Resolve to Be Happy

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Your success and happiness lies in you.  Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties." – Helen Keller 

Global Market Entry Strategies for 2024

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Earlier this year, Elon Musk’s Starlink expanded operations into Nigeria – Africa’s largest country. In 1990, McDonald’s explored Russia and opened its first outlet in Moscow. In 2006, Vodafone – a UK-based company – launched in Italy.  Why?

Find out here to discover how you too can enter international markets.

Splashy AI-Powered Wearable

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Humane recently announced that the AI Pin, its splashy AI-powered wearable, will start shipping in March 2024. People who placed priority orders will get their devices first, and Humane says it will ship orders based on the date of purchase, according to a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The device can pick from different AI services to respond to your queries — all without forcing you to look at a screen.

Cool but not cheap.

Female Founders: A Missed Opportunity That The World Needs to Wakeup On

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Investing in women entrepreneurs and founders is a huge opportunity that both financial and ESG strategies have historically missed. Women-led companies yield better returns on investment (ROI), generating 78 cents for every dollar of funding; male-founded startups generate just 31 cents, according to research by BCG and MassChallenge.

Women entrepreneurs are also more likely to create innovative solutions to address social needs. These impact-driven businesses grow faster [especially if they expand internationally] and make more money while solving real-world problems, a win-win on all accounts.

Women leaders, on average, hire more women, and retain talent by supporting the people on their teams and checking in on their overall well-being. At their best, women foster a culture of good intentions, empathy, acceptance, inclusiveness, and non-judgment.

Holiday Destinations the World Over

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Tokyo, India and the Caribbean are among the best places to go at Christmas — but there are plenty of destinations closer to home too.  Whatever you are looking for, you will find it here.

Merry Christmas To All!

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"May the spirit of Christmas bring you comfort, peace, love, and happiness." – Laurel J. Delaney

Peace on Earth and Goodwill To All

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  Chicago, 12/22/23.  All rights reserved.

"Season's greetings and happy holidays to all!" – Laurel J. Delaney

Love, Peace and Joy This Holiday Season

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Wishing you love, peace and joy this holiday season." – Laurel J. Delaney

How Food Globalization Serves Up the World on Your Plate

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When people hear the word “globalization” they probably think of giant container ships, wonky economic terms like “offshoring” and “trade deficit,” or geopolitical tensions and agreements. 

And, to be sure, Cato’s Defending Globalization project covers all of that stuff and more. Yet, as Cato explains in a new essay for the project, there may be no better symbol of real globalization—and its many benefits—than the restaurant down the street. 

How to Make the Biggest Impact Based on Cultural Norms

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Adeola Adewusi credits his “cultural dexterity” to living and working on five continents. 

The senior HR director, Americas at Stanley Black & Decker told HR Brew it has served him well as a people professional because he “can understand the dynamic of a particular culture and what’s important to them.” 

With Stanley Black & Decker, Adewusi oversees about 2,500 employees along the supply chain in nearly a dozen countries. All of Adewusi’s work on HR policies and programs and how he leads is informed by his cultural competencies, and it’s important to him that HR professionals don’t forget the human connections that make the function so special.

Oh the Power of Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® (video)

Today in Global Small Business: Top Books 2023 From Foreign Affairs' Reviewers

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

• The best of books 2023 from Foreign Affairs' reviewers.
• NFL's global expansion plan.
• Thai-based Minor Hotels made a global splash in 2018 and it plans to keep growing in whatever way it can.
• Quote of the week: "Today a reader, tomorrow a leader." – Margaret Fuller
• Solutions for avoiding freight congestion at the U.S.-Mexico border.
• Priorities for an early stage AI strategy.

Oh! Like a Wreath

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Oh! like a wreath, let Christmas mirth To-day encircle all the earth, And bind the nations with the love That Jesus brought from heaven above." – Maud Lindsay

Best Classical Music 2023

Outlook for Worldwide eCommerce Sales in 2023 and Beyond

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What is the outlook for worldwide and country-by-country retail and ecommerce sales in 2023 and beyond?

Worldwide retail and ecommerce sales will see a decent rebound for digital sales and a slow deceleration for overall retail this year. Most national markets are also returning to normalcy, but a great deal of country-by-country variance remains.

What's next?

What Role Does Digitization Play in Global Expansion?

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Apurva Palnitkar, Senior Director Marketing, GoDaddy India says that in today's technology-driven world, the adoption of digital tools and strategies has become paramount for small businesses seeking to thrive and expand their presence beyond local boundaries.

SMEs are successfully integrating digital tools into their operations in order to gain competitive edge, improve efficiency, reach a wider customer base, and most importantly in order to go global more effectively. 

Discover the few advantages of going digital as a global SME and make sure to assess your needs, budget, and resources when selecting and implementing digital tools to ensure they align with your business goals. 

Who Are the Top eCommerce Companies in USA?

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The US is considered the world's most developed market for online shopping and is a global standard for eCommerce. The eCommerce segment accounts for over $1 trillion in annual retail sales in the US, or 13% of the total retail industry and $5 trillion globally.

Here's a list of the top eCommerce companies in the US in terms of web sales. 

Today in Global Small Business: The New ChatGPT Challenger

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

• The new ChatGPT challenger.
• Meta launches new AI tools for Facebook.
• The future of AI through the lens of the recent OpenAI debacle.
• Quote of the week:  "No one technology [OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard] has ever surpassed everything else."– iRobot co-founder Rodney Brooks
• The promise and potential pitfalls of increasingly powerful AI tools.
• The North star for the future of AI (requires subscription).

Hope for the World

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"[Christmas] means not just hope for the world, despite all its unending problems, but hope for you and me, despite all our unending failings.” ― Tim Keller

Christmas Playlist To Put You In the Mood for the Holidays