Without Standard Shipping Containers, the Global Supply Chain Would Not Exist

©iStock/pigphoto

Anna Nagurney for Fast Company writes, "Today, an estimated 90% of the world’s goods are transported by sea, with 60% of that—including virtually all of your imported fruits, gadgets, and appliances—packed in large steel containers."  She goes on to say, "In short, without the standardized container, the global supply chain that society depends upon—and that I study—would not exist."

In fact, the average size of a container ship has doubled in the past 20 years alone. The largest ships sailing today are capable of hauling 24,000 containers—that’s a carrying capacity equivalent to how much a freight train 44 miles long could hold. Put another way, a ship named the Globe with a capacity of 19,100 20-foot containers could haul 156 million pairs of shoes, 300 million tablet computers, or 900 million cans of baked beans—in case you’re feeling hungry.

Read Anna's full length thought-provoking and thorough article: The $14 trillion reason you should care about the shipping container shortage.

10 Asia-Pacific Companies Offer Game-changing Solutions to Difficult Problems

©iStock/Aquir

The United States is a leader in every respect – take Walmart, Amazon, Exxon Mobil and Apple.  Yet, South Korea’s Seegene, for example, helped the world diagnose the novel coronavirus quickly and effectively. 

India’s MilkMantra allowed the country’s small-scale dairy farmers to bring their products to market, while ensuring quality control. And Australia’s ProAgni has cleaned up the food chain by developing antibiotic-free supplement for cattle and sheep. 

Read on for more of this year’s best in Asia-Pacific published by Fast Company.

There are Not Enough Women Investing in Women (Yet)

©iStock/fizkes

Some quick intros.  Kay Koplovitz founded and served as CEO of USA Networks, now part of NBC Universal. She also is cofounder and chairman of Springboard Growth Capital, which invests in women-led, fast-growth companies, and she is cofounder and chairman of Springboard Enterprises, a nonprofit that aims accelerate the growth of entrepreneurial companies led by women through access to resources and a global community of experts. Alli McCartney is a managing director at UBS, and founder, Alignment Partners, a private wealth management group at UBS.

They recently spoke with Fast Company editor-in-chief Stephanie Mehta on how to get more high-net-worth women to invest in female founders.

Is the Business Case for Diversity Working?

©iStock/fizkes

Sarah Kaplan's contribution to Fast Company makes an interesting and strong point in her article, "Why the 'business case' for diversity isn't working."

"Hmm," that's a bummer.  She says:

Workplaces and executive boardrooms should reflect the world’s diversity, and lots of companies are using the so-called “business case” for diversity to instigate action. But, popular as it may be, it’s a failed strategy.

Curious where she takes this piece short of giving up on the business case?  Read on to learn more.

2020: Do Less, Know Less, Care Less, Forget Less and Regret Less

©iStock/Oakozhan

Too much to do, too many goals, too many unfinished projects, and too many disappointments from this past year?  Time management coach Elizabeth Grace Saunders explains her surprising approach to having your most productive year yet.

Saunders says "as you look ahead to 2020, the idea of adding more seems kind of exciting but also a bit daunting. That’s why as a time management coach, I recommend that you do the opposite. Resolve to do less, and experience your best year possible."

So less is more?  Sure sounds like it.  Here are Saunder's five resolutions to make it happen.

Smallness Makes Success More Exciting on the World Stage

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Charles Fishman weaves an amazing story (all true) about Marlin Steel for Fast Company (below).  There are so many lessons in it for a small business owner - from thinking of your product not as it is but rather, what it could be - to how to sell to customers who are price insensitive!  You must read this article - every word.  And even more amazing and exciting is that Marlin Steel will be in my new exporting book (chapter 30 on real life accounts of successful export businesses).

Read the entire article:  The Road to Resilience:  How Unscientific Innovation Saved Marlin Steel

Moral of the story?  Do something new!  Reinvent your company from both the products you sell and how you create them!  Stretch your capabilities and good things will follow.

Russia: An Amazing Country to Be An Entrepreneur

iStock/Thinkstock

According to Ms. Maelle Gavet, CEO of Russia's largest e-commerce company, Ozon Holdings, "If you have an idea here, chances are it hasn't been done well.  Russia is an amazing country to be an entrepreneur!" 

Gavet has succeeded by taking the other side of this bet. "It's happening now," she says. "E-commerce is at a tipping point." She points to Russians' soaring incomes: Per-capita purchasing power has tripled, to $19,000, since 2000. (Compare that with Brazil, where per-capita income is still under $12,000, despite a high-growth economy.) Russians are also enjoying a newfound embrace of the Internet. The country now boasts roughly 70 million Internet users, more than any other European country.

Based on the article below, Russia is considered the world's last great untapped Internet market.

As in the case of Ms. Gavet, you never know what direction our lives will take until one is well on their way. Oftentimes, even by default, we can find our greatest treasures in life. Hard work helps.  So does smarts. Regardless, the next global opportunity could be right in front of you.

Is This the Jeff Bezos of Russia?

Groundbreaking Ways to Get More Finance to SMEs Worldwide

iStock/Thinkstock

The SME Finance Challenge was born to identify and fund innovative initiatives that help grow local businesses in developing markets.  It came together as a result of Ashoka, the White House, Rockefeller Foundation, the World Bank and several other of the world's leading institutions.

Most of the winners of the SME Finance Challenge were announced recently at the G20 summit -- and one winner is Peace Dividend Trust with a mission to:

Making peace and humanitarian operations more effective, efficient and equitable so that they deliver cheaper, faster, smarter missions - resulting in a stronger peace and a larger peace dividend. 

Learn more here about their fascinating approach to get more money to SMEs worldwide and change the way aid and peacekeeping is delivered.

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

How To Save Yourself Serious Time On International Business Travel

iStock/Thinkstock

Travel tips for folks who need to fly, especially internationally.

Tips For Business Travel
by David Lavenda, Fast Company

Five years ago the author was quoted in a similar article, “Globetrotter’s Tips To Boost Performance on Long Business Trips.”

Care to add your own international business travel tips? We welcome your comments.

Additional resource:

• Investigate international business travel tips. The practical aspects of international business travel can make or break the success of your trip.

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog