Today in Global Small Business: Global Digital Trade for Women

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

• Empowering women in developing countries on global digital trade for women.
• Are you ready to export? (by Laurel J. Delaney)
• Quote of the week:  “90% of CEOs believe the digital economy will impact their industry, but less than 15% are executing on a digital strategy.” – MIT Sloan and Capgemini
• The 1,300-foot, 200,000-ton Ever Given got wedged in the Suez Canal shipping channel and we will soon learn what caused this.  Meanwhile, there has been a race to free the giant ship.
• How the stuck Ever Given might roil the global economy.
• A moment of introspection on the coronavirus by Dr. Deborah Birx.

Today in Global Small Business: Stimulus Measures Offered By Country Due to Coronavirus

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

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) is expanding its Think Big for Small Business (TBSB) program globally, to help small and minority-owned AWS Partners gain access to business, technical and marketing enablement support that can help scale their business, according to a statement from the company.
• Here is a list of what each country or region is doing relative to stimulus measures caused by the coronavirus to provide relief to those suffering from the pandemic.
• Quote of the week:  "The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new." – Socrates
• A roundup at how global small businesses are making a huge difference by supporting education.
• The problems plaguing small business owners seeking loans from the government’s revived small-business relief program have ranged from simple to shocking.
• Shadow I.T. includes the procurement and use of I.T. assets by a business unit or individual (e.g., user-developed applications) without the I.T. organization's knowledge or control.  Is it a technical problem?

Fighting the Common Global Enemy, the Coronavirus

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"Today [12/8/20] marks the start of the fightback against our common enemy, the coronavirus," says UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

The reason?  A UK grandmother named Margaret Keenan, who turns 91 next week, has become the first person in the world to be given the Pfizer Covid-19 jab as part of a mass vaccination program.

It was the first of 800,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine that will be dispensed in the coming weeks.

The Global Covid Economy

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Welcome to the [global] Covid Economy.  See how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting all areas of our lives, from food to housing, health care to global small business. 

The first focus is on North Carolina, with rapid economic growth — and growing inequality — since the last recession to learn how residents are weathering the economic consequences of this once-in-a-lifetime health crisis.

Take a deep dive here.

Today in Global Small Business: How Leaders Can Chart a Course For Their Organizations and Guide Their Teams Through Tumultuous Times

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

• Microsoft launches initiative to help 25 million people worldwide acquire the digital skills needed in a COVID-19 economy.
• The coronavirus first hit large, globally connected cities, but is now spreading rapidly throughout the South and in smaller places.
• Quote of the week:  "I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance.  It overcomes almost everything, even nature." – John D. Rockefeller
• The pandemic has dramatically changed the world we know. Here’s how leaders can chart a course for their organizations and guide their teams through tumultuous times.
• Mark your calendar now for next Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® #wegginar 8/12 at 11AM CT.
• Everyone worldwide can now sign up for our 5th Annual Global Small Business Forum held VIRTUALLY on October 16, 2020 (morning program).  Whether you are based in South Africa, Ireland or the United States, you may join us!  Hooray!  To learn more and to register, visit, http://globalsmallbusinessforum.com.  

Global Small Business Owners Are Feeling the Pain

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The bills are now coming due for big companies and millions of laid-off workers. Decisions made in the next few days will shape how coronavirus impacts the economy.

“Rent is due. Utilities are due. Credit card bills are due April 1,” said Hadley Douglas, who has laid off two workers from her liquor business, The Urban Grape. “The deadline is looming large and it is petrifying.” She said her landlord turned down a request to temporarily pay half the rent but said to keep in touch as it was focusing first on smaller, harder hit businesses.

The questions for small business owners become:  Which obligations do they pay and which can they put off? How many employees can they afford to keep on the payroll? Can they get a break on rent?

Read on about America's make or break week.

Today in Global Small Business: The COVID-19 Issue

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

• Tracking the number of COVID-19 cases.
• Best iPhone apps and resources for accurate COVID-19 information
• Quote of the week: “I have an increasing sense that the most important crisis of our time is spiritual and that we need places where people can grow stronger in the spirit and be able to integrate the emotional struggles in their spiritual journeys." – Henri Nouwen
• Coronavirus National Emergency Declaration Permits Employers to Offer Tax-Favored Financial Assistance to Employees
• COVID-19 Briefing
• Coronavirus resource center
• SBA to Provide Disaster Assistance Loans for Small Businesses Impacted by Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Today in Global Small Business: Jack Welch's Approach to Leadership

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

• How 17 upstarts are tailoring solutions to tap the $850 billion annual opportunity in addressing the unmet needs of SMBs.
• Coronavirus threatens small businesses.
• Quote of the week: “One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest." – Maya Angelou
• Seven key actions business can take to mitigate the effects of COVID-19.
• The late Jack Welch's approach to leadership.
• Going global: Exports hit record high in Granite State.

The Novel Coronavirus Disrupts the Entire Global Supply Chain

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Even if you are buying from factories in India, Vietnam and Myanmar, many of the materials to finish off a product still depend on Chinese producers.

The deadly novel coronavirus that has devastated the Chinese economy is having a ripple effect across the globe. And while it has hit the lucrative auto, tech, energy and tourism industries particularly hard, it is also hurting the small businesses that shape everyday life in just about every corner of the world.

The food we eat, the work we do and the clothes we wear are all daily reminders of the vital role China plays in the global economy.

Read more about how the coronavirus is a daily reminder of China's global reach.

Today in Global Small Business: A Formula for Global Growth

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

• Everybody is hurting over the coronavirus – big and small companies alike.
• If it weren't for manufacturers and strong exports, North Carolina would not nearly be so healthy economically.
• Quote of the week: “You will never FIND time for anything.  If you want time, you must MAKE it.” – Charles Bixton
• Here's a formula for global growth after the start-up stage.
• New research will help make marketing to Millennial Small Business Owners (MSBOs) less of a shot in the dark.  Who wouldn't want to find this out?
• Take a look at a comprehensive analysis report entitled Global Ecommerce Tools for Small Businesses Market Size, Status and Forecast 2019-2025 that gives an overview of the relevant market including analysis, latest market trends, and developments including features, technology and market chain types, applications and top manufacturers.

The Global Trade Barometer and Economic Impact

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Every component of the Goods Trade Barometer, which provides real-time information on the trajectory of world trade relative to recent trends, will be influenced by the economic impact of COVID-19 and the effectiveness of efforts to treat and contain the disease,” says the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The Geneva-based body’s latest forward-looking Goods Trade Barometer stood at 95.5, compared with a level of 96.6 in November. 

The WTO goes on to say that global trade in goods will likely remain weak in coming months as disruptions from the coronavirus outbreak in China stanch the movement of international commerce already slowed by tariffs and uncertainty.

Today in Global Small Business: Unlocking the Potential of Women's Businesses in Africa

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

• Profiting From Parity:  Unlocking the Potential of Women's Businesses in Africa (report)
• 'Black swan' coronavirus casts its shadow over the global economy.
• Quote of the week: “I don’t like when investment bankers talk about EBITDA, which I call bulls--- earnings.” – Charlie Munger, Vice Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway
• Speaking of Munger, he warns there are 'lots of trouble coming' because of 'too much wretched excess'.
• The coronavirus is disrupting the global economy, including e-commerce.
• How PayPal is future-proofing its business.

Chinese Leader Xi Jinping Makes Rare Appearance with Mask On

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President Xi Jinping of China, who had been noticeably absent from public view since the coronavirus outbreak escalated into a crisis, toured several public places in Beijing on Monday [2/10/20) afternoon. The appearances seemed aimed at countering criticism that Mr. Xi has been aloof amid rising public discontent with his government’s struggle to contain the crisis.

The last time Mr. Xi had appeared in public was at a meeting last week with Cambodia’s prime minister. Mr. Xi has yet to visit the epicenter of the outbreak, Wuhan, 600 miles to the south in Hubei Province.

Read more about the coronavirus outbreak, President Xi Jinping's aloofness amid the crisis, and what else you need to know on where things stand on the latest national numbers for the epidemic.

Today in Global Small Business: State Trade Expansion Program

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

• SBA announces funding opportunity through the state trade expansion program.
• In The Global SMB Neobanks Report, Business Insider Intelligence explores the key factors driving an explosion of neobank [neobank is a type of direct bank that is 100% digital] activity in the SMB segment and the strategies these upstarts are leveraging to capture shares of this lucrative banking vertical.
• Quote of the week: “What I've seen over my lifetime is that countries that embrace openness, that embrace trade, that embrace diversity are the countries that do exceptional — and the countries that don't, don't." – Apple CEO Tim Cook
• Tariffs will hurt small businesses on Main Street USA.
• The coronavirus continues to move.  More at JAMA network.
• What the USA President Trump impeachment ordeal can tell us about the 2020 election.

Today in Global Small Business: Brexit is Finally Happening

©2020 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

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

• Yes, some kind of Brexit is finally happening.
• How will companies respond to the risk of climate change?
• Quote of the week: “I watched my parents. My dad worked nights, and I was aware of how much he was doing for us. My mom was a Tupperware lady and also worked at the school. I always felt that I couldn't let them down. And I had a natural discipline from early on. I was always training for something." – Jennifer Lopez
• Is your trade group blocking climate action?
• The coronavirus is now an official emergency.
• The grass is always greener for a Super Bowl. The NFL makes sure of that.