Today in Global Small Business: The Benefits of Professional Networking

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

• So who networks and who doesn’t?  Should you if you don't?  Find out.
• What's next for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)?  
• Apple joins Cyber Readiness Institute, bolstering global small business to become more secure.
• Quote of the week:  "The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity." – Keith Ferrazzi
• How a silk necktie company built a cult following out of a tiny Naples (Italy) shop and slowly updated to digital sales.
• How Facebook is helping global small businesses weather the pandemic.

TPP: The Future of Our Country’s Participation in the Global Economy

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With or without the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the challenge remains the same: The United States must maintain its dominant position as a world trade leader.  Otherwise, companies big and small will be at a competitive disadvantage in the international marketplace.

The election is over, and campaign rhetoric must give way to real dialog. The issue isn’t just the future of TPP, but the future of our country’s participation in the global economy.

How will we compete?

Read more here.

Today in Global Small Business: Don't Overlook the Global Day of Giving

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

• Why small businesses are going from local to global.
• Will TPP or the lack thereof, impact Hawaii's businesses?
• Guess what the main driver of growth is for businesses this holiday season?
• How to avoid giving your data to cyber thieves this holiday season.
• Four ways to get in on a global day of giving (and don't overlook WEGG).
• A glimpse into 1.35 billion Chinese lives.

TPP or No TPP, How to Tweak Your Website For Global Growth

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It's on.  It's off.  TPP is up in the air until President-elect Trump decides how to improve it before signing.

Meanwhile here are six easy steps to implement on your website to demonstrate you know how to communicate with people effectively regardless of geography, culture or language, and that you are open to doing business with a few of the countries (e.g. Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam) in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Today in Global Small Business: America Competes

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

• Ways to lose customers at your international trade business.
• Seven lessons to learn before importing products from China.
• See how America is more competitive.
• Discover key indicators on trade and services in 195 different economies.
• The last, best hope for TPP.
• What's holding back SME global traders?

Have Faith in U.S. Leadership: Let's Cross the Finish Line on TPP

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Let's face it.  The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will boost exports, help us shape the rules of the global economy, and create jobs.  Then why are we stalling on passing TPP and why are both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton against it?

According to Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, leaders from several TPP trading partners have made it clear that a U.S. failure to ratify the deal before President Obama leaves office “will require them to hedge their bets and consider closer relations with others in the region” like China.

Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said small- to medium-sized businesses are the “biggest beneficiaries” of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement and that failing to ratify the deal would broadly hurt the U.S.'s reputation in the rapidly growing Pacific region.

Fact:  98% of U.S. exporters are small businesses and they account for more than 1/3 of U.S. exports.

Read more:  Pacific deal will boost exports for small businesses | TheHill

Today in Global Small Business: Foreign Correspondents Explain the U.S. Election

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

• Why Brexit has not seriously hurt U.S. small business lending.
• The push for action on Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
• Zidisha aims to help people in disadvantaged countries get loans to improve their quality of life.
• The explosive rise of global e-commerce expected in China and India allows for new entrants in the logistics space.
• Nescafe is to launch its first global marketing campaign with the help of Tumblr after ditching its dot com websites (young people, after all, matter).
• How foreign correspondents explain the U.S. election.

TPP Will Help Shape the Rules of Global Trade in Favor of U.S. Companies

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Audley Logan Sr. is the founder and President of 3-C Technology LLC in Lancaster, Texas (USA).  He feels very strongly that Congress should support not only Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) but more international trade agreements in the future.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade agreement with 11 other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, would help shape the rules of international [global] trade in favor of U.S. companies.

The U.S. International Trade Commission’s recent independent examination (May 2016) found the Trans-Pacific Partnership would boost the U.S. economy and help small businesses.

Logan says, "The Trans-Pacific Partnership would deal America’s small businesses a winning hand, creating more jobs and strengthening the economy.

Read more:  Pass Trans-Pacific Partnership to help small business

Global Game Changers: TPP and TTIP

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Two major global trade agreements, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership (TTIP) will positively impact the way American businesses, even small ones, interact with Europe and Asia.

Tomas Hult, professor at Michigan State University and Byington Endowed Chair in international business in the Eli Broad College of Business, says this:

"Any agreement that the U.S. enters into will have consequences for these smaller firms," Hult said. "In fact, the TPP agreement has established a specific section … that deals with the advantages and operating issues for small businesses. This is a first for a U.S. trade agreement."

Find out just how these trade agreements might impact you and other American businesses.

Read more:  Global Trade Agreement Set to Impact U.S. Entrepreneurs

Related article:  5 Benefits to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

Today in Global Small Business: The World Pays Tribute to the Great Muhammad Ali

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

• TPP e-commerce rules 'template' for future global agreements.
• From shoplifter to queen of e-commerce:  Sophia Amoruso is the new the global fashion phenom.
• Today's guide to the obscure, including news that tattoos above the neck are not allowed in the Marine Corps.
• How 3-D printing takes shape.
• Four global risks facing the middle market.
• The world pays tribute to the great Muhammad Ali who has died at age 74.

America Will Lead the Way on Global Trade

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Which country will lead the way on global trade?  According to USA President Barack Obama, if the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) becomes a reality, the United States will lead the way.

Learn more:  The TPP would let America, not China, lead the way on global trade:  Barack Obama

Today in Global Small Business: How to Make TPP Work For Everyone

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

• 12 tactics for creating powerful global leadership connections.
• From getting started in exporting to financing your international business, start now.
• New study says 2016 brings "banner year" for small business owners.
• Why Bitcoin has failed for the 89th time.
• How to make the Trans-Pacific Partnership work for workers and communities.
• Who are the five most important retail e-commerce vendors?

TPP Tackles E-Commerce As We Know It Today

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As the leading ecommerce platform for businesses of all sizes, eBay Canada applauds the government’s support of SMEs with the launch of a $50-million fund designed to help Canadian small and medium businesses (SMEs) export their products, which will help them compete in a global marketplace and also recognize their capacity for international trade.

According to Industry Canada, SMEs employ 90 per cent of the total private labour force, and small businesses alone (up to 99 employees) generate 27 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Interesting fact:  "On eBay, for example, 99.8 per cent of Canadian commercial sellers exported in 2014 with 99.5 per cent of those sellers exporting to Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries."

TPP not only updates much of the North-American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), it also promises to improve access to global markets for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).

Unfamiliar with TPP?  Go here for more information.

Read more:  Why the TPP is the right direct for e-commerce

Today in Global Small Business: E-Commerce Sales Go International

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

• The top five benefits to the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.
• Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP):  Trade Booster for the World
• Enough about TPP?  Oh, how about more?
• How to build small brands up to global status.
• Foreign exchange:  what is it and why does it matter?
• Holiday [November] e-commerce sales go international.

The Ins and Outs to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

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As promised, here's the two-part interview I conducted with Karen Kerrigan, president and CEO of Small Business & Entrepreneurship (SBE) Council.

• The Top 5 Benefits to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (Part I of II)
• Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP):  Trade Booster for the World (Part II of II)

Today in Global Small Business: How U.S. Exporters Get a Leg Up from TPP

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

• What TPP means for small businesses.
• Meet the winners of Schwab's social entrepreneur awards in 2015.
• Hear what an expert has to say about small business customs compliance and supply chain regulations.
• What to know before your website goes global.
• How one small business promoted Small Business Saturday [11/28/15].
• Singapore SMEs get help from Google to go global.
• How U.S. exporters get a leg up from TPP.

Reboot Global Trade Talks

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Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group wants to reboot global trade talks.

“WTO 2.0,” he said in a speech at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila last week. “We should be using WTO to support small guys.” It’s the big buys that currently control the global trading system. They built it, as they alone had the resources to spread out around the globe."

He goes on to say that trade is a freedom, trade is human right and trade should not be used as a tool against other nations.

Mighty powerful words.  Besides Alibaba, who else benefits from small-business commerce?  Are we on the verge of a new trade agenda -- beyond Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)?

Read more:  Why the future of global trade deals could be small business

TPP, TPP and More on TPP

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TPP stands for Trans-Pacific Partnership -- a trade agreement with 11 other countries -- and there's plenty out there on the Internet about it.  You can start with my article "Trade Agreements are Not Just about Lower Tariffs" and then move on to C. Fred Bergsten's "Op-ed:  The Trans-Pacific Partnership and Japan" (the Peterson Institute for International Economics) and take a look at a more controversial opinion piece featured recently in The New York Times "Pacific Trade and Worker Rights."

Coming soon:  Watch for an interview with Karen Kerrigan, President and CEO, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, on the good, the great and the exceptional about TPP.

SMEs Declare the Importance of Global Trade

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The Trans-Pacific Partnership, between the United States, Japan and 10 other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, stands to reduce many of the barriers that smaller businesses struggle with in particular, have reached a final agreement on the largest regional trade accord in history, bubbling up what could be a tough fight for U.S. President Obama because he has to secure approval from Congress.  Further, the deal still has to be ratified by lawmakers in each country.   The TPP would affect 40 percent of the world economy.

Many business leaders -- big and small -- have said that increasing access to international markets would enable them to hire more workers to keep up with new demand.

Need more background on TPP?  Visit Trans-Pacific Partnership - At a Glance and The Trans-Pacific Partnership -- USTR.gov

Read more:  Business Leaders Applaud Trans-Pacific Partnership

Today in Global Small Business: The Importance of Fair Trade

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

• How to attract foreign buyers to your website.
• What's it mean to go global with Microsoft®?
• International Enterprise Singapore considers extending budget initiatives for local firms going global.
• Are you interested in growing your business internationally (an event that takes place 5/13/15)?
• Find out how to go global in the digital age (an event that takes place 5/28/15 in Illinois).
• The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP):  What it means for trade, human rights, and the environment.