness.
Read more:  The Biggest Marketing Challenges That Threaten Small Business Owners

Monday, February 08, 2016

Today in Global Small Business: The Almighty Exporting Book is Getting An Update

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

Saturday, February 06, 2016

The Artisan Cellar at The Merchandise Mart in Chicago

Say hello to the Artisan Cellar (AC), a gourmet market featuring a wide variety of wines and beer plus a delicious deli takeout, not to mention a great place to hang when you have time to kill at The Merchandise Mart, Chicago.  (Note:  AC has free wine tastings Fridays 4:00-6:00 p.m. Central Time.)  Twitter handle here.

Photos courtesy:  ©Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Thursday, February 04, 2016

Prepare for Global Growth With Your Equity Crowdfunding Campaign

©iStock/Eneng24
People talk about the importance of having the right mindset, the right people, the right products or services and the right processes in place before you take a business global.  But what happens when you try for equity crowdfunding?

Take Linda Bulk who is general manager and director of Waikato, New Zealand-based Aeronavics.  Her company is a drone manufacturer that raised $1.5 million through an equity crowdfunding campaign last February, with 213 investors taking a total 15 percent stake in the company.

How did she prepare her aerial solution business for equity crowdfunding?
Business owners do have to understand that accountancy requirements change as the amount of shareholders increases, so that is something to be considered. For us this hasn't meant a lot of change though as we're in preparation for global growth and have already adopted these standards.
Read more:  Small Business:  Equity crowd funding - Linda Bulk, Aeronavics

Wednesday, February 03, 2016

London Small Businesses Have Big Global Ambitions

©iStock/EtoileArk
There's a tremendous global opportunity for London-based small businesses to scale-up and expand internationally.  But how do you become a globally-recognized brand and business?
The Mayor's International Business Programme [led by London & Partners, the Mayor's official promotional company and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund] is the first programme of its kind, using peer-to-peer mentoring and private sector backing, to help London-based companies to scale up and internationalize.
There's an answer to the question above but you must read the article below because it is designed to maximize the international business potential of London-based SMEs.

Read more:  Boris Johnson looks to scale SME success & take London tech global

Tuesday, February 02, 2016

WEGG Wednesday Webinar 2/3 on International Finance

©Women Entrepreneurs GROW Global.  All rights reserved.
What payment and financing issues do you need to consider when exporting?  What are key financial instruments you ought to know of?  Where do you go to secure these instruments?  And what are other special considerations for fueling your international growth with growth capital?  WEGG has got your back.

Join the webinar on Wednesday, February 3rd at 10:00 a.m. Central time to hear Kati Suominen, who just returned from Davos, address these questions and more with her presentation, "Financing Your International Business:  Plan Early and Smart."  The WEGG webinar is no charge but registration is required.  I'll be on the webinar.  See you there.  Register here.

Monday, February 01, 2016

Today in Global Small Business: Embracing Change Is No Longer An Option in Our Global Marketplace

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