The Untamed Beauty of Wildflowers

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Almost every person, from childhood, has been touched by the untamed beauty of wildflowers." – Lady Bird Johnson

USA Democratic Debates 2019

阿里巴巴正在通過英語門戶實現其全球抱負

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Alibaba is fulfilling its global ambitions with an English-language portal (阿里巴巴正在通過英語門戶實現其全球抱負) on Tmall, one of the single largest online retailers in China’s $1 trillion e-commerce arena.

The e-commerce giant began offering an English-language portal on Tmall for the first tim to entice more merchants from around the world to sell to Chinese consumers. 

Alibaba is seeking new growth engines to offset a cooling economy at home as the trade war rages on, while fending off increasingly aggressive competitors locally and globally.

Read more about how Alibaba aims to double global brands with its new English site.

Common Projects, Cool

©iStock/LongQuattro

The perfect handbag.  The sharp black leather jacket.  The exquisite tie.  And then there is the sneaker.  Not just any sneaker but simply the best sneaker that can be worn with a dress, with jeans, with sweats or on the way to a global adventure.

Common Projects does some cool things.

Is Your Business Ready for the World Stage?

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Rhett Power says "success in the U.S. does not ensure success in other countries, and a translated website alone does not a global business make. To succeed abroad, American companies must account for differences in local cultures."

Research from CultureWizard found that 24% of respondents spend at least 76% of their time on global work. High-performing global businesses consistently ranked higher for indicators of cultural awareness and intercultural competencies, suggesting that companies with a global mindset do better than their geographically narrowed peers.

Power goes on to caution:  "Before you set up shop in new territory, make a few preparations."

Here they are -- a four-step process to prepare your company for global expansion.

Today in Global Small Business: A Quarter of Indigenous Businesses Export

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

• Xero makes powerful partnership for the future.
• Quote of the week: “Risk is essential. There is not growth of inspiration in staying within what is safe and comfortable. Once you find out what you do best, why not try something else?" —Alex Noble
• Startups are going global earlier in their growth than ever before.  Here's why.
• The Global Green Economy – how businesses are marketing green innovation. 
• A new report says that a quarter of Indigenous businesses export.
• Enabling expansion through e-commerce.

Chicago: City of Big Shoulders

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

“Hog butcher for the world, tool maker, stacker of wheat, player with railroads and the nation’s freight handler; stormy, husky, brawling, city of big shoulders.” – Carl Sandburg

What To Do When Your Business Grows Beyond One Market or Country

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Shopify announced that it is enhancing its Shopify Plus platform to include global capabilities aimed at enterprises.

The enhanced SP suite will include new global capabilities surrounding currency support and a low-cost e-commerce fulfillment network -- all available later this year.

Here's the coolest part:  Shopify Plus is designed to meet the needs of larger businesses when they grow beyond just one market or country.

Discover more on how SP will enable all merchants to sell in multiple currencies and get paid in their local currency, too.

Eighty Percent of Women-Owned Businesses with Credit Needs Worldwide are Either Unserved or Underserved

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When a woman wants to start or grow her own business, the odds of securing a business loan are heavily stacked against her.

As we [World Economic Forum] search for a solution to the inequality between men and women in accessing finance around the world, the answer could be simple: stop asking for collateral.

Let me repeat:  stop asking for collateral.

Calling on all banks to rise to this challenge, rethink their approach and create equal access and opportunities for women around the globe.

Read more about how to improve women's access to finance worldwide and unleash huge economic potential.

Compete More Effectively and Succeed in the Global Marketplace

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

What is your commitment to customers? Does everybody in the company understand this commitment inside and out? Do you provide exemplary service? Friendly service? Accessible service? The service goal of online retailer Zappos is “Delivering happiness.” Define yours and carry through on it every step of the way.

Ours is:

"Everything we do is to help our customers compete more effectively and win in their marketplace.”

The customer service mentality should permeate your entire organization.  Here's how to go about it.

The Strategy of Expanding Across Borders With a Nice Little Disney Ad First (Video)

Today in Global Small Business: Let's Build a Global Currency for the Internet!

©iStock/metamorworks 

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

• Now is our chance to build a global currency for the Internet.  That's according to Jack Dorsey.
• Quote of the week: “It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do.  We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do." – Steve Jobs
• How new legislation in Latin America benefits U.S. entrepreneurs.
• Barriers female business owners encounter when trying to grow their sales beyond Canada’s borders - a new study is being worked on.
• It's time for global businesses to accept local responsibility.
• Is America losing its small businesses?

Chicago Impresses

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"I'm impressed with the people from Chicago.  Hollywood is hype.  New York is talk.  Chicago is work." – Michael Douglas

The $50 Billion International Company That Know One Knows About

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Ingram Micro, an international company with roughly $50 billion in annual revenue, works primarily in the hardware distribution business. It buys devices from OEMs and provides them to its “value-added reseller” clients, who sell them to the end users.

Technology distributor Ingram Micro has established itself in asset disposition in recent years. Now, it is rolling out a program to grow by leveraging its subcontractor companies.

Learn more about how Ingram Micro's partnership model helps the firm expand ITAD (IT asset disposition) globally.

How to Balance Times Zones and Leverage Your Digital Savviness to Communicate More Effectively No Matter Your Location

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Tackling the challenges of working overseas is no cakewalk.  Digital news editor for the Wall Street Journal, Josée Rose says:

While the positives outweigh the negatives, living overseas when working for a U.S.-based company comes with obstacles, especially when working for a 24/7 organization in a nonstop news cycle.

After two years as a digital news editor at WSJ in London, Josée shares her tips for balancing time zones, advocating for yourself when you’re not in the room where it happens, and leveraging your digital savviness to communicate more effectively (no matter your location).

How to Understand the Economic World Around You (Podcast)

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Marketplace is a podcast hosted by Kai Ryssdal, which is about providing context on the economic news of the day.  Through stories, conversations and newsworthy numbers, Marketplace helps listeners understand the economic world around them.

According to Wikipedia, Marketplace is the third-most-listened-to radio program in the US by weekly listeners (14.8 M).

Tune in.

Eight Elements of an Effective Export Compliance Program (Video)

Today in Global Small Business: Discover the Design of Japanese Toilets

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

• Global regulators say tougher bank rules do not curb small business lending.
• Quote of the week: “Let us find out what is desperately needed, although people may not know it, let us find out what will beautify the world, although people may not know it, then let's learn and learn and teach ourselves and support each other in doing that until we lose ourselves in those tasks." – 20th century inventor Edwin Land
• On Instagram @toilets_a_go_go, Hidefumi Nakamura documents the astounding breadth of public-toilet design in Japan.  International travel exposes you to different cultures yet even doing your routine daily activities can broaden your horizons :-).
• Global finance leaders meeting in Japan recently said they were increasingly worried that the trade dispute between the United States and China, which shows no signs of abating, could propel the world economy into a crisis.
• The retailer Ulta Beauty will be going international in order to "establish Ulta Beauty as a successful global brand," CEO Mary Dillon said in a statement. The first step of that process is launching operations in Canada, according to Dillon.
• President Donald Trump dangled the prospect of renewing his tariff threat against Mexico if the U.S. ally doesn't cooperate on border issues, while some of his Democratic challengers for the White House said the last-minute deal to avert trade penalties was overblown.

Radio Gives Birth to Chicago

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"TV gives everyone an image, but [WBBM Chicago] radio gives birth to a million images in a million brains."

Market Power Drives Harder Bargains. Can SMEs Compete Globally?

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Is there a widening difference between the profitability of small businesses and large?  Some say there is and blame globalization. Milton Ezrati, contributor for Forbes thinks otherwise:  "The winner-take-all character of global trade seems to get the blame for just about anything unfair or inequitable these days. But it would be a mistake to reach for this easy answer."  He goes on to say ...

Rather than drag out the perennial whipping boy of globalization, a better explanation might well lie with questions of market power. All may have access to the same suppliers, but larger firms, such as Walmart and Amazon, can drive harder bargains on price and delivery terms than smaller or mid-sized firms.

Is America losing its small businesses?  Read more.

Evolve Your Business to What Is Relevant in the Global Marketplace

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Small business aren’t easy to launch or maintain, and they take commitment and positive thinking to stay successful. Here are some surprising warning signs your small business could be headed for disaster, along with solutions for how you can ward off trouble.

And as Shanna Goodman for Thrive Global says, "A successful small business always need to evolve with what’s relevant in the [global] marketplace."

Discover the 9 signs your business is headed for disaster and what you can do to turn things around.

Here’s What 11 Successful Entrepreneurs Do Every Day

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Success is a habit—and like all good habits, you have to work hard to achieve and maintain it.  We [Rieva Lesonsky for Bank of America] talked to 11 small business owners, including Laurel Delaney, about the daily habits they believe contribute most to their success. From exercise to quiet time to diligently tracking sales in QuickBooks, here’s what some successful entrepreneurs do every day.

Reading about other business owners’ daily success rituals is inspiring—but as Delaney says, “We cannot replicate business success by copying another business owner’s daily rituals—we need to cultivate our own.” 

Dive deep into what accomplished entrepreneurs do daily to foster entrepreneurial success.

World's Largest MBA Tour is Coming to Chicago 6/25

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Good day Global Small Business Blog fans!  Join the world’s largest MBA tour in Chicago!

An MBA is a distinction in the workplace and a designation in the world of business. However, more importantly it’s a confidence booster, a way of thinking analytically and critically, and a training ground for making better personal and professional decisions.

This event will answer all of your MBA-related questions through presentations, networking opportunities, and valuable interactions with recruiters from 25+ top business schools.

In addition, you’ll also receive the following for free:  a professional LinkedIn Headshot, your resume reviewed, access to a pool of scholarships worth $7M and much more.

All of this is FREE of charge for those attending, so register today or well before 6/25! Space is limited.  Sign up here.

Today in Global Small Business: wegg® Program On How to Build a Great Global Company Culture

©2019 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global™.  All rights reserved.  Used with Permission.

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

• wegg® on-the-ground workshop held in Chicago is right around the corner -- June 5th -- and it's on how to build a great global company culture.  If you want to move from good to great on exporting, this is the program to attend.  Please join us and hear from our famous host Radio Flyer, who has won numerous awards for best places to work.  To learn more and to register, visit: https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/2019/05/06/how-to-build-a-great-global-company-culture/.  I [Laurel Delaney] will be attending.
• Quote of the week: “As history has repeatedly proven, one trade tariff begets another, then another - until you've got a full-blown trade war. No one ever wins, and consumers always get screwed." – John C. Calhoun
• Tariffs on all imports from Mexico begin June 10, 2019.
• How an Oregon brand went from a small business to a global powerhouse in wellness
• 42 countries agree to international principles for Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• Making globalization work for Africa.

Be Like a Train

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Be like a train; go in the rain, go in the sun, go in the storm, go in the dark tunnels! Be like a train; concentrate on your road and go with no hesitation!" – Mehmet Murat ildan