President and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council Says USMCA is a Win for SMEs

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Karen Kerrigan, president and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, says "The USMCA would greatly benefit American small businesses and encourage new business creation in America. Congress should waste no time in approving the deal."

She goes on further to say:

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was signed by President Trump and his fellow leaders at the G20 in Argentina. The accord modernizes the decades-old NAFTA and is chock full of meaningful provisions that will help American small businesses boost exports and safeguard their intellectual property (IP).

To learn the good, the good and the good on USMCA according to Kerrigan, visit, "why America's small businesses and entrepreneurs win under USMCA."

On a side note:  If you missed Laurel Delaney's "Global Trade Trends Report 2019," (wegginar®) you can catch it here for free and she touches on the good, the bad and the ugly on the USMCA.

Can Any Country Slap on Tariffs Easily?

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U.S. President Donald Trump said he would impose a 25 percent tariff, or tax, on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum.

The questions that beg to be answered are:

1. Why does Trump want to impose tariffs?
2. Can any country slap on tariffs so easily?
3. Why do stocks shift when tariffs are levied?
4. What's a trade war?
5. How are tariffs affecting negotiations to review the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?

Learn more about how Trump's planned steel, and aluminum tariffs will affect you.

Today in Global Small Business: Best Small Business in America

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

• Joselyn DiPetta at Google, and Managing Partner, Present Possibility, will address how to create a workplace that works (diverse+inclusive) in the next WEGGinar™ held on Wednesday, December 6 at 11:00 a.m. Central time. WEGGinar™ is no charge but you must sign up to attend: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1837790091765976835.
• Best small business in America?  Find out here.  This is according to Rubicon Global.
• To stay relevant in a crowded global marketplace, Small Business Trends suggests reading Top of Mind.
• Tempted to invest in Bitcoin?  Here are a few factors to consider.
• Will Macy's survive the holiday bustle?
• How the NAFTA trade negotiations are coming along.

Today in Global Small Business: Small Businesses Are Stealing Away Business from Publicly Traded Retailers

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

• The Canadian government wants to include a gender chapter in the new NAFTA.
• Shopping Small can have a huge impact locally, but with organizations like TO THE MARKET, the impact can be global as well.
• Deloitte found that $200 billion in market share is being traded to smaller businesses, away from the top 25 publicly traded retailers, which includes both Amazon and Walmart.
• Joselyn DiPetta at Google, and Managing Partner, Present Possibility, will address how to create a workplace that works (diverse+inclusive) in the next WEGGinar™ held on Wednesday, December 6 at 11:00 a.m. Central time. WEGGinar™ is no charge but you must sign up to attend: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1837790091765976835.
• ignoring Bitcoin is to your detriment.
• Chicago-based Tempesta Market is opening Dec. 1 with locally made artisan Italian cured meats.

Today in Global Small Business: The Impact of NAFTA on Midwestern Businesses

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

• How could changes to NAFTA impact Midwest businesses?
• Our 3rd Annual Global Small Business Forum held in Chicago on Friday, October 20 with the theme Global E-Commerce Explosion (#GEE) was a HUGE success. We thank our event sponsor, MB Financial Bank and our host sponsor, Loyola University Chicago, Center for International Business, Quinlan School of Business for their support on the program.  We'll be sharing photos and a recap tomorrow, 10/24, at this blog.  Watch for it.
• Urban warehouses:  what's old is new again.
• How can you master and simplify global shipping?  Easy solution.  Listen in on our next WEGGinar™ on 11/1/17 where UPS Illinois Small Business Marketing Manager Andrea Cervini will talk about how to take the guesswork out of international shipping: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3272777010361474561.
• Here's why you need to know about trade finance.
• The state of small business marketing.
• What trade data tells us about the state of globalization.

Today in Global Small Business: Best Place to See the Great American 8/21/17 Eclipse

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

• The best place to catch the Great American 8/21/17 eclipse. 
• What would a better NAFTA look like?
• How to win at the international trade game with creative export finance (WEGGinar™ on 9/6 free of charge but you must register to attend: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4753604763900421122; I'll be on the call).
• Flying warehouses?  Coming soon from Walmart.
• Can working overseas influence your worldview?  One man's perspective.
• How to launch your startup in an Asian market.

NAFTA: A Curse or a Blessing?

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It's the politics, stupid. When it comes to the US economy, trade has replaced the devil as the reason things go bad.

A Fortune magazine poll conducted this January asked Americans what the most important reason for the recent economic slowdown was. The largest number—28 percent—answered "losing jobs to economies where labor is cheaper" and an additional 7 percent mentioned "foreign competition." Fully 78 percent of the respondents said that trade has made things worse for American workers.

Is NAFTA a curse or ... you decide.