Love Chicago

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"I love Chicago three out of four seasons a year." – Anonymous

[Happy Valentine's 💞 Day to all!]

Cultural Localization Is Vital to the Success of International Brands

©iStock/imagoDens

“Cultural localization is vital to the success of international brands because tapping into local expectations leads to more brand awareness,” explains Christopher D. Peace, PhD, assistant teaching professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business, who specializes in intercultural communication.

But it's more than that.

Companies that want to engage in international business expansion face an uphill battle. They need to apply cultural intelligence in business to preserve their brand’s authenticity while respectfully embracing local culture. Doing so requires a thoughtful global brand strategy that incorporates cross-cultural marketing and meaningful, ongoing local collaboration. 

To succeed, it’s essential to have a thoughtful strategy to avoid the missteps that can land a brand engaged in international business expansion in hot water.

Important Career Advice From Warren Buffett

©iStock/Thomas Faull

The billionaire investor Warren Buffett says the most “important” career advice he ever received – and later passed on to his own children – came from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s 1841 essay, “Self-Reliance.” The essay advises choosing work that fits your nature, not parental expectations or society’s approval.

Read his critical insights that were passed down through generations of his family. 

Nominate an Exceptional Woman Business Owner for the Gail Adinamis wegg® Award for Exemplary Global Leadership® 2026

©2026 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

The Gail Adinamis wegg® Award for Exemplary Global Leadership® honors and celebrates Gail Adinamis, who has been crucial to the growth and success of Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.

About the award

The annual award honors a wegg stakeholder who has gone out of her way to connect, create, contribute, and collaborate with wegg, and forge alliances that have proven helpful.  These are traits that define an exemplary global leader.

Successful entrepreneur Gail Adinamis was founder and CEO of GlobalCare Clinical Trials, LLC.  Established in 2010, GlobalCare Clinical Trials brings Phase I-IV clinical trials to patients, instead of the other way around.  Today, the company’s in-home and alternate-site nursing services can be found in more than 65 countries.  The company was acquired by LabCorp in July, 2020, further expanding it’s decentralized clinical trials capabilities globally.

True global leaders like Gail Adinamis and many others who will follow in her footsteps are defined not only by their worldly knowledge and connections, nor by the global opportunities they seize, but by how they contribute to the improvement and growth of others.

Past awardees can be found here.

Nominations are now open! Please submit your nomination by no later than February 20, 2026.  

World Champion Ilia Malinin Clinches GOLD for Team USA (Video)

©iStock/Nakano8510

Watch the video here of world champion Ilia Malinin who clinches the gold for Team USA.

Today in Global Small Business: Our Prayers for Lindsey Vonn's Full Recovery

©iStock/Giacomomo

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

• Lindsey Vonn’s magnificent comeback is over, in the most devastating way possible.  We wish for her full recovery just as soon as humanly possible.  She dared greatly.
• Nominate someone who you think is a great global leader to earn the Gail Adinamis wegg® Award for Exemplary Global Leadership – deadline 2/20/26.
• Quote of the week:  "Follow your dreams. If you have a goal, and you want to achieve it, then work hard and do everything you can to get there, and one day it will come true." – Lindsey Vonn
• Sounds like a good time to read the book, Daring Greatly.
• Either she would write a winning story for the ages – Lindsey Vonn, one of the greatest of all time with nothing to prove, literally nothing, a ferocious competitor out there because she could, and should, be, vying for one more golden moment on her favorite hill, 41, no ACL in that left knee after a fall in Switzerland days before.  Or – she would crash out.
• Never give up.  Live updates from Milan Cortina 2026.

Note:  The Global Small Business Blog has been in operation since 2004 and is ranked number one in the world for entrepreneurs and small businesses interested in going global.  As of February 1, 2026, we have more than 900,000 readers on a monthly basis.

Create a Moment That People Will Never Forget

©iStock/maisiam

"I want to – more than anything  – to create a moment that people will never forget. Not for me, but for themselves. That's what I remember about great Super Bowl performances in the past, when you really get lost in the moment with your family." – Lady Gaga

Bad Bunny Takes the World's Biggest Stage at Super Bowl 2026 Halftime Show

Are the Tariffs Working?

©iStock/Cristi Croitoru

The question is: How much better would the economy be now without the tariffs and their on-again, off-again imposition? 

Find out from the WSJ Editorial Board.

Note:  The Global Small Business Blog has been in operation since 2004 and is ranked number one in the world for entrepreneurs and small businesses interested in going global.  As of February 1, 2026, we average more than 900,000 readers on a monthly basis. 

Highly Creative People Have the Performance Advantage Over AI for Now

©iStock/Ukususha

A new large-scale study demonstrates that when it comes to creativity, AI already outperforms the average human, but not the most creative among us.

“Despite widespread concern that AI could imminently replace creative professionals (like writers, for instance), the results suggest that such fears remain premature,” the researchers reported.

As the researchers said, "It seems natural that humans will always be more creative than machines. Yet artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning is rapidly improving and rapidly encroaching on the decidedly human realm of creative abilities.

Success On Her Terms With Nancy Sharp, CEO of Food For Thought Enterprises

©2026 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global.  All rights reserved.

Success On Her Terms (SoHT) is a dynamic four-part series presented by Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global (wegg) and in collaboration with Merrill's Baldwin Marcovici Group.

It is designed to spotlight high-potential, growth-stage women entrepreneurs who share their personal journeys and offer actionable insights to women on how to align purpose, people, and profit while building and scaling a business.

Join us today, February 3, 2026 at 11 AM CT – LIVE – when Nancy Sharp, CEO of Food For Thought Enterprises talks about "Deciding What Matters Most."  The conversation is moderated by Alex Didac, the Baldwin Marcovici Group.  This is program 2.

To learn more and to register, visit: https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/programs/success-on-her-terms/  

Note:  The Global Small Business Blog has been in operation since 2004 and is ranked number one in the world for entrepreneurs and small businesses interested in going global.  As of February 1, 2026, we have more than 900,000 readers on a monthly basis.

Today in Global Small Business: How Businesses Are Manipulating ChatGPT Results

©iStock/chiewr

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

• Great article by Christopher Mims in the WSJ (gifted so you should get access) on how businesses are manipulating ChatGPT results.
• "Deciding What Matters Most" – Success On Her Terms wegginar® hosted by Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global, considered the best resource for women entrepreneurs and business owners who want to learn from other women business owners on how to expand their businesses globally, featuring episode #2 with Nancy Sharp, founder and CEO, Food for Thought Enterprises.  Register free of charge here thanks to the Baldwin Marcovici Group (Merrill Lynch).
• Quote of the week:  "Beijing benefits when the U.S. damages its own standing or retreats from global leadership, but China's own efforts to project state-sponsored soft power have produced mixed results." – Lizzi Lee, a fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute
• U.S. opens doors to tariffs on imports from countries supplying oil to Cuba.
• How to increase sales in the clothing business.
• How to lead when confidence is down, pressure is up and there's more uncertainty ahead.

Note:  The Global Small Business Blog has been in operation since 2004 and is ranked number one in the world for entrepreneurs and small businesses interested in going global.  As of February 1, 2026, we have more than 900,000 readers on a monthly basis.

God Loves You Snow Much

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"God loves you snow much." – title of a children's book written by Monica Ellis

Elevated Threats Are Ahead Yet CEOs Continue to Reinvent Their Companies

©iStock/bernardbodo

CEOs are reinventing their companies with technology (AI) and seeking growth opportunities in new sectors, even as they see elevated threats ahead.

In the year ahead, CEOs see a world beset by challenges. They’ve grown significantly less confident about the short-term growth outlook for their companies and more worried about a range of threats, including macroeconomic volatility, cyber risk, and geopolitical conflict.

PwC’s Global Chairman Mohamed Kande discusses key findings from this year’s CEO Survey, featuring insights on AI adoption and innovating in the face of uncertainty.

Read the findings and listen to Mohamed's insights here.

Building Ms. Jetsetter Beyond the Idea (wegginar® 2/4/26)

©2026 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

You don't want to miss this wegginar® – February 4th at 11 AM CT – LIVE with Tracey McGhee, Founder & CEO, Ms. Jetsetter when she will talk about "From Idea to Market:  Building Ms. Jetsetter Beyond the Idea."

To learn more and to register (free of charge thanks to Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global's generous sponsors as shown in the graphic), visit: https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/2026/01/07/from-idea-to-market-building-ms-jetsetter-beyond-the-idea-stage/.  

Feeling Assaulted by the Federal Government

©iStock/Sean Pavone

"Feeling assaulted by the federal government." That's how Thomas L. Friedman describes what is happening in his hometown, Minneapolis.

Read the interview here.  America is at a boiling point.

A Three-Pronged Approach to Avoid, Lessen, and Recover from Tariff Increases On Imported Goods

©iStock/SHansche

In the midst of today's fluid situation, Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg offers a three-pronged approach to avoid, lessen, and recover from tariff increases on imported goods.

[More than 776,000 readers thus far this month.  Thank you all!]

Today in Global Small Business: The USA Winter Storm Edition

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

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

• Ice from winter storm leaves a million customers without power across the South in USA.
• More than 10,000 flights canceled as bitter cold blankets the U.S.
• Quote of the week:  "To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold." – Aristotle
• Winter storm (LIVE UPDATES) Fern turns deadly In Louisiana, outages leaves over a million vulnerable to ice, snow across US.
• US braces for 'extremely dangerous' winter storm (UK edition).
• LIVE MAP:  See the U.S. winter storm 72-hour snowfall forecast.

Everything in Moderation

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Everything in moderation.  Except avocado." – Unknown

So Who Are the Owners of the New American TikTok?

©iStock/hapabapa

Several big companies and investment firms are part of the new American TikTok. Many have ties to one another and President Trump.

A Cultural Mirror Worth Considering: McAtlas

©iStock/Nikolay Chekalin

Photographer and writer Gary He, visited McDonald's in more than 55 countries.

Gary didn't set out to write a book about McDonald's. And, even now, the James Beard Award-winning photographer still says that "McAtlas" — his book about McDonald's — is not a book about McDonald's.

Rather, it's "a visual social anthropology of the world's largest restaurant chain," says Gary, a native New Yorker who spent years traveling to hundreds of outlets of the world's biggest fast-food chain.

"'McAtlas' is the result of my travels across six continents, 55-plus countries, photographing the menu items, the local restaurants, and just watching how locals use those spaces and what they like to eat in those McDonald's," he says. 

On Gary's website:

Internationally, there’s no restaurant where people are eating more often than McDonald’s. It's not just Big Macs and McNuggets, either: McDonald’s menus around the world have long integrated the flavors and dishes of their home countries. Localized menu items now account for about 30% of McDonald’s systemwide sales, not chump change when that total is north of $120 billion.  If we are what we eat, then McDonald's global menu is a cultural mirror worth serious consideration.

As an amateur photographer myself [Laurel Delaney] and I love anything with a global mindset – this book is right up my alley.

Links to learn more:

• McAtlas website.
• Amazon to purchase the book.

As a Business Leader, I Stand Up Against Abuses, Do You?

©iStock/ChrisGorgio

Robert E. Rubin, a senior counselor at Centerview Partners, served as U.S. Treasury secretary, 1995-1999, writes an Opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal, "Why Have Business Leaders Gone Silent?"

He writes:

Perhaps most important, all business leaders—and leaders in all sectors—should ask themselves three questions. First, do Mr. Trump’s actions regarding the economy, the law, and use of the federal government cross a red line? Second, if not, what would? Third, what will I do differently if and when such a line is crossed?

He goes on to say, "The challenges of opposing authoritarianism can be great. But the ever greater consequences, if authoritarianism is left to continue, can be many times more severe."

Read Mr. Rubin's commentary.  I stand up against abuses, do you?

Oh, and you might also read the Opinion by The New York Times, "For Trump, Justice Means Vengeance."  As this piece reminds us, "that we are a country ruled by laws,  not by one man."

What If Supreme Court Says Trump's Tariffs Are Illegal?

©iStock/fongfong2

Lower courts have already ruled that Trump exceeded his authority by invoking the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to justify his sweeping “reciprocal” duties targeting America’s trading partners, as well as separate levies aimed at China, Canada and Mexico. The IEEPA-based tariffs have remained in effect as the legal proceedings continue. 

US President Donald Trump could find out later in January whether the Supreme Court will strike down a key portion of his tariffs campaign. The court is considering whether Trump can use an emergency law that had previously never been wielded to impose import taxes.

If the Supreme Court rules that IEEPA can’t be used to impose tariffs, there’s alternative legislation Trump can lean on.  Find out what it is here.

[Hat tip to Coni Lefferts for sharing this article with us.]

Today in Global Small Business: "Preserve Our Democracy" Says Martin Luther King's Son to the Supreme Court

©iStock/Coast-to-Coast

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

• Martin Luther King's son to the Supreme Court:  Preserve Our Democracy (for The New York Times Opinion section).
• Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – Northeastern University.
• Quote of the week:  "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." – Martin Luther King, Letter from a Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963
• Remember the dream:  A Day Honoring Dr. King – Smithsonian 
• Honoring the life and legacy of the slain civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – Northeast Wisconsin
• Ways to honor Dr. King across DC on Monday, January 19, 2026. – DC News

Kindness Is Free

©2025 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Kindness is free.  Let's pass it on." – Unknown

How to Get a 131-Year-Old Workhorse Chocolate Brand to Worker Harder?

©iStock/arlutz73

The candy and snacks maker Hershey, whose portfolio also includes famous names like Reese’s and Twizzlers, has increased its marketing budget by 20% to fund the brand’s first new advertising campaign in eight years. The Hershey Company spent $600 million total on advertising expenses in 2024.

Hershey wants its 131-year-old, workhorse chocolate brand to work a little harder.

“Our goal is to fill in the gaps,” she [Stacy Taffet, chief growth officer of Hershey] said, referring to candy shopping occasions outside of Halloween and Easter, and to households without children who eat sweets.

Learn more about Hershey's plan to experiment with new product iterations to grab headlines and drive year-round sales.  You'll also learn a little about the power of familiarity.

China's Trade Surplus

©iStock/Peng Wang

According to Eswar Prasad, professor of trade policy in the Dyson School at Cornell University and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution:

"China’s trade surplus – the amount by which its exports exceed its imports – hit a staggering $1.19 trillion in 2025, according to official numbers released on Wednesday (1/14/26). The figure shows just how much China is an exporting powerhouse but is also a sign of its economic weakness and of how its practices pose a greater danger to free trade than even President Trump’s tariffs."

Read the entire article at The New York Times (gifted):  Forget Trump’s Tariffs. The Real Danger Lies in China’s Trade Surplus.

Global Cooperation Is Holding Steady But Its Shape Is Evolving

©iStock/wildpixel

New research from McKinsey and the World Economic Forum finds that global cooperation is holding steady, but its shape is evolving. 

Read The Global Cooperation Barometer 2026, which shows that overall cooperation is largely unchanged from previous years, but its composition appears to be changing.

Why We Fall For Narcissistic Leaders by Adam Grant

©iStock/Nuthawut Somsuk

This is a guest essay for the New York Times (12/29/25) by Dr. Adam Grant, who is a contributing Opinion writer, and an organizational psychologist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

"Readers of a certain stripe will assume this is an article about President Trump. He is, after all, the man who has boasted, “I alone can fix it” and “I know more about ISIS than the generals do,” who exaggerated his wealth, refused to concede that he lost an election and described the brutal killing of a Hollywood couple as being somehow all about him. But my point is not about Mr. Trump per se; it’s about why people are attracted to him and so many others like him as leaders in politics and business right now."

Read the entire guest essay here.

Today in Global Small Business: Global Economy Shows Signs of Subdued Growth

©iStock/Nadia Nesterova

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

• Global economy shows signs of subdued growth.
• Here's (almost everything) Wall Street expects in 2026.
• Quote of the week:  "No tariff opinion." – post by Mark Walsh
• How tariff disruption will continue reshaping the global economy in 2026.
• Tariffs funded everything in 2026.  Will it continue?  See next bullet point.
• Yes.  Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump (Tariffs).

I Started Singing When I Started Talking

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Basically, I started singing when I started talking. Music has just been my saving grace my whole life." – Mariah Carey

Can Walking Be Your Whole Workout?

©iStock/Jacob Wackerhausen

The news is so crazy these days that I thought I would take a break and focus on walking and how it affects your fitness. 

Here's the question posed:  I know walking is good for my body. But can it be my only form of exercise.

Find out the answer here. 

Tariffs Are Causing Brands to Back Away From the US and Expand Abroad Instead

©iStock/wildpixel

Matthew Hassett, the founder of lamp and clock brand Loftie, realized he couldn’t depend on the U.S. market like he had in the past. Ninety-five percent of Loftie’s sales were from U.S. customers, but the company was stuck paying tariffs of up to 180% to bring in products from China. 

Loftie needs components from abroad, and while it looked into operating a factory in Thailand, that turned out to be even more expensive than operating in China. “Until there’s some finality on these tariffs, it’s too risky to bet on being able to even sell here [in the U.S.],” Hassett told Modern Retail in an interview.

Read about Hassett's new plan here.

Global Leaders Must Adapt at Speed, and Bring Coherence to an Increasingly Unstable Environment

©iStock/liuzishan

As David Bach and Alarico Allegri say, "For the first time in decades, global business is operating under conditions it did not prepare for. Political forces now shape markets as much as economic ones, and the rules that once guided international business no longer hold.

To understand this moment, read the entire article, "The rules of global business are being rewritten.  Leadership must evolve to keep pace."

David Bach is President of IMD and Nestle Professor of Strategy and Political Economy.

Alarico Allegri is a Consultant at Egon Zehnder.

How Small Businesses Will Build, Adapt, and Grow in 2026

©iStock/winyuu

Rieva Lesonsky writes “2026 Predictions and Insights:  How Small Businesses Will Build, Adapt, and Grow.”  She also includes a section I [Laurel Delaney] wrote titled, “Global Trade: Powering the New Global Economic Reality."  Access the article here.

Speaking of trends ... register for Laurel Delaney's Global Trade Trends Report 2026 – a wegginar® taking place free of charge tomorrow, 1/7 at 11 AM CT.

Today in Global Small Business: 2026 Word of the Year Ideas

©iStock/Deagreez

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

• These words can offer ideas for finding language to describe the journey ahead in 2026. 
• New Year's resolutions to inspire you in 2026.
• Quote of the week:  "And now we welcome a new year.  Full of things that have never been." – Rainer Maria Rilke
• Focus on these 4 impact areas if you are thinking of starting a business in 2026.
• Upgrade your game in 2026.
• Predictions and insights:  How small businesses will build, adapt and grow in 2026 (including growing global).

I'm Ready for Spring!

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"OK, Christmas is over. I'm ready for spring!" – attributed to Snoopy 

Eager to Present My [Laurel Delaney's] Global Trade Trends Report 2026 (wegginar® 1/7/26)

©Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

I [Laurel Delaney] always go into monk mode from right around Christmas to the New Year to create my Global Trade Trends Report 2026 that is nothing less than 40 slides with a theme this year of Ireland – for those who need graphic appeal and not the boring globes on every slide :-(.

Hope you can join me on Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at 11 AM CT.  I'll cover a bunch of relevant global trade trends – from the global economy to supply chain issues to tariffs and AI.  There will be a bit of jumping around but that's exactly what we have to deal with as business owners this year.

Go here to register free of charge thanks to Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global's amazing sponsors: https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/2025/12/03/laurel-delaneys-global-trade-trends-report-2026/.

And check out wegg's amazing sponsors:  APCO, Associated Bank, FedEx, FLOMO, GlobalCare Clinical Trials, JPMorgan Chase, LuxLined, Merrill, SciAps and VISA.

See you there!  Looking forward!

Happy 2026 from the Global Small Business Blog!

©iStock/drogatnev

"Use all the colors in your crayon box in 2026.  Happy New Year!" – Laurel J. Delaney, founder, The Global Small Business Blog