Beauty, Prestige and Worry Lines

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The WSJ featured a story with the above title on Monday, August 20th, and it was on Estee Lauder CEO facing trying times at the family company. The article is only available to online subscribers so I'm going to type out the parts (excerpts) that I thought were extremely relevant to our interests here on going global. See if you capture, as I did, the little glimmers of great advice. Here goes.

WSJ: What retail alternatives are particularly attractive for your brands right now?

Mr. Lauder: We look for consumers who spend at the higher end of the product range.

There's a generic frustration that I have when I talk to the financial community. The vast majority of analysts we talk to are American, the vast majority of them don't travel much outside of the U.S., and if they do, I imagine that most of that travel isn't to figure out how our brands and other brands are sold and market in Europe or Asia. They seem singularly obsessed with North America and the success of the Clinique and Estee Lauder brands there. They miss the extraordinary growth and expansion that we're seeing from our brands outside of this market. More than half of our sales and a significant portion of our total growth will come from outside of North America.

WSJ: How do you translate your brands in foreign markets?

There are many things we have to do to make our message for each brand more relevant locally. For example, the Asian consumer is very heavily oriented to the skin-treatment business -- she trusts brands that are really solid in those areas. And she doesn't like fragrance. It's a very small portion of the total business. In Europe, in the parfumerie channel, it's predominantly a fragrance-driven business, more than 50% of the business, and the remainder is skin care and color. In the U.S., it's a little more balanced between fragrance, treatment and makeup. So our message in each of these markets has to be different and relevant.

WSJ: What about emerging markets?

Mr. Lauder: We see emerging markets as a tremendous opportunity. Beauty is one of the first entry points for that emerging middle-class consumer in these markets, and she's buying. The Estee Lauder brand in China is exploding right now because it represents aspirational luxury but at a price that's much more affordable than Louis Vuitton. We see the same thing going on in Russia. India is a little behind because there's a certain lack of established retail there. Also doing well for us is the Middle East, Latin America, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa.

5 Tips from William Lauder on Seeking New Territory for your Business

1. While expanding globally, adapt to local tastes.
2. Make sure new markets still serve your core consumer and brand identity.
3. Stay open to new and emerging channels.
4. Sometimes the biggest retailers don't represent the biggest opportunities.
5. Don't think like a U.S. business with international operations, take the mindset of a truly global company.

Your Last Chance in 2007 to Be The World's Best Small Business!

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Just a few days left (10 to be exact) to enter the UPS Best "Out-of-the-Box" Small Business Contest. What's in it for you? How about U.S. $25,000!

The international contest will honor the most innovative small businesses and is designed for companies with annual 2006 revenues of at least $250,000 but not more than $10 million. Eligible businesses in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, the Philippines and Singapore are asked to submit a 500-word essay explaining why they’re original and how they’ve been successful.

For more information and to enter the contest, visit here. Or, go back to our original post on May 8th.

Hope to see you there!

Doing Business With The World

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While you build your global business, you mine as well stay at the world's best hotels. Here are a few below. Take a virtual tour. It's like tip-toeing through the pages of National Geographic.

1. Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, India
2. Singita Sabi Sand/Kruger National Park, South Africa
3. The Oriental, Bangkok
4. Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet
5. The Milestone, London
6. Relais II Falconiere, Cortona, Italy (English portal available)
7. Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, Sabi Sands, South Africa
8. Mandarin Oriental, Munich
9. Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Hawaii
10. Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur, India (pictured)

Source: Travel + Leisure's 2007 readers' poll.

Redefining Global Strategy

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Award-winning author, Pankaj Ghemawat, writes a book about businesses competing globally and how companies must reckon with cross-border differences. It's due out September 27th. Read up about it here.

All Fun Things India

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Relax, take a tour. You might discover something you didn't already know about New Delhi, India.

Grow Global

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You may think that export business is dominated by larger companies. But consider these statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce: Small and medium-size enterprises (fewer than 500 workers) accounted for 97% of all U.S. exporters, and very small companies (defined as fewer than 20 employees) made up 70% of America’s exporters in 2002 (the last year for which figures are available). Small and medium-size businesses had $158 billion in export revenues that year, up from $103 billion 10 years before.

Selling internationally presents fantastic growth opportunities — if you can find and recognize them. This article I wrote highlights seven strategies to develop or find new or hidden markets in the world marketplace. Use these ideas to find new customers and new uses for your products and to fuel greater sales growth and profitability for your business. Hope you like it.

Grow global.

Abridged Borderbuster: 8/6/07

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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. Update to our Readers
3. Thought Leader: Connected Markets*
4. Business and Cultural Tips: Have Some Fun!*
5. Hire and Fire: Regional Labor Laws*
6. How I Went Global: Ongoing Series // Manoj Vohra, India*
7. A Reader Asks: Q&A
8. Everybody Loves a Freebie -- repeat: FREE OFFER*
9. Toeing the Line*
10. Expat Entrepreneurs Indulge a Wanderlust*
11. Go global, Chidambaram tells India Inc.*
12. Blog World: Singapore Entrepreneurs*
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:

8. TOEING THE LINE
*Subscriber Exclusive*

What's the difference between a bribe and a gift? There's no clear standard, but prosecutors often take local culture into account. Here is a guide to culturally appropriate gifts, and how to present them, in five emerging markets, according to Vital Wave, a global consulting firm based in Palo Alto, California.

Read more here at Inc.

###

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

SME Toolkit: International Business Section

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The SME Toolkit is a project of the International Finance Corporation. Since its inception in 2002, the SME Toolkit program has deployed more than 25 regional and sector-specific Web sites in collaboration with strategic partners in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. SME Toolkit content has been translated into 12 languages. The program has seen dramatic growth in recent months and SME Toolkit sites now collectively receive more than 2.4 million visits per year from users around the world. The Toolkit aims to address the three main impediments that SMEs face in utilizing technology for their business: access, lack of awareness/skills, and lack of locally applicable business applications/information.

IBM has dedicated more than $1.6 million to transform the Toolkit and rebuild it on an innovative open source platform using top talent in IBM research. The Toolkit now includes new Web 2.0 features such as live chat, online forums, business directories and survey capabilities to create a community where small and medium sized business can collaborate - anywhere around the world. For example, a group of small businesses could gather in an online forum to devise a strategy to bid on a large supply contract rather than as separate bids. The community tools also create an opportunity for peer learning.

The SME Toolkit is a free program. It's an amazing resource.

I was honored to be a part of this project by partnering with the Women Presidents' Organization (where I serve as a facilitator for WPO in the Chicago market) and providing global small business content. Check out the International Business Overview here. You can also jump to it on the home page under Go Global: Begin Exporting Now.

Press Release Headline: IBM and International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank, launch a small business toolkit to create jobs and fuel growth in the underserved and emerging markets.

Exporting Made Easy

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The 2007 National Export Strategy examines how the combination of declining trade barriers and advancing technologies has made exporting easier than ever. American businesses should look at the global economy as a major sales opportunity as well as a source of competition.

The goals of this report are to raise awareness in the American business community about the advantages of exporting, to convince businesses that are not exporting to consider exporting, and to get those businesses that are exporting to enter more overseas markets.
All the good stuff (resources) starts on Page 175.

China Pulse e-Newsletter

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China Pulse is Commercial Service China’s official e-newsletter, highlighting latest business news, exciting export opportunities, and inside strategies to help you maximize your success in the China market.

Current issue and to submit an article for possible publication: China Pulse June 2007

Go Global Without Waiting to Grow Up

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Fellow blogger Anita Campbell (not pictured) who writes all about Small Business Trends has an interesting post on micro-multinational businesses going global right from the start. I refer to it as born global. Check it out here. What's your take on it?

Please Choose Your Country

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Think this company wants to do business with the world?

Citizens of the World

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Citizens of the World Charter Schools create a national network of high-achieving, community-based public schools that reflect the abundant socioeconomic, racial and cultural diversity of their surroundings.
Citizens of the World Charter Schools

Second Life: Make An Impact on the World

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65-year-old Leonard Liu is a rare breed of entrepreneur.

The former IBM executive was born and raised in China and Taiwan, and educated at Princeton University. He's a cross-cultural businessman with decades of experience in the USA and Asia. And at an age when many CEOs retire to the golf links, Liu has launched a promising outsourcing start-up called Augmentum.

Liu, who came out of a brief retirement to start Augmentum in 2003, says: "Would you rather sit on the beach and watch the sun set, or build something that will have a lasting impact on the world?"

Read more about Leonard and the impact he is making on the world here.

Take Your Business Local?

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Interesting. Some companies just want to stay a certain size and become exceptional at what they do versus extend themselves too far -- say go global -- and not compete or sustain very well locally or globally for that matter. Here are two compelling snapshots taken from the article:

Although the latest US Census Bureau statistics for small businesses in Erie County don’t specify whether they are locally owned, the data shows that 94 percent of the more than 27,000 businesses in the Buffalo Niagara region have fewer than 50 employees and a little less than half of those businesses have between one and four workers.

And another:

Supporting small-scale local business does not necessarily mean shunning larger or non-local ones, he adds. The BALLE philosophy, for instance, acknowledges that it’s often very difficult to know how (and where) to shop locally, and certain goods, like tropical produce or auto parts, must be imported. Instead, BALLE supports a balance between large and small, global and local, but in a way that puts the local owners on a more even playing field. It goes back to the multiplier, says Shuman. “The more times a dollar circulates within a defined geographic area and the faster it circulates without leaving that area, the more income, wealth, and jobs it generates.”

See what you think -- article is here -- and I welcome your comments.

Also, of relevance, the co-founder of BALLE is Michael Shuman who wrote:
The Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses Are Beating the Global Competition. I wonder if he would have co-founded this organization had he not written the book? I'm all for supporting local, independent businesses, especially ones who are global. The bottom line: This is all about competing effectively locally and globally.

Take Your Business Global

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Everybody is focusing on going global these days. Looks like we are on to something!

Read CNN's article here.

And most of the guidelines mentioned for expanding your business internationally have been featured in Entrepreneur magazine's Global Village column. We've covered the World Bank's website (see Easy Street, June, 2007), Export Assistance Center and U.S. Department of Commerce (Study Abroad, May, 2006) and the World Citizen's Guide (American Outcast, February, 2006) -- so we're on it!

SPECIAL Report from BusinessWeek on Going Global

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And all with a focus on small business -- what fun!

Getting Started Overseas

Online, a Global Strategy Starts at Home

UPS: From Local Startup to Global Titan
Twenty Countries to Consider

Avoiding Faux Pas When Exporting

Global Trade Toolkit

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Thinking of exporting or expanding into new markets? It's a great time to get started! Ninety-six percent of the world's consumers live outside of the United States and free trade agreements are opening new markets for U.S. businesses everyday.

Here's a GREAT way to get started in the trade export process.

And listen in on this interview about strategies small businesses can implement to go global.

Cultural Wisdom At Your Fingertips

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Tools for global managers. Tools for global team members. Tools for business travelers. Tools for international assignees. Did I leave anything out?

Get acquainted here.

Agility is Global

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Interesting post by Michael Hugos in Best Practices for CIO ...

My colleagues and I are leaving today to do a 30-Day Blitz in India. The blitz we launched in May with a global electronics and software company was a real success and they’ve decided to follow it up with a sequence of three more blitzes, one at their development center in Hyderabad and two more in the States.

I’ve got butterflies in my stomach. My mind is racing with questions and concerns about how things will work out. The last time I was in India I was seven years old; my father was there on business and my family and I spent a month in New Delhi. India made a strong impression on me then and ever since it has always been an iconic place, evoking images of history and mystery. Now my work is bringing me back.

Find out why Michael has butterflies in his stomach and what's in store for him in India, here.

Photo credit: Laurel Delaney, Chicago (7/5/07) ... magnificent cloud formation hovering over downtown Chicago.

Center for Global Development

Keeping an eye on practical ideas for global prosperity.

Photo credit: Laurel Delaney, Chicago, July 4, 2007.

7 Myths About Outsourcing

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In recent years, there's been a seemingly endless boom in offshore outsourcing. But companies that think handing off an operation to an overseas provider is easy can get a rude awakening by reading Seven Myths About Outsourcing.

View video on what it takes to outsource effectively.

Global Volunteer Groups

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 Three of the most established volunteer groups:

Cross Cultural Solutions
works in 12 nations (800-380-4777)

Global Volunteers
has programs in the United States
and 18 other countries (800-487-1074)

Habitat for Humanity
sends teams around the world
through its Global Village Program (800-422-4828)

Perhaps you will come to believe in possibilities around the world.

Doing Business Across Time Zones

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Low-cost technologies help an entrepreneur run businesses on two continents - and still get some sleep.

When I tell friends that I run businesses in both the United Arab Emirates and California, they assume that I never sleep. But technology makes it easy to bridge the time zones.

I run two public relations agencies - an eight-year-old firm called NettResults based in Dubai and an offshoot with different clients, headquartered in Irvine, Calif. I also own a consulting business in Irvine that specializes in change management.

Interesting ... on NettResults, the only inkling of globalization shows up in the pictures, not the words. The entire site is in English.

Read the article here.

Breaking Into the Market in China as a Startup

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From the Wall Street Journal online:

Question: I have an idea that I would like to try and sell in China. I am a small business -- one man, one computer, one office. Do you think there is a chance for a one-man operation to succeed in the China market?

-- R.B., Fairport, N.Y.

Answer: China's 2001 entry into the World Trade Organization and its economic boom of recent years have made it somewhat easier for small U.S. enterprises to break into the market. But there are still many stumbling blocks that pose big, costly risks for businesses -- especially for a one-person operation with little or no experience dealing in China.

Read the balance of the answer here.

And don't forget that UPS did a good survey on what American products Chinese consumers desire the most. You can download it here.

This might help too.

Is the Promised Land Offshore?

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As supply chain managers now operate in a global business ecology, including low-cost regions in today’s operations is a given. Determining which regions to access for a particular purpose and managing risks inherent to global sourcing, however, remain significant challenges.

Sourcing is no longer about trying to get it cheaper, whatever “it” is. Companies continue to leverage savings in various functions and processes in low-cost regions in the world, where they can be conducted at lower cost, either by third parties or by their own efforts. And they are doing so aggressively.

Read more here.

Ace the System

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Latest Entrepreneur magazine column can be found here.

America Is Not All About Mega-Corporations

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Guess who else is important? Small businesses.

4. America is not all about mega-corporations. What do you see as the role of small business in the American economy and in the global economy?

Until 1980, I don't think people really understood the role of small business in an economy. A study was done at that time that showed that if you really wanted economic growth as measured by jobs, new products and services, small businesses are the key. Around 70% of the new jobs and new products come from small businesses. So in the future if one wants to grow the economy on a sustained basis, it is going to be through entrepreneurial ventures. Five years ago, Germany looked at their education system and its contribution to economic growth. Most of the schools in Germany were government sponsored except for one private school which had a course in entrepreneurship. Up until then, Germany had thought that it is the Mercedes, Siemens, and Deutsche Bank that were the drivers of its economy. But they had a rude awakening, it was the role of the small business, typically the DM25 million to DM50 million business that had contributed to growth – be it growth in jobs, new products or overall economic development. Therefore, they instituted professorships in over 25 universities to teach entrepreneurship. I am sure that this is true of anywhere in the world, be it Europe or Japan or Africa.

How about that? And now universities are teaching global entrepreneurship instead of entrepreneurship. Read the entire interview with Dr. Robert Hisrich from Thunderbird School of Global Management here.

Go global

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If your new small business is going to survive, you must sell your products or services around the world. The global marketplace is upon us, so every entrepreneur -- not just Canadian -- should be embracing opportunities to export.

Doing business in foreign countries is not as scary as it sounds. It's really just an extension (a branch) of your local market. To start thinking globally, follow these tips ...

Dragons at Your Door

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This is an amazing book about how Chinese cost innovation is disrupting global competition and fundamentally changing the global competitive landscape.

To date, few authors have zeroed in on one of the driving forces of China's recent achievements: its companies (e.g., Haier, Philips, Lenovo and IBM). The secret driver of success is the strategy -- cost innovation -- of using Chinese cost advantage in radically new ways to offer customers around the world dramatically more for less.

How should executives prepare? Start by reading this book. At the very least, you will develop an understanding of the three faces of innovation and find your place (or role) in the global economy to survive and prosper.

About the authors:

Ming Zeng is Professor of Strategy at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business China. He is currently on leave from the School and serves as president of Yahoo China.

Peter J. Williamson is Professor of International Management and Asian Business at INSEAD, the international business school in France and Singapore, and the author of Winning in Asia.

The book was just released and can be ordered here.

[Note to Michelle at Harvard Business School Press ... much appreciation for sending me a copy to review.]

Going Global Facilitator Guide

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There's something for everyone in this nifty Canadian guide. When you click on the link it downloads immediately to a 61-page PDF file entitled, "Going Global: Introduction to export marketing of cultural products and services." The project was funded in part by the Government of Canada's Sector Council Program.

Made in China

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Watch James Fallows's Made in China video. He does a fantastic job narrating about China's dynamo manufacturing capabilities and has an accompanying article, "China Makes, The World Takes," in the current issue of The Atlantic online. Unfortunately it's only available to subscribers but that doesn't mean you can't go out and buy a copy. James is an Atlantic national correspondent.

A hat tip to Paul Barsch, Global Services Marketing, Teradata, a division of NCR, for turning me on to the piece.

Separately, but related, I'll be posting on, "Dragons At Your Door," in a couple of days. The fascinating book is scheduled for release tomorrow (June 12).

Photo credit: Michael Christopher Brown.

Globalization: The Future

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Here's a look at the presentation I gave on May 24th in Chicago and hosted by IBM and Catwalk Consulting. Be sure to view it in fullscreen.

If you are interested in having the same presentation for your group or organization (which I am doing this month for several firms), you know where to find me!

By the way, the presentation offers ten disciplines to thriving in the global marketplace. The audience thought it was all pretty compelling. See what you think. Let me know.

Pepsi: Repairing a Poisoned Reputation in India

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How the soda giant fought charges of tainted products in a country fixated on its polluted water.

A lesson for us all. But I wonder why Pepsi doesn't make the product elsewhere, where the quality of water is not an issue, and then export the finished goods to India?

Read the very comprehensive piece here.

Exporting Is a Big Step

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By Steve Strauss, Special for USA TODAY

Q: What do you think of exporting? Generally, is it a good idea for a small business? How difficult is it to get started? How expensive? Lots of questions. Thanks. — Maggie

A: First, we need to define exactly what you mean by "exporting" because the Internet has changed it, along with just about everything else. You see, today it is much easier than ever before to sell your products to an international audience — via your website — but that differs than traditional exporting wherein you find partners and distributors overseas who agree to represent you and sell your wares.

When it comes to the traditional idea of exporting, you are looking at the proverbial good news and bad news. First the pros ...

If you want a shortcut to finding an Export Assistance Center in your area, go here instead of downloading, as Steve suggested, a PDF file.

Age-Old Question of International Trade

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Q: We are a small manufacturer and want to purchase some component parts overseas. The overseas entity doesn't want to ship without payment. Yet we don't want to pay before we are sure that the goods will come and they will be of the quality represented. What are our options?

-- Marc Chafetz, Washington, D.C.

A: You're asking one of the age-old questions of international trade: How do a buyer and seller handle payment so neither gets burned? Read WSJ reporter Kelly Spors's answer here.

And I'd like to add my two cents on the subject.

Technology Allows SME's To Go Global

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Throughout the month of May, chambers of commerce throughout the country will recognize small businesses for their achievements and contributions.

One look at the statistics and it's easy to see why we deserve our praise. Small businesses have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually over the last decade, according to smallbusiness.com, and according to the Small Business Association, small business owners represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms.

But even 15 years ago, small businesses were often limited by their geography to local or regional customers. Today, thanks to advances in technology, many of the 26 million small businesses in the United States can operate globally.

Read more here.

Seeking a Place on the World Stage

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What do rock stars, entrepreneurs and universities have in common: They want to be known worldwide.

Read about how Brown University has a new international initiative.

Taking your business to new borders

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Featured in the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday, May 22nd and wanted to share the piece with you.

Back in the 1980s, Laurel Delaney worked at a Chicago manufacturing firm that made chemical cleaning products.

Over a nine-year period, the company grew from $250,000 to $6 million in annual sales by "going global."

The firm eventually sold products in more than two dozen countries and reaped approximately a third of its sales overseas.

Watching that transformation spurred Delaney to adopt an adage to which she has adhered ever since: "Go Global or Die."

Read the story here.

Artist: Chrissy Weisgard, title "Crossing Borders," Denmark.

Who is more global? You, me or Spiderman?

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None of the above. Despite the hype over globalization and suggestions that the top managers of large corporations should come from/be based in emerging economies like India and China, we have only a handful of instances where corporations have done something tangible in this direction. To learn more, visit here.

Surviving in a Global Economy

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I will be giving a talk in Chicago at an exciting Empowering Women in Business event sponsored and hosted by two of my favorite companies -- IBM and Catwalk Consulting -- on May 24th. Hope you can join us! Learn more and register here.

Lollapalooza Going Global?

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Perry Farrell is looking to possibly take his Lollapalooza show back on the road after being in a static location that last few years. When Farrell founded the festival, Lollapalooza started off as a successful traveling show, but sputtered when it returned from a a six year hiatus. After the 2004 tour was cancelled due to low ticket sales, Lollapalooza set up shop in Austin for a year before landing in its current location in Chicago. The home base approach seems to have worked and the festival has returned to being one of the biggest in the U.S. However, Farrell apparently is growing restless.

Guess what's next? Find out here.

Is Friedman's Flat World Deeply Skewed?

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Join the debate.

Warren Buffet Going Global

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We are on the right track if Warren is joining us in going global! He's looking for more money outside the U.S.

UPS Searching for World's Best Small Businesses!

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This is one of my favorite contests on the planet!

UPS today -- May 8 -- kicked off a program that seeks the best small businesses across the globe (yeah ... that's us!) -- from Alabama to Argentina and from Zimbabwe to New Zealand.

Dubbed the UPS Best “Out-of-the-Box” Small Business Contest, the program is designed for companies with annual 2006 revenues of at least $250,000 but not more than $10 million and is a way for UPS to reward small businesses using creative, innovative ideas and concepts.

Prizes for the winners range from $5,000 to $25,000 in cash, plus an IBM small business package. This is the first year that small businesses from around the world -- not just those in the United States -- are eligible to participate.

I participated in this event last year as an expert panelist speaker and it was a blast. I met so many innovative small business owners and still wear the decorative pin that one of the winners made through her business!

Will I see you there? I hope so. It's high-time we meet! First, you must register. And there is a special registration area for small business owners operating in different parts of the world. For example, here's the Chinese registration page. Once you register, I will wait to hear whether you are selected as a winner. Remember, all of you are already winners in my book!

Better hurry because contest application period ends September 1. In case you skipped the previous links, begin the online registration process here.

P.S. Just in (5/9) ... I have been asked to be a judge on the program and it's official:

The entries will be judged by an international panel of renowned small business experts, including: Laurel Delaney, President and Founder, Global TradeSource, Ltd.; Joshua Lau, Founder and CEO of YesAsia; Juan Antonio "Oso" Oseguera, editor of Entrepreneur en Español and Hayden Bradshaw, publisher and editor of Enterprise Magazine.

Read the press release here. I am honored and cannot wait!

Hi, Laurel ... How are you?

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I always welcome emails like the one below from friends and colleagues worldwide. My new theory is to start measuring my ROA (return on accessibility) instead of ROI (return on investment). If you or your employees are not accessible, how will you contribute to the world at large?

Here's a message from a blogger colleague in China:

Hi, Laurel,

How are you? Having a good week?

My name is Rich Brubaker, and I am a fellow blogger located in Shanghai.

I recently found your blog, and have read your bio, and I just wanted to send a short welcome note to say that I look forward to following your blog.

Also, your software (blogspot) is actually being blocked by the great China Firewall, so I am unable to post replies (and that will also be the case for others in China).

Hope all is well and let me know if you would like to use any of my China content. I write a lot of content that SMEs would benefit from.

Hope all is well,
Rich

Richard Brubaker, MBA
China Strategic Development Partners LLC
Managing Director

934 Nanjing West Road, Suite 505
Shanghai, P.R.C. 200041
Tel: +86 21 6218 8486
Fax: +86 21 6217 0928
Website: China Strategic Development Partners
Weblog: All Roads Lead To China
Skype: rbrubaker_shanghai

Note to Richard ... thank you and hope you get the attention you deserve! Shame on China for blocking our blogs! Anyone in China who wants to post a comment on an entry, email me at ldelaneyatglobetradedotcom.

Take care,
Laurel

Resources To Get You Going Global

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These are all up on our blog now (right side panel) but wanted to make sure you are aware:

Scribed Global Guru: A manifesto to get businessmen and businesswomen out of their own backyard and transition from local, regional or national firms into global players.

Building Your Global Empire: Women in companies of all sizes are taking their business around the globe -- and to the bank.

Lost in Translation: Cautionary tales plus 10 ways to go global.

Going Global: 14 tips from leading experts and bold entrepreneurs will help you expand internationally.

Happy global trails!

Small Is Beautiful and Borderless

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Read Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's (pictured) lips:

Being a small business is not a barrier when it comes to competing in the global economy. The key is to find your company's niche and focus on its strengths.

More here.

How Global Is Your Business?

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How global is your business, really? Put your company to the test with Pankaj Ghemawat's Globalization Survey, and after completing it, download a free PDF of his 2006 McKinsey Award-winning article, "Regional Strategies for Global Leadership."

I just completed the test and it takes about 8-10 minutes. Very substantial and well-thought out. Make sure you answer all the questions -- otherwise it won't take -- and include an email address (at the beginning) to receive the free PDF article!

Small Enterprises Are Not The Solution?

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Very provocative article originating in Ghana ... see what you think and feel free to weigh in with your comments.

Excerpt 1:

Close behind it comes operating a small business that is not making it. The small and medium sized enterprise sector (SMEs) carries the hopes of government, being advocated by conventional economists as the solution to unemployment in the global market, and large amounts of money annually being pumped into support for small businesses – with micro-financing schemes, training and support.

Excerpt 2:

That is a result of the second reason: the global market gives huge advantage to size. If a small business succeeds, it is inevitably taken over by larger business. Even Mark Shuttleworth, perhaps the most successful small business start-up in South Africa, could not resist the terms of the take-over. When that happens? Jobs are lost because the larger entity remains competitive only by replacing people. Mergers and acquisitions dominate at the top.

Ouch.

Read the article here.