An Oldie But Goodie: 20 tips to Grow a Global Business by Laurel Delaney

©iStock/Kriangsak Koopattanakij

Six years old and still pretty relevant.  It's an article I [Laurel Delaney] wrote for GoDaddy.  From choosing the right market to having a payment plan in place, this is your cheat sheet to growing a global business.

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.

Repeat: 50 Ways to Go Global

©iStock/Bjoern Wylezich

LOVE 💟 this old post from 2007:  50 Ways to Go Global!  You can see who is still around and who isn't.  Fascinating.  Lots of 404 errors but that is to be expected.  Check it out.  And we keep going! 

Pope Leo XIV's Home in Dolton, Illinois

I [Laurel Delaney] was born and raised in Riverdale, Illinois – 4 miles from Dolton, Illinois where Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost) was raised.  I suspect we passed each other on our bikes growing up.

Photo credit (5/18/25):  ©Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.  

Rieva Lesonsky: 7 Leaders Predict Small Business Trends for 2025

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How do you keep up in this fast-paced world? To help you stay ahead of the curve, my esteemed colleague, long-time small business journalist and small business advocate Rieva Lesonsky (https://smallbusinesscurrents.com/) tapped into the expertise of seasoned small business experts and leaders [I, Laurel Delaney, am lucky to be one of them] and created a series of articles to share the vital trends and actionable insights that will empower you to thrive in this ever-changing entrepreneurial world. 

I am also glad to see geopolitical risk and due diligence business expert Candice Tal, founder and CEO of Infortal Worldwide included.  No one knows risk intelligence business better than Candice.  That's why so many law firms and big financial institutions use her services.

Read the entire article here at Forbes (or at AllBusiness.com).  

To learn more about staying ahead of the curve on global trade trends, register for Laurel's free of charge Global Trade Trends Report 2025 wegginar® 1/8/25 at 11 AM CT.

Getting Global Expansion Right

©2024 Apress.  All rights reserved.

When is the right time to go global?  It's hard to determine.  

But what's easy is to expand too quickly or into the wrong markets. Nearly every company begins life in a single market, and determining when and how to expand internationally is a challenge every successful company must eventually address.

According to Forbes, the key to global success is simple in theory and complex in execution—to go global, you have to be local. 

Here are three keys to getting this right.  

Oh, one more thing.  If you haven't read this book (pictured – and a book I [Laurel Delaney] authored), do it now, because it provides international expansion strategies and tips that help individuals go from thinking about going global to creating, running and maintaining a successful global business.

Tools That Can Make Your Writing Easier

©iStock/Михаил Руденко

Different writing projects call for different tools.  Below I [Laurel Delaney] have gathered 8 writing tools that can take you from brainstorming to final editing on any project you are working on.

See which of the following belongs in your writing toolkit – maybe it’s all of these. 

8 Tools That Can Make Your Writing Easier

Today in Global Small Business: Prioritize Profits in 2023

©iStock/Mongkol Onnuan

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

• Four (4) low-cost e-commerce growth strategies for 2023, one being prioritize profits.
• Apparel's devastating impact on the climate.
• Get found by international customers – some tips.
• Quote of the week: “Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who make excuses.” ― George Washington
• Overseas demand continues to affect cargo, exports at Chinese ports.
• Discover a thing or two about importing and exporting (Laurel Delaney's work).
• Enjoy USA's President Day – learn something on how it came about.

Smartphone Apps for Global Travelers

©iStock/Prostock-Studio

Here are seven (7) promising smartphone apps designed to help global travelers break the language barrier.  

What do you use when you travel internationally to communicate with locals?  If we missed any, please share!

How International Distribution Contracts Are Crafted

©iStock/nortonrsx

When it comes to international distribution contracts, Dan Harris, founding member of Harris Bricken, an international law firm that represents companies doing business in emerging market countries, thought his contract list was a handful.  Try this one on for size, too, by Laurel Delaney, relating to questions to ask a distributor before working together.

Everyday Is Global Entrepreneurship Day For Us!

iStock/wildpixel

At Global Entrepreneurship Week – 180 countries. 40,000 activities – the goal is to remove barriers and welcome all.  Their focus this year for the week is:  November 8-14, 2021.

Everyday is global entrepreneurship day for us.  But to celebrate with GEW2021, we offer all of our work:

• Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global, https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org
• How She Went Global® podcast, https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/programs/how-she-went-global/
• Exporting Guide, http://exportingguide.com
• The Balance, Import & Export Business, https://www.thebalancesmb.com/import-export-4161447
• wegginar®, https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/2021/10/06/bringing-fun-hawaii-rooted-footwear-to-the-world-with-kiani-wong/
• Global Small Business Forum, https://globalsmallbusinessforum.com

Tune in, learn and grow global together!  Happy GEW2021!  See our event for wegg® here.

6 Essential Components to an Export Sale

©iStock/SHansche

Below is an article I [Laurel Delaney] wrote to tackle the topic of what's needed on an export sale.  

It goes like this.  

How do you react to an email from a customer located thousands of miles away who wants to buy your product? 

To get the ball rolling every export sales transaction must contain information pertaining to product description, price, quantity and transportation, but within those confines lies a host of other details that can go wrong. The need for clear instructions on the terms used in negotiating the sales contract cannot be emphasized enough. 

Take a look at the six major components to an export sale. These may not be all that you need to pay attention to, but they are a good starting point.

Learn more about exporting here.

Grow BIG By Going Global: 6 Trends by 6 Experts That Will Reshape 2021

©2021 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

As we move through 2021, the picture is becoming very hopeful and global business is not going away.  Through my work as President of Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® and Chicago Chapter Chair for the Women Presidents' Organization, I’ve discovered that women business owners, now more than ever, are ready to grow big by going global.  It’s a fast ticket to find new customers.  

I asked six experts (as shown in the photo) to weigh in on six key trends – digital, strategy, wellness, supply chain, security risks, and remote work – that business owners should understand as they navigate through uncharted global territory.  

Here’s what they said.  

Laurel Delaney's Cheat Sheet to Growing a Global Business

iStock/inkoly

If I [Laurel Delaney] had a dollar for every time someone asked me what it takes to go global, I’d be one rich woman. It’s not one thing that propels you to success. Rather, it’s a series of things that must be done well that will get you that much closer to improving your overall growth potential and conducting business with customers the world over.

From choosing the right market to having a payment plan in place, this is your cheat sheet from Laurel Delaney to growing a global business.

Laurel Delaney Says Gratitude is the Key to Fulfillment

©2020 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Forming new relationships and strengthening existing ones have been great gifts to me [Laurel Delaney] in 2020. They have kept me sane, motivated and feeling very much alive, all with a greater sense of purpose. Gratitude is the key to fulfillment. Here is my shortlist of what has kept me going during COVID-19 and what am I most thankful for in 2020.

Laurel Delaney's Global Trade Trends Report 2020 (wegginar®)

©Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

In today's fast-changing business world, it has never been more important to stay informed about key trends reshaping the global economy and position yourself to maintain a competitive edge.  And that is what Laurel Delaney will be covering in her upcoming Thought Leadership Series (TLS) wegginar® hosted by Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  Not just what’s hot and what’s not but what you should be giving your undivided attention to.  Are you ready?

JOIN us for Laurel Delaney's Global Trade Trends Report 2020, a free wegginar® thanks to wegg®'s sponsors:  Bank of America, FedEx, Associated Bank, Greensfelder, APCO Worldwide, GlobalCare Clinical Trials and Union Pacific Foundation – all companies that generously support women business owners who grow their businesses through exports.

Laurel will unveil:

• Facts on the global small business market
• Growth in the USA economy
• How small is the new big

This will be a high-energy, information-rich presentation that will have you thinking about how to track what is relevant in global trade and position your global small business for success in 2020.

Participants will learn what's in store for 2020 on the following issues relative to global trade:

• U.S. China relations
• Brexit
• Freight
• Payment
• Warehousing
• Tariffs
• Privacy
• Digital trade
• +More

Laurel Delaney's Global Trade Trends Report 2020 will take place LIVE on Wednesday, January 8th at 11AM CT (12PM ET and 9AM PST).  Register NOW:
https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/2019/12/17/laurel-delaneys-global-trade-trends-report-2020/

Today in Global Small Business: The World's Champion on Exporting

©2019 Apress.  All rights reserved.  Used with permission.

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

• If you are struggling with how to take your product or service overseas, do yourself a favor and sign up for this upcoming (7/18) New York NEXCO event featuring the world's champion on exporting, Laurel Delaney, who will present "How to Export Successfully in the Digital Age." Program includes an after-seminar reception for wine-tasting and networking with the NY metro exporting community.  For more information and to register, visit:  https://conta.cc/32srXWS  
• Quote of the week: “If you are not taking care of your customer, your competitor will." — Bob Hooey
• Two businesses are bringing small business owners around the world a comprehensive array of products and services to make running their enterprise easier, more efficient and more profitable.
• For labor to secure gains, in the United States or globally, workers must mobilize.  Here's why.
• When it comes to global payment technologies there are several countries that are the most advanced.  However, it is two specific countries that stand out and make the payment experience easy for the global consumer. 
• Many business owners believe that in the not-too-distant future — they will be exporting a “significant chunk” of the cannabis they are growing domestically.  The cannabis market is expected to grow exponentially (globally) in the next couple of years.

Today in Global Small Business: Laurel Delaney Will Cover Exporting Successfully in the Digital Age in NY on 7/18/19

©iStock/metamorworks

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

• Please join me [Laurel Delaney] when I keynote for Nexco in NY on Thursday, July 18 at 3:00 p.m. ET on "Grow Your Business Globally:  Exporting Successfully in the Digital Age."  I am super-excited about sharing practical advice for small- to mid-size businesses on how to start and scale up export sales with today’s digital tools: where to start, what you must do, what sets apart the most successful strategies, and the 6 mistakes to avoid.  For more information and to register, please see: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grow-your-business-globally-exporting-successfully-in-the-digital-age-tickets-61759860405.  See you there!
• Quote of the week: “Nothing could be worse than the fear that one had given up too soon, and left one unexpended effort that might have saved the world." —Jane Addams, founder of Hull House
• Google launches new portal for small business, which gives everyone a place to start with Google products.
• Avoid these mistakes when you expand your business.
• A look at entrepreneurship -- The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2017.
• Honoring exceptional managers and providers of "humanitarian logistics."

College of DuPage: Become a Digital Rock Star on 2/19/19

©2019 College of DuPage.  All rights reserved.
Used with permission.

If you are in the neighborhood, please join us at the College of DuPage for an engaging, educational and fun time learning from Laurel Delaney on how to become a digital rock star on Tuesday, February 19 at 1:00 p.m. Central time.  For more information, contact Bev Carlson.

Where to Turn for Global Trade Help

©iStock/pigphoto

I [Laurel Delaney] have prepared a list of 15 places to look for help in taking a business global.  Check it out here.