How to Become a Savvy Global Marketer

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Below is an article I [Laurel Delaney] wrote on ways to harness the power of affordable social media tools and take the conversation to a whole new level of global growth for your business.

27 Affordable Social Media Tools for Savvy Global Marketers

Boosting International Trade for Small Businesses

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The World Trade Organization (WTO) says that helping small enterprises enter global markets "will go a long way to making the trading system more inclusive and improving the lives of individuals and communities around the world.”

WTO seeks to open trade opportunities for small firms.  Some of the biggest challenges for them on international trade include but are not limited to:

• Lack of appropriate information and skills
• Lack of trade finance
• Burdensome customs procedures
• High fixed costs

Read more about how the World Trade Organization wants to raise the voice of small enterprises in trade and enable them to prosper across borders.

Global Expansion is Gathering Speed

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Some of the world’s best known companies from Amazon.com Inc. to Volkswagen AG are ramping up spending on new plants and equipment after years of caution. For an international economic expansion already gathering speed, that could prove a boon.

Amazon is spreading its international reach with operations in India, Australia and Latin America. It also has invited U.S. states and local governments to submit proposals for a new headquarters that will cost $5 billion and create 50,000 jobs over the next 15 to 17 years.

According to Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities LLC in Charlotte, North Carolina, “Small business owners are definitely spending more on equipment."  He goes on to say, “This marks a real change and partly reflects the improved regulatory environment, which is seeing less new regulation coming on line.”

Read more about how the missing piece of the global growth is finally starting to fall into place.

Untold Opportunities for Women

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In his opening remarks, Navin Seeterram, Trade and Business Development manager, Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, said there were still untold opportunities for women especially with regards to the development of the private sector and diversification of the economy.

The session titled Entrepreneurship: A Female Perspective, featured four of T&T’s leading female entrepreneurs—Kristine Gibbon-Thompson from Chuck E Cheese’s, Dominique Lewis from Amare Probiotics Limited, Angella Persad from The Office Authority, and Jacqueline Francois from Oscar Francois Limited.

Seeterram conceded later on in the program that gender equality was an issue which needed to be addressed in a significant way.

Read more about how female entrepreneurs are encouraged to step up.

Today in Global Small Business: Shipping Container House Delivered by Amazon

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

• Why small businesses are not scared of the global economy.
• And the 'Crowdfundie Award' goes to Karen Kerrigan.
• 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.
• DHL partners with Shopify to bring online shopping to small businesses.
• E-commerce takes off.
• You can now order a shipping container tiny house on Amazon.

Strike It Lucky

 

Looking for bowling with premium lanes, live DJs with state-of-the-art sound system, and luxurious, modern decor coming together for a one-of-a-kind atmosphere?  Lucky Strike Chicago has you covered.  Check them out here.

Photos courtesy:  @2017 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

How to Export Online

Why Global Trust is Waning

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We all know to excel in this world you must develop trust and articulate a value far beyond the numbers to different audiences worldwide.

Global trust in large businesses is waning, yet recent studies show that trust is highest amongst people’s friends, neighbors, and communities – the places where small businesses thrive.

The good news is that new digital tools are making it easier than ever to start and run a global business and we are in an environment where investors are constantly looking for opportunities to diversify.

However, small businesses still struggle to grow.

Learn about the real strength and value of small businesses here.

Why Hong Kong Is an Ideal Base for Global Business

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With cross-border e-commerce growing bigger and faster, it is worth noting that an increasing number of retailers are choosing Hong Kong as their base location.  It's an ideal market where cross-border retailers can grow two to three times faster than the global average.

Today, e-commerce has effectively removed the entry barrier for starting a new business, giving a platform for small and new retailers to compete on the same level as those who are more established and globally recognized. This results in a burgeoning cross-border market where local startups can go global even without physical market presence.

To make it happen though, you will need a trusted, reliable global business logistics provider.

Sensational: 3rd Annual Global Small Business Forum Held in Chicago

Our Global E-Commerce Explosion (#GEE) was a sensational success.  Special thanks to our Event Sponsor, MB Financial Bank and to our Event Host, Loyola University Chicago, Center for International Business, Quinlan School of Business for their support on this program.

Our amazing speakers were as follows:

1. Marc Schulman, President, Eli's Cheescake
2. Richard Paullin, International Trade Association of Greater Chicago
3. James Kornacki, Chief Wine Revolutionary, Ullo
4. Andrea Sreshta, co-founder, LuminAID
5. Lil Mohan, Entrepreneur and Academician
6. Jennifer Bayon, Vice President of International Sales, Paris Presents
7. Alexander Lans, Founder and CEO, Foal LLC 

In addition, we thank all other important participants:  vendors, moderators, Major Partners, and helpers.  See the full line up of speakers and moderators here.

The Forum enabled attendees to set an e-commerce strategy, improve their online selling techniques, drive more sales, expand globally, and more.

We encourage everyone who attended the Forum to keep the conversations going and connect with all the people you met to grow your business globally.

Get ready for the 4th Annual Global Small Business Forum held Friday, September 19, 2018 in Chicago.  See you there!

Photos courtesy:  @2017 GSBB Media LLC.  All rights reserved.

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.

Where Ideas Sing: The New Apple Store at 401 North Michigan Avenue in Chicago

Grand opening (10/20) of the new Apple store at 401 North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois.  What a treat.  Go visit. Sing.

Photo credit:  ©2017 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Sell Your Wares to the World

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Having a website rather than a bricks-and-mortar shop means a company can sell their wares to the world. But taking payments for international sales may not be straightforward.

"One of the biggest realisations we had when looking to expand was that credit card penetration is generally much lower in most markets outside the UK and US," he [Nigel Whiteoak, co-founder of LoveCrafts] explains.

Payment difficulties contribute to about 15% of online shoppers abandoning their virtual shopping baskets before completing the purchase, research suggests. That and difficult-to-navigate, fiddly websites.

Read more ... how can you help your local online business go global?

Last Chance: Register for the 3rd Annual Global Small Business Forum Held in Chicago 10/20

©2017 GSBB Media LLC.  All rights reserved.

The best forum on the planet.  To learn more and to register, visit: http://www.globalsmallbusinessforum.com.  See you there!

Invest in Exporting

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Expansion into Europe was already a no brainer for Vancouver-based Axine Water Technologies ahead of CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement), Canada’s free trade agreement with the European Union, taking effect this fall.  “The biggest thing that I see in the short term is just access to talent,” said company president and CEO Jonathan Rhone.

“As we’re becoming more of a global trading system, I think that small and medium-sized enterprises have to understand that there are opportunities to be had in investing in exporting,” [Werner] Antweiler [associate professor at the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Sauder School of Business and a chair in international trade policy] said, adding that many European manufacturers are already poised to take advantage of that trend, being on average a bit larger than those in Canada and possessing a stronger culture of global expansion.

Read more:  Seeking CETA's Small Business Benefits

Using Bitcoin to Facilitate Global Trade

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Many people roll their eyes when you bring up bitcoin.  Yet IBM is using the technology behind bitcoin to help farmers and other small businesses in underdeveloped countries participate in global trade.

The companies [Stellar.org and KlickEx.com] will use IBM's blockchain technology to process financial transactions across borders and currencies — a process which is often prohibitively slow and costly for small business owners, especially when they are in developing regions with smaller banking infrastructures.

It's a path forward through underdeveloped payment corridors.

Read more here:  IBM, bitcoin and countries in weak banking systems.

Today in Global Small Business: How to Cut Costs on International Sales

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

• Join us for the 3rd Annual Global Small Business Forum held in Chicago on Friday, October 20 with the theme:  Global E-Commerce Explosion (#GEE)!  Check out the amazing speaker lineup!  This forum is about entrepreneurs and small business owners who are running global e-commerce businesses and will share their experiences. To learn more and to register, visit: http://www.globalsmallbusinessforum.com
• How can you simplify global shipping?  Easy.  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.
• Twelve (12) ways to cut costs on international sales (by Laurel Delaney).
• SMEs are key driver to UAE's economic growth.
• Global e-commerce is expected to double in the next five years.
• Export regulations:  business versus personal travel.

Time Spent With Cats

©2017 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Time spent with cats is never wasted." -- Sigmund Freud

Unlocking Market Access to China for South African Small Businesses

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South African Small Business Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu is unlocking the Chinese market for South Africa’s small businesses and cooperatives.  Zulu challenged her Chinese counterparts and Chinese businesses to help open their markets to South Africa’s small and medium businesses.

“Many SMMEs and Cooperatives have pointed out to us that their growth and sustainability is hampered by lack of access to markets. CISMEF must be a platform that opens the doors for many SMMEs to enter global markets,” Zulu said.

Read more about unlocking China for South African small businesses.

One-Third of Global Employment is Created by SMEs

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Small businesses are the backbone of the world.

Indeed, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) contribute significantly to the GDPs of their countries. In fact, in the U.S. alone, SMBs account for 46 percent of private, non-farm GDP, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

But there's another measurement to track the progress of SMEs:  jobs.

In emerging markets like China and Medico, SMBs make up one-third of employment and up to 40 percent in developed economies.

Read more about how SMEs around the world create jobs.