Follow Your Dreams Globally in 2020

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Today in Global Small Business: A Look Back at 2019 Before We Bring in the New Year

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

• Burnout by Arianna Huffington.
• Top licensing trends revealed from 2019.
• Quote of the week: “The first rule is not to lose.  The second rule is not to forget the first rule.” – Warren Buffett
• Top 15 pop culture moments in 2019.
• The year climate emergency (extreme weather) set in.
• Some good things that happened in 2019.

Whispering It Will Be Happier

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Hope
Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,
Whispering 'it will be happier'...” ― Alfred Lord Tennyson

A Look Back: 2019 New Year Celebrations From Around the World

Ecommerce Revolutionized Buying and Democratized Selling

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Not only has e-commerce revolutionized buying, but it has also democratized selling. With an internet connection and a computer, a small business has exponential access to large markets that so far have eluded small businesses.

According to a 2018 U.S. Chamber of Commerce study, 84% of small businesses surveyed are using at least one digital platform to provide information to customers, 79% to communicate with customers and suppliers, and 75% for sales.

Online shopping is redefining the modern retail industry. In 2017, according to Small Business Trends, over half of Americans prefer to shop online and 80% of Americans shop online at least monthly.

Read on to learn how e-commerce has revolutionized buying and democratized selling.

Merry Christmas From the Global Small Business Blog Team!

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Reflect, Rejoice and Renew This Holiday Season

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Close your eyes for a moment and envision what the “perfect holiday” would be for you.

We all have an idea of what the “ideal” holiday looks like. Just like a fairytale romance, this scene has been ingrained into our minds by thousands of similar Hollywood tropes, saying, “This is what the holidays should be. This is what a perfect holiday looks like.” In Hollywood, even the stressful holiday moments are part of the storyline—they always work out with a laugh and a happy ending.

Amidst all the wonderful festivities, there’s still an element of stress, and for many of us, the pressures of the holiday can become overwhelming, taking over our feelings of joy.

Find your moment of joy not just on a holiday but throughout the year.

Today in Global Small Business: May Your Holidays Be Merry and Bright

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

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

• Demystifying global selling during the holidays.
• Holidays promotions around the world.
• Quote of the week: “May the holiday season bring only happiness and joy to you and your loved ones.” – The Global Small Business Business blog team
• How to keep up and cash in on the holiday shopping spree that has gone global.
• Black Friday went global but not everyone's happy.
• Slowing global economy makes retailers more dependent on shoppers this holiday season.

We Have to Believe in Things We Don't See

©2013 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"I think we have to believe in things we don't see. That's really important for all of us, whether it's your religion or Santa Claus, or whatever.  That's pretty much what it's about." – James Caan

Oh, Let's Travel the World in 2020

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Where will the new year, new decade, take you?

Below, you’ll find 36 destinations to kick-start your travel dreaming and scheming. The travel media brand Afar surfaced emerging places, highlighting unexpected spots. And they've blown out a handful of classic destinations—the places they return to again and again, such as Italy and Japan—with alternatives to the big cities and the most crowded seasons.

Begin your 2020 journey here.

A Case Study: How Social Media Tools Benefit Global Small Businesses

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In today’s digital and mobile world, social networking systems have also become an important tool to help global small businesses access new customers, drive sales, and increase customer satisfaction.

To better understand the scope of how small businesses use Facebook, for example, and its products, the U.S. Chamber’s Technology Engagement Center and Facebook partnered with Ipsos, a global market and opinion research firm, to conduct a survey of almost 4,000 owners and employees of small businesses in the United States.

The results show how social media tools benefit global small businesses.

Honoring Businesses That Export

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West Virginia companies were presented with the Governor's Commendation for International Market Entry Award, recognizing businesses that exported to a new country in the previous year.

"We in government try to encourage business, try to encourage the people who are already here, building businesses and bringing in revenue," Hall [Gov. Jim Justice's chief of staff, Mike Hall] said. "This award is given to companies that made their first sale to a new country in the previous calendar year. Since 2002, more than 2,200 awards have been presented to 169 companies that have sold products to 188 countries around the world. On behalf of the governor, I thank you and I congratulate you."

This year, 10 companies received the commendation award for the first time.  Learn more.  You can find out who was recognized here.

In Search of Better Translations

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Ian A. Henderson shares the story of the quest he and his wife Françoise undertook to help the world better communicate. They quickly discovered that they could not solve the translation quality problem by looking at translations alone, but had to take proactive role in the complete global content process.

Employing a unique blend of gripping narrative and informative, no-nonsense business writing, this book details translation’s challenges, as well as specific solutions. Drawing on real experiences, trials, and triumphs, Henderson shares wisdom he has accrued throughout his decades in the business with authority and a sense of humor.

Learn more ... in search of better translations.

Today in Global Small Business: Liking Your Secondhand Threads

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

• When it comes to running a global business, "never give up hope."
• Jim Blasingame reconciles his 2019 predictions because up until now, he is batting .733.
• Quote of the week: “We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.” – J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series
• Big technology companies faced another congressional inquiry on Thursday, as the House Small Business Committee questioned executives from Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google about whether their market dominance unfairly hinders upstart companies.
• Three social media strategies for the remainder of 2019.
• What happens when you mix eBay and Instagram, then add millions of fashionistas eager to shop each others’ closets? You get Poshmark, the social-commerce platform founded by entrepreneur Manish Chandra and he wants you to Like your secondhand threads.

Dream Away the Cold

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"In the winter she curls up around a good book and dreams away the cold." – Ben Aaronovitch

Cheerios Moves Beyond Its Iconic "O" Shape

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General Mills, for the first time in 40 years, is adding heart shapes to Honey Nut Cheerios and original yellow-box Cheerios in an effort to propel heart health conversations.  The heart health benefits of the cereal have been on the front of the box for decades (as noted above in their standard box).

The new limited-edition boxes are already starting to show up on store shelves and will be available nationwide in January [2020], a time when healthy eating returns to the forefront with New Year's resolutions.

This isn't the first time the brand has added different shapes. Learn more here.

Top Actions You Should Take Before Taking Your Business Global

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Taking your business global allows you to gain new customers and experience new business cultures.  However, the move is no small feat and can have complications along the way.

A panel of Forbes Business Development Council* members share some vital steps business leaders should take before they expand their business globally. Follow their tips to prep for global success.

Oh, and here's a little more help on your journey.

Note:  *Forbes Business Development Council is an invitation-only, fee-based organization for senior-level sales and business development executives.

Whether you Live in Alaska or Japan, This Christmas Music Soothes the Soul

Revisionist History With Malcolm Gladwell (Podcast)

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Each week for 10 weeks, Revisionist History, a podcast from Malcolm Gladwell and Pushkin Industries, goes back and reinterprets something from the past: an event, a person, an idea. Something overlooked. Something misunderstood.  "Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance."

Today in Global Small Business: Amazon Puts the Squeeze on Small Businesses

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

• Chinese tech goes global.
• Shopify scores massive e-commerce gains.
• Quote of the week: “The Joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others’ burdens, easing each other’s loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of the holidays.” – W. C. Jones
• Check out 30 small business tech influencers.
• Israel-based conversation analytics startup Gong builds speech recognition technology that helps sales representatives gain access to details regarding their conversations and interactions in real-time with their customers.  Worth a look. 
• The loss of mom and pop stores that can't compete with Amazon.