Shadows Will Fall Behind You

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you" – Walt Whitman

Cocaine Is Back on a Global Scale

©iStock/Rafa Jodar

Cocaine is back on a global scale and here's what you need to know.

• Global cocaine production has hit an all-time high, along with record seizures, consequences, and deaths.
• Cocaine accounts for nearly one-third of U.S. overdose deaths.
• Cocaine enforcement has intensified, targeting maritime routes and cartel leadership to reduce access and use. 

Read more about how the global glut in cocaine shocks the world.

Well, Take That Supreme Court!

©iStock/Nuthawut Somsuk

By the WSJ Editorial Board (2/23/26) ... 

"Well, that will show the Supreme Court—or something. President Trump is reacting to his Friday tariff defeat not by calming the trade waters but by roiling them further. He is aiming in fury at the Supreme Court, but he will end up hitting the economy and Republicans in Congress.

The larger reality is that Mr. Trump is so bull-headed about tariffs that he’s going to re-impose them any way he can. Along with Section 122, he’ll fire up more Section 201, 301 and 232 (national security) studies and tariffs. But as our friend Don Luskin points out, these are pea shooters compared to the IEEPA tariffs the Court struck down. They are limited in scope and duration."

Access full commentary here on The Unending Trump Tariff Mess.

Big Detail On Claiming Tariff Refunds: Were You the Importer of Record?

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From the law firm Foley & Lardner as of 2/24/26:

Contractual Issues for Companies That Are Importers of Record …

The importer of record is the entity that initially pays all tariffs and thus is the entity that would receive any IEEPA tariff refunds. Nonetheless, behind the scenes there often are a variety of mechanisms importers of record may have used to handle the often unexpected tariffs, including pushing back on suppliers for price concessions, using surcharges to pass along tariffs, or general price increases. In many cases, other parties may be looking to share any potential refunds. For importers of record potentially facing this situation, we recommend working through the following steps.

Read on to learn more about the specific steps.

Winter Wonderland in NYC's Central Park

Today in Global Small Business: We Are Told the Global 15 percent Tariffs Announced by Trump on 2/21/26 Are a “Very Durable” Tool Legally

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

• We are told that the global 15 percent tariffs announced by Mr. Trump on Saturday, 2/21/26 are a “very durable” tool legally, as reported on ABC's "This Week."
• CEOs go back to company war rooms to access what they can do to reclaim billions in paid levies. 
• Quote of the week:  "If you follow the devil, your journey will end up in the hell! This is what happens to those who follow the dictators!" – Mehmet Murat ildan
• We can't sit still:  Small businesses benefit from international trade.
• e.l.f. Beauty and rhode are giving the beauty business a makeover.  Key lesson:  "The leaders who watch, listen, and build are the ones who stay ahead." 
• Gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin is making the whole world shimmer!

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.

In My Defense

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"In my defense, I was left unsupervised." – The phrase is a popular humorous idiom often used as a playful excuse for mischievous, impulsive, or chaotic behavior. 

Tariffs Have Caused Disdain For American Businesses

©iStock/haveseen

Export trouble.  One year in, many wine producers say tariffs have not helped them, and some countries are rejecting U.S. wine altogether.

The resistance to American products overseas has been especially painful for wine producers who had significant export markets, like Kutch Wines, which makes small amounts of exquisite pinot noirs and chardonnays from the Sonoma Coast and the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Another California winemaker, Ridge Vineyards, a much bigger producer than Kutch, produces 28% of its sales through exports.

“Export has always been a big part of our business, and we’ve seen the effects,” he said. “The reaction was immediate and severe. Canada just stopped importing. It was our third-largest export market after the United Kingdom and Japan, and it just went away," says John Olney, Ridge's chief executive and head winemaker.

Since taking office last year, President Trump imposed tariffs on virtually all products imported into the United States. These tariffs have caused disdain for American businesses.

A Quiet Transformation in the American Economy: The Elderly

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There has never been a better time in America to be old. Yet it also exposes our disjointed national priorities. We keep pouring resources into making the elderly comfortable and happy when the economy’s pressure points lie elsewhere. 

According to Greg Ip for The Wall Street Journal, here's what else is happening on the quiet transformation in the American economy:

The elderly are mostly out of the job market and thus need not worry about being replaced by artificial intelligence. The majority own their homes, often debt-free. Everyone worries about health costs, but the elderly have publicly funded Medicare. None of this is true for young generations.

The elderly are a nation of optimists.  

If you are over 65, congratulations.  You own the economy. 

RIP Fellow Chicagoan Rev. Jesse Jackson

©iStock/fumiko Inoue

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, whose impassioned oratory and populist vision of a “rainbow coalition” of the poor and forgotten made him the nation’s most influential Black figure in the years between the civil rights crusades of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the election of Barack Obama, died on Tuesday (2/17/26) at his home in Chicago. He was 84.

Visa Supports: Cash Flow and Business Resilience With 'The Visa and Main' Launch

iStock/Kaewta Suphan

Visa, a global payments network, is moving beyond card transactions into tools that support small business operations and access to funding. The "Visa & Main" launch and the US$100 million working capital facility with Lendistry focus on practical needs such as cash flow and business resilience, areas many founders cite as ongoing pressure points.

In addition, Visa has entered a milestone partnership with UnionPay International to extend Visa Direct reach into Chinese Mainland.

See how all this fits in with the Visa narrative.

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: Honoring Our Founding Fathers on Presidents' Day

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

• Officially called Washington's Birthday at the federal level, the meaning of Presidents' Day and why we celebrate has shifted over the years.
• 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:  "When one of us falters, we all falter. When one of us rises, we all rise.” – Barack Obama
• Here's what the national archives say about George Washington's Birthday.
• Wikipedia's interpretation of Presidents' Day.  
• How Americans mark the holiday, Presidents' Day.

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.

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)

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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

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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

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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.