Saturday, June 30, 2018

Invent the Universe

©Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.
"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." -- Carl Sagan

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Get a Global Perspective

©iStock/Olivier Le Moal
Everything in business is about solving problems and these skills these can be learned to enable entrepreneurs to excel both within their local and domestic markets, but also be equipped to compete globally.  Beyond being solution-focused, SMEs also must have a global perspective.
“I [Alexandra Tselios is the Founder and CEO of Australia-based The Big Smoke] can’t see how that many companies can survive in the current economy without some sort of global perspective,” she says.  “The barriers of competition for companies has completely changed, your greatest competitor tomorrow could be some small start-up from Ireland.”
Read more to find out what makes a good problem solver.

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

How to Make Communicating with Global Customers Easier for Small Businesses

©iStock/gutaper
WhatsApp Business app is particularly aimed at making communicating with customers easier for small businesses.
We [in India] are currently testing a solution for larger businesses—like an airline, ecommerce company or bank—to connect with their customers on WhatsApp,” a company spokesman said in an email, adding more than 3 million people globally are actively on WhatsApp Business. 
WhatsApp Business app allows small businesses to scale quickly and offer personalization and engagement.

Learn more about how to keep the conversation going.

Monday, June 25, 2018

Today in Global Small Business: Accelerate Your Growth Via Cloud Computing

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

Saturday, June 23, 2018

The Pina and the Colada

©2018 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.
"My point is, life is about balance. The good and the bad. The highs and the lows. The pina and the colada." -- Ellen DeGeneres

Friday, June 22, 2018

The Gilded Age Reboot Has Gone Global

©iStock/monsitj
As Quartz says, "Big business just keeps getting bigger. And the US government’s de facto green-lighting of AT&T’s purchase of Time Warner last week is a sign of more corporate engorgement to come."

The gilded age reboot has gone global.

According to new research by the International Monetary Fund, it has among rich countries.

Read more here.

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

What's the Difference Between Hiring Globally Versus Locally?

©iStock/ipopba
If you are operating globally, you need to hire globally yet how is it a different ball game when you’re hiring globally versus locally?
For small businesses it’s hard enough to hire locally let alone recruit globally. For example, around the world, only one in four software developers actually work for software companies. This means that local organizations are now competing with large global organisations for talent. However, they may not have the resources, or the need to bring a full-time person in for it.
Read more about how the Internet has the power to make small business and big business absolutely equal in the world of search.

Monday, June 18, 2018

Today in Global Small Business: Show Respect and Do Business Across Borders

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

Saturday, June 16, 2018

Happiness Radiates

"Happiness radiates like the fragrance from a flower and draws all good things towards you." -- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Photos courtesy:  ©2018 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Friday, June 15, 2018

Global Superstar Firms

alluranet
The rise of the global superstar firm.  That is a warning buried at the end of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF's) report on the American economy.

The question becomes:  Are some businesses just too dominant, too big, for the overall good of the economy?

MimaCZ
The IMF - a membership organization of 189 nations - is careful not to name names.

And firms which some might think the target - such as Apple, Facebook or Google - point out that their success comes from providing products and services that consumers want.

"Markets reward success," as the article The rise of the global mega-firms -- why the IMF is worried, states.

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Why Go Global? Top Ten Reasons.

©iStock/levoncigol
Less than one percent of America’s 30 million companies export – a percentage that is significantly lower than all other developed countries.

iStock/alluranet
Yet successful small businesses are learning how to master the transition from being a local company to global. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, more than 70 percent of the world’s purchasing power is located outside of the United States.

That’s why many businesses are jumping on the global bandwagon – to capitalize on the potential of tremendous growth. Here are ten reasons to do so.

Top 10 Reasons to Go Global by Laurel Delaney

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Britain's SMEs Enjoy Export Boost

©iStock/maxkabakov
Telford-based Global Freight says the national figures, as noted below, mirror its own experience working with SMEs.

New figures which show that Britain’s small manufacturers are enjoying the fastest growth in export orders in more than a decade.
Nicole Gunter, managing director of Global Freight, said the figures reflected an increased drive by small manufacturers to tap into new markets in the wake of Brexit.
Read more about how SMEs are winning new business around the globe.

Monday, June 11, 2018

Today in Global Small Business: From Startup to Global Expansion

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

Saturday, June 09, 2018

Wonders of a Summer Sunset

©2018 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.
"When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator." -- Mahatma Gandhi

Friday, June 08, 2018

Small Town Businesses Get a Global Presence

©iStock/PapaBear
According to the report (PDF) "Platform-Enabled Small Business Formation as a Counterweight Against Forces of Economic Concentration" from the eBay Policy Lab, online marketplaces give small businesses and entrepreneurs access to outside economies in these rural areas. This is driving growth in counties across the country which are not experiencing the same amount of expansion as in the coastal or more popular regions. -- Source:  Small Business Trends
We [eBay] have studied the patterns and growth of enterprises using the eBay Marketplace. Irrespective of where in the world we have looked, we have found micro and small businesses leveraging the online commerce platform model to engage in expansive commerce, often on a global scale. Across more than 50 countries we have studied so far, spanning the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe, technology is empowering small firms to build operations that serve consumers across an unprecedented number of countries.
Learn more about how eBay is giving small town businesses a global presence.

Thursday, June 07, 2018

Rewiring the Global Small Business Economy

©iStock/Worawee Meeplan
By giving businesses and their advisors a way to grow their business through connected accounting and business tools, Xero is soaring.
Herman Man, Vice President of Product and Partnerships at Xero, said: “Xero has long had a vision to rewire the global small business economy by giving small businesses and their advisors access to a powerful, global platform. 
Learn more about Xero's new features to small business accounting, which help accountants and bookkeepers assist their clients by asking the big questions, on cash flow, profit and revenue.

Tuesday, June 05, 2018

Been There. Done It.

©iStock/katerinchik73 
British Childs Farm founder and Chief Executive Officer, Joanna Jensen says that making friends with entrepreneurs who have been there and done it is a key to eventual global business success. "Cosmetics can be a lonely place; it's all global pharmaceutical companies," explains Jensen.
[Fast forward ...] Today, the firm has 20 staff and an annual turnover of £5.7m. Bestsellers include its cocoa and shea butter baby moisturizer (£4.50) and a grapefruit and organic tea tree oil hair detangler (£5). It exports to Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Read more about the mechanisms out there to help build a global business like Childs Farm.

Monday, June 04, 2018

Today in Global Small Business: Women Entrepreneurs Are Pushing Boundaries and Targeting the World for Business

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

Saturday, June 02, 2018

Music and Cats

©2018 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.
"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats." -- Albert Schweitzer