VISA's Global Gateway Launches New Small Biz Website

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VISA launches a new small biz site and contest. You could win a solution package (hopefully it includes advice on how to go global!) worth U.S. $10,000. Looks like VISA is getting a little edgy. That's a good thing.

Go for the prize here. Deadline for applications is December 31, 2006. (Note: Links change over time. If the link doesn't work, try here.)

Top 10 Global Sourcing Issues to Consider

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So your small business is experiencing better-than-expected growth, and you're ready to take the next step and expand globally? Think about when you go shopping -- more often than not, you may notice phrases like "Made in Mexico," "Made in Sri Lanka" or "Made in Italy." Perhaps they're on your clothing tags, your daughter's new doll, the towels in your bathroom or the radio on your desk.

Read the article here.

The Worldly UPS

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UPS just launched an interactive overview that illustrates their knowledge, experience and tools in helping small businesses expand internationally. Check it out here.

One other thing. Quit thinking of UPS as just a domestic carrier. They move goods anywhere in the world.

Globe-trotter Handmade Luxury Luggage

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Very cool. See for yourself!

Social Global Entrepreneurship

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"Social entrepreneurs identify resources where people only see problems. They view the villagers as the solution, not the passive beneficiary. They begin with the assumption of competence and unleash resources in the communities they're serving." ~ David Bornstein, author of How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas.

The Skoll Foundation

And meet more new global heroes like Bornstein here.

With your drive to take on the world, are you adding human importance to your bottom line?

Moment of Local, Maybe Even Global Fame

Illustration credit:  Laurel Delaney

Become Exclusive Distributor Of a Foreign Product

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After studying Japanese in college and living in Japan for part of the ’90s, James Allard always wanted to do something in business that was Japan-related. When he and Steve Rosen decided to start a business in 2004, they went to Japan to search for a product they could import to the U.S. In a Tokyo department store bathroom, they spotted an electric hand dryer made by Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi.

Find out what happened here: The One and Only

One World, Two Blueprints

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Two books worth a look: "Making Globalization Work" and "The Next Great Globalization"

Catastrophic Population Shrinkage?

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Yes, shrinkage. True, the total global population has not yet finished increasing. But nearly half the world's population lives in countries where the native-born are not reproducing fast enough to replace themselves. This is true in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia, Japan, Canada and the United States. It's also true in much of East Asia, pockets of Latin America and such Indian megacities as New Delhi, Mumbai (Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta) and Chennai (Madras). Even China is reproducing at levels that fall short of replacement.

End result: the United States reaches a demographic milestone with an anticipated population of 300 million -- behind only that of China and India -- thanks largely NOT to Lou Dobbs but rather to immigration.

Read the article here.

And how does this impact globalization? Legal immigration is part of our national culture. The United States helps create great global companies like Google, eBay and Intel.

We should not only be proud but lucky to be a part of it all.

How-To Guides (Including Global Help) for Small Businesses

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Dig deep within this new site. There are some how-to guides on importing, exporting, outsourcing and more.

Read the news here: Work.com Launches to Help Small Businesses Tackle Their Most Important Business Tasks

Shortcut: Work.com

(Note:  If a link does not work it means the company changed its servers, sold its domain name or went out of business.)

Taking Your Startup To a Foreign Market

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It’s a global village out there, with marketplaces outside American borders beckoning as never before, even to small and startup companies. Technologies such as the Internet and cheap telecommunications truly have shrunk the world to a point where it’s much easier for a entrepreneurs to get their arms around it.

But opportunity isn’t everything when it comes to entering foreign markets.

Want to rock your business?  Read the article:  Taking Your Startup to a Foreign Market

Abridged Borderbuster: 10/5/06

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CONTENTS

If you are not a subscriber to Borderbuster, here's a glimpse of what you missed this month:

1. Welcome From The Publisher
2. Feedback From Our Readers
3. U.S. REITs Looking Overseas to Expand*
4. Business and Cultural Tips: Have Some Fun!*
5. Design Without Borders*
6. How I Went Global: Ongoing Series // ThomasNet.com
7. A Reader Asks: Q&A*
8. Everybody Loves a Freebie -- repeat: FREE OFFER*
9. Go Global Out of the Gate*
10. Report From The Field: Cairo, Egypt*
11. Taking Over The World*
12. Blog World: Going Global*
13. Laurel’s e-Book: “GODZILLA Global Marketing!”
14. Take A Walk On The Wild Side (TAWOTWS)*
15. Wind Behind Your Sail*
16. Miscellany*
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

*Indicates exclusive to Borderbuster subscribers only.

Sample section:

14. TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE (TAWOTWS)
*Subscriber Exclusive*

If you can think wild thoughts, then you can most certainly go global.

Ever wish you were a painter? Now you can be one at this site, which lets anyone emulate the late Pollock and his “Jack The Dripper” technique of glopping paint on a canvas from a height. But you do it with your mouse, changing colors with a click.

Visit: Jack The Dripper

(Remember, inaction is the worst kind of failure.)

###

To subscribe to Borderbuster, visit:
Sign Up For Borderbuster!

Grow Global: 5 Ways To Just Do It

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Five ways to find new or hidden markets in the world marketplace.

Read the article here.

P.S. The examples referenced in Nos. 1 and 5 are my own (in disguise) based on client work. That's how I went on to receive the SBA Exporter of the Year award.

(Note: If the link is dead it is because ThomasNet changed its server or removed the article from its website.  Try here for general resources on global trade.)

Think Local When Franchising Abroad

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All politics, it's said, are local. The same often holds true for franchising, despite its reputation as a cookie-cutter, by-the-book way of doing business.

Being able to adapt to local customs, laws and tastes is particularly crucial when a franchise goes abroad.

Read the article here.

Think Globally; Write Locally ...

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I have been a FreePint Newsletter subscriber for at least five years. When you click on the following link, scroll down to the Tips Article and catch a very interesting piece by Kristen Giovanis entitled: "Think Globally; Write Locally: What Source Writers Need to Know About Localization."

Importing from India

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Do I need a license to import home décor from India and sell it in the United States? Find out what Ask Inc. has to say here.

Why Global Brands Matter

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Where is your next competitor coming from?

Globalization, in its many forms, is enabling global corporations to exploit the “economies of simplicity and standardization” to price-out and replace local competition. Or is it?

Successful global brands recognize the value in understanding the diversity of cultures and tastes in global markets and are now addressing the complexities of adapting the customer experience to match. This is the paradox of globalization -- easier access to international markets creates greater challenges in brand and product management.

Attend this web seminar and gain insight into:

>> The Best Global Brands in 2006 and what factors have influenced their success, as researched by Interbrand

>> Changes in how corporations are managing brands and the related management and technology issues, drawing from recent research by the Economist Intelligence Unit

>> How Hewlett-Packard’s One Voice initiative has created significant financial value in many different aspects of its business as well as substantially reducing product costs

The seminar takes place tomorrow, September 19 at 9:00 a.m. PDT; 11:00 a.m. CDT; 12:00 p.m. EDT; 5:00 p.m. GMT DT; 6:00 p.m. CET. Duration: 1 hour. If you act now, there is still time to sign up.

Register here.

(Note:  Companies change servers and remove content.  The link may no longer work.)

Business As An Agent of World Benefit

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A global foum that may be of interest to you.

Read about it here.

And many of the greatest minds (CK, Warren Bennis and Peter Senge) will be presenting.

Doing Business With the World

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The Doing Business database provided by The World Bank Group is fabulous. It provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement -- spanning across no less than 175 economies.

And the new "Doing Business 2007: How to Reform" has just been released. Check it all out ... here.

The Innovation Sandbox

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I have been a huge fan of CK's ever since he co-authored "Competing For the Future" with Gary Hamel. He has this unique ability (giftedness) to predict what's around the corner well before the rest of us arrive.

This article tells me he hasn't changed much -- which is a good thing. Care to see what's ahead on cutting-edge "global" innovation? Or, how about learning what it takes to change the world with your next big idea?

Read more >> here.

P.S. Rest assure, when I visit India, I will be staying at the indiOne hotel.

Going Global: Small Firms Take On The Challenge

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Small firms that take on the challenge of selling overseas find new frontiers and untapped opportunities.

Read the article here.

(Note: This magazine may no longer be in existence.)

Abridged Borderbuster: 9/5/06

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CONTENTS

If you are not a subscriber to Borderbuster, here's a glimpse of what you missed this month:

1. Welcome From The Publisher
2. Feedback From Our Readers
3. Worldwide Market for Offshore IT Services Is Booming*
4. Business and Cultural Tips: Have Some Fun!*
5. Niche Trade Titles Talk the Talk*
6. How I Went Global: Ongoing Series // Martin Lindstrom
7. A Reader Asks: Q&A*
8. Everybody Loves a Freebie -- repeat: FREE OFFER*
9. Go Global Out of the Gate*
10. Going Global*
11. Fashion Conquistador*
12. Blog World: International Herald Tribune*
13. Laurel’s e-Book: “GODZILLA Global Marketing!”
14. Take A Walk On The Wild Side (TAWOTWS)*
15. Wind Behind Your Sail*
16. Miscellany*
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

*Indicates exclusive to Borderbuster subscribers only.

Sample section:

12. Blog World: International Herald Tribune*
*Subscriber Exclusive*

Managing globalization.

Visit the blog here.

###

To subscribe to Borderbuster, visit:
Sign Up For Borderbuster!

Happy Labor Day

© 2006 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Labor Day is a celebration and a tribute to the contributions of workers in America who have made our country stronger. Enjoy.

P.S. This photo is taken a block from where I live.

Book It

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Five global business books you need to read.  (If link does not work, try this one.)

And if you just want to admire books, visit here: The most exploitive (and breathtaking) pictures of libraries ever gawked at.

Go global with eBay

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If you plan to go global one unit, one customer and one country at a time, eBay is it. Find out why here.

However, if you plan to go global in a BIG way -- selling lots of products to lots of customers in lots of countries, test drive these other sophisticated trading places:

• Alibaba
• Global Sources

Web Site Branding: Go Global or Stay Local?

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You decide.

What Can Brown Do For You in China?

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Everything. If you are serious about doing business in China, download this report now. It offers the inside scoop on what Chinese people really want.

Jump to PDF file here.  More can be found here.

And remember, you saw it here first! In China, no excuses ... just results.

LISA: The 2006 Global Business Practice Survey Report

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Meeting the critical need to provide comparative data on how companies create and implement successful strategies for global business imperatives at the local level, the Localization Industry Standard Association (LISA) announces the 2006 Global Business Practices Report.

Responding to what it really takes to successfully support customers worldwide, the report provides a clearer picture of the globalization landscape by enabling readers to:

• Confirm where companies are placing their global priorities
• Better understand the international business issues affecting organizations worldwide
• Learn who is paying for what services, and how much they are paying
• Determine the exact skills required by their teams to succeed globally in the future

Learn more about it here. You can also download -- at no charge -- a detailed table of contents and a short excerpt from the 52-page report.

Note:  Since the date of this post, LISA has shut down.

Going Global, Part I

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Small businesses are joining their larger counterparts in the international arena. The first of a two-part series published by BusinessWeek online looks at key issues and challenges. I don't see anything new here other than the same old, same old.

But go ahead and read it yourself.

Want a shortcut to exporting? Try this online guide. It covers everything you wanted to know about exporting but were afraid to ask.

The picture is merely a reflection of my mood and to make the posting a little more interesting.

Note:  Since the date of this post, BusinessWeek may have removed its content.  Try here for a similar article.  And for more on exporting, go here.

The Collapse of the Doha Round of Trade Talks

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There was something unseemly about the way Europe and the U.S. blamed each other for the collapse of global trade talks. Like two bullies standing amid the wreckage of their brawl, they looked a little ridiculous, especially when their squabbling turned so quickly to who was responsible for the breakdown. Almost five years after the launch of the World Trade Organization's Doha round, which set out to boost the developing world's share of global trade, poor countries don't really care which rich country is to blame for the breakdown.

What do they care about? Read the article here to find out for yourself.

Note:  Since the date of this post, the article noted has been moved or taken off the site. We apologize for the inconvenience.  As a courtesy, we have added Quotes of the Day on the same topic and by the same source back in 2006.

Taking Your Online Business Global

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The lure of selling internationally and right from your couch is undeniable. What easier way to expand your marketplace than to move beyond the United States? The numbers speak for themselves - a market of billions rather than millions. As the late but oft-quoted business guru Peter Drucker said: “E-commerce does not merely master distance, it eliminates it.”

What should you consider before you start cross-border selling? Find out here.

Note: The article referenced may have been removed since 2006 or, as in this case, been taken over by another company. We apologize for any inconvenience.

The 12 Best Global Websites for Exporters

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As Reported In National Business Association ...

Filtering through the millions of websites throughout the world to find the few helpful sites is a daunting task. There are a handful of truly great websites that can be an excellent sales and market information tool for exporting your products or services. Highlighted throughout this article are 12 of the best global websites categorized by geographic location.  (Note:  Requires membership to review. As an alternative, visit the right sidebar of The Global Small Business Blog for Laurel's Top 10 list.)

12 Best Global Websites for Exporters

And here's one they inadvertently left out.

Creating (Global) Opportunity One Bite At A Time

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The mission of South African-based Khayelitsha Cookie Company is to create a company that could not only produce the best cookies in South Africa, but which also radically changed the lives of everyone involved in the company.

For customers, they produce the biggest, best range of baked goods: chocolate chunk cookies, ginger snaps, nutty fudge brownies and shortbread biscuits. For employees, they give every opportunity for significant growth and career expansion.

They also hire previously unemployed women from Khayelitsha and then train and skill them in permanent, affirming employment.

Visit the Khayelitsha Cookie Company here.

What's your global cause?

Exports: The Recipe For a Healthy and Prosperous Economy

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Read the article and think along the lines that no matter where you are located in our big flat world that the recipe for fostering a healthy and prosperous economy is to have a vigorous and dynamic export sector ...

Note:  The article may have been removed since the original date of publication.  Go here for more information.  To learn more about exporting, go here.

Going Global: Risks and Rewards

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Interbrand’s annual Best Global Brands study of brand value generates great interest and debate. A recurring question is whether being global affords a brand more benefits than a geographically-focused one. Many brand owners are interested in the attributes shared by successful global brands (i.e., BMW). Interbrand’s work with leading global brands and the conclusions reached through our ranking indicate significant implications for brands that choose to operate globally.

The criteria for the study states that a global brand must achieve more than a third of its sales outside of its home country and have a visible external market presence. A global brand is one that is available in many nations and, though it may differ from country to country, the local versions have common values and a similar identity. The brand’s positioning, advertising strategy, personality, look and feel are, in most respects, the same but allow for regional customization. What remains consistent market-to-market are the values communicated and delivered by the brand.

This paper explores the attraction and risks associated with going global.

And the first question asked: Why go global?

Read the paper here.

Globalization: Synergy and Discontent

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Globalization continues its advance, but is market convergence a net positive for the US and world economies? Who benefits from globalization, and who might suffer?

Read the article here.

Note:  The link may no longer be active.  Try this on for size.

New Generation of Global Entrepreneurship

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Patrick Casserly started small in the business dedicated to the provision of back office processing and call centre services. His primary duty on his first day of operation was to mop the floor. But he was thinking big, building on the advantage of Jamaica as the third largest English speaking country in the hemisphere, and their propensity to talk, and now Patrick has a business that employs 2,100 people, which is likely to grow to 2,600 by year-end. How did he do it?

Hints: Start small. Position globally. Think BIG.

Harvard Professor Who Coined "Globalization" Dies

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One of my favorite people (minds) on the planet and the person who coined the term "globalization" died at age 81: Theodore Levitt. The reason why Professor Levitt became such a force in my life was because in the '80s -- before any individual or company was thinking about going global -- he turned me on to the importance of looking at the world as your market. He also knew how to deconstruct and solve problems by asking the right questions. Something to this day I still find myself doing. Here are some things I will remember the most about Levitt:

• Harvard Business Review -- He holds the record with Peter Drucker for publishing the most articles in HBR.

• What turned me on to Levitt -- "The Globalization of Markets" and five other great articles authored by HBR talents.

Using the term "globalization" in a 1983 Harvard Business Review article about the emergence of standardized, low-priced consumer products. He defined that globalization as the changes in social behaviors and technology which allowed companies to sell the same products around the world.

• Marketing Myopia -- HBR Classic: A groundbreaking article originally published in the Harvard Business Review (1960) in which he asked managers, “What business are you really in?” And that's probably why Starbucks is doing so well with its business model because they figured out early on that they were not just in the "coffee" business but in the "people" business. Levitt would be proud that his ideas were turned into practical solutions. Even Wikipedia features Levitt's work. We all know that focusing too narrowly on anything creates limited results.

Another way Levitt posed a question is like this: “What problem are we trying to solve for our customers?” For tool makers, the implication is that it is not really about the tool. Rather, it is about the resulting condition that customers desire from the use of the tool. That is to say, it is holes in the ground they want, not shovels. Fascinating stuff. So pure. So simple. But so many people just don't get it. Levitt did.

• Design Sense magazine No. 26 -- And I bet you didn't know Levitt contributed to this publication. Here's the title his work went under:

"How Major Companies Change Their Names"

An analysis of successful -- and not-so-successful -- name changes by New York Stock Exchange-listed corporations in the late 1950s and early '60s. Also: excerpts from Innovation in Marketing, by Harvard Business School Professor Theodore Levitt.

• Marketing Imagination by Theodore M.Levitt -- My absolute favorite book (and according to my notes in the inside cover, I read it in 1984) on marketing that I still refer to today. It's so relevant that you never want to put it away.

• Two favorite remarks by Levitt that were made in "The Marketing Imagination" -- Henry Ford's: "They can have any color car they want, so long as it's black." -- Page 142. And Levitt's: "The purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer." -- Page 5.

HBR obituary on Professor Levitt can be found here. My sympathies go out to the Levitt family during this time of great sadness.

May Professor Levitt rest in peace in our brave new world and I thank him for helping me and millions of other people understand (global) marketing.

Abridged Borderbuster: 7/5/06

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CONTENTS

If you are not a subscriber to Borderbuster, here's a glimpse of what you missed this month:

1. Welcome From The Publisher
2. Feedback From Our Readers
3. Exploring the International Market for Data*
4. Business and Cultural Tips: Have Some Fun!*
5. Lost in Translation*
6. How I Went Global: Ongoing Series
7. A Reader Asks: Q&A*
8. Everybody Loves a Freebie*
9. The Starbucks Effect*
10. Innocents Abroad*
11. The Soft Skills of Global Managers*
12. Blog World: MarketingProfs*
13. Laurel’s New e-Book: “GODZILLA Global Marketing!”
14. Take A Walk On The Wild Side (TAWOTWS)*
15. Wind Behind Your Sail*
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

*Indicates exclusive to Borderbuster subscribers only.

Sample section:

11. THE SOFT SKILLS OF GLOBAL MANAGERS
*Subscriber Exclusive*

Despite nearly two decades of corporate globalization efforts, many organizations still struggle to find managers who are comfortable and effective in the increasingly global economy. Most suffer both from a lack of cultural awareness when dealing with employees and partners overseas and from a lack of experience managing increasingly complex processes over long distances.

To read the lead story, visit here.

###

To subscribe to Borderbuster, visit:
Sign Up For Borderbuster!

Gates Goes Global

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Gates recently announced plans to ease out of his chief executive position at Microsoft over the next couple of years and dedicate more time to his $30 billion (now $60 billion thanks to Buffett) Gates Foundation.

Read the article here to find out how Gates is going to conquer the world on health problems.

Earn More by Exporting

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Martha Montoya has found a way to grow her small business: She exports. While "exporting" conjures up images of vast shipyards and warehouses, Montoya, a comic-strip artist in Santa Ana, Calif., sells her colorful cartoon characters (shown in B/W) for use on snack packages in China, Ecuador, Colombia and other far-away places. She tells other entrepreneurs — no matter their business — to think about going global.

Read the inspiring article here.

Top 10 Best Blogs and Best Podcast of 2006

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Although we did not win, we sure were happy to be nominated and make the cut. Thank you to all of you who voted for us. Your support means the world to us. Maybe next year MarketingSherpa will include a new category on "Global Marketing." Congratulations to all the winners. (Note:  link may have changed since the original publication of this post.)  Way to go!

It's a Small Business World After All

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Lou Hoffman used to share the common misperception that overseas markets are only open to the big guys like McDonalds, Coca-Cola and Proctor & Gamble. Not anymore. It's the little guys who are slowly taking over the planet.

Learn more about Lou's story and how you can go global too. Read the article here.

P.S. Voting ends today at midnight for the MarketingSherpa Reader's Choice Blog and Podcasting Awards ... see our nomination in category No. 9!

French Blogging: Why (Global) Marketers Should Start Paying Attention

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It was when The Global Small Business Blog was nominated and made the cut for the BIG MarketingSherpa Reader's Choice Blog and Podcasting Awards -- yes you read that right! -- for best in its class for category No. 9 Small Business Marketing (cast your vote of "Excellent!" for us ... deadline is Monday, June 26 at midnight) that I discovered Eric Kintz's The Marketing Excellence Blog. And what a blog it is. Here's an entry I particularly liked: French blogging -- why marketers should start paying attention.

The only thing missing from both the contest and Kintz's entry is this: global. Someday, everyone will have a worldview.

P.S. Since we are Chicago-based, we are trying to work with Oprah to see if Pontiac or maybe Peugeot will give each of you a new car for voting EXCELLENT for The Global Small Business Blog! There are no guarantees ... stay tuned.

Global Marketing 101 Lesson

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Your global marketing test for today consists of two questions.

1). Why do most companies want to globalize their operations?
2). What’s the best way to reach global markets?

Find the answers here.

How to Take Your Small Business Global

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Okay ... every once in a while I have to do a little shameless self-promotion and this is one of those times. Jennifer LeClaire did such a great job with this article for E-Commerce Times that I had to share it with you. It sings the gospel on globalization!

Read it here and then take action!

Make Globalization Work For You

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The outsourcing trend almost killed Kalexsyn -- until its founders made globalization work in their favor.

The timing could not have been worse for Robert Gadwood and David Zimmermann. After being laid off by drug giant Pfizer in 2003, the scientists founded Kalexsyn, a chemical research company in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Kalexsyn's plan was to help large pharmaceutical companies create new drugs by examining thousands of molecules to pinpoint the ones that had medicinal potential.

But by the time Gadwood and Zimmermann built a lab, bought equipment, and hired 10 employees, the strategy had become obsolete. "All of our customers disappeared," Gadwood says.

What did they do? Find out here.

The Thinking Man's Outsourcing

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Globe Trotter CEO Brian Reale (center) outsourced his R&D (and himself) to Bolivia.

A surprising number of U.S. companies are sending their most complex activities overseas. Read the article here.

A Quest for the Global Best: America

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Globalization has been a boon for some U.S. service companies. Last year, a surplus of $58 billion in services was outsourced overseas. Here is a selection of recent data on cross-border trade from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Read the article here: America, At Your Service.

Opportunities in Globalization

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Smart innovation is key to long-term prosperity. Nations won't thrive by just accepting low pay.

The seed of globalization germinated 60 years ago at the University of Pennsylvania, where ENIAC, the first operational general-purpose electronic digital computer, was unveiled in 1946. That single 11-ton machine has spawned more than 200 million computers worldwide, a number growing at 20 percent per year. Its stepchild, the cell phone, has grown to more than 1 billion units in one-quarter the time, and that number will at least double in the next 10 years. We can now connect with anyone, anywhere, at any time. This on-demand world fulfills the vision of a "global village" Marshall McLuhan put forward in 1964.

Read Rocco Leonard Martino's provocative article in its entirety here.