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?

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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!

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