The Legendary and Marvelous Mavis Staples

 

I had the wonderful opportunity to watch the HBO documentary on 76-year old Chicagoan Mavis Staples that recently premiered in Chicago at the DuSable Museum of African American History and listen to her perform live afterwards.  Her new album, "Living on a High Note" comes out next week.  The documentary airs on HBO February 29th.

Photos courtesy:  ©2016 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Ways to Finance Your International Business

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How do you finance an international business?  Let me count the ways but this webinar, delivered by the famous Dr. Kati Suominen, covers nearly all your options and it's free.  Yes, you read that right.  Here's what you will learn:

• Export credit insurance: Getting paid from a foreign buyer
• Export working capital: Getting money to fulfill international orders
• Factoring: Getting advance payment for your foreign A/R
• Buyer finance: Finding money for your foreign buyer to buy from you
• Growth capital: Getting long-term debt or equity to scale production and international sales

Go here to view the webinar.

You can also access Kati’s accompanying PowerPoint here.

The Age of the Mobile Global Customer: Trends to Watch in 2016

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With more than a third of global online transactions now mobile, three key trends will become explosive growth drivers in 2016. Here they are.

3 Global Mobile Trends to Watch in 2016

Boosting Foreign Trade a Top Priority for China

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Because China's 2015 trade volume decreased by 7 percent from the previous year, its first drop in five years, boosting foreign trade has become a top priority for the country.  Here's why.

Exporters trying to sell to the lucrative Chinese market, with or without a physical presence in the country, will inevitably have heard of its booming cross-border e-commerce industry, which grew over 30 percent in 2015 despite the slowing international trade. It is predicted that trade via cross-border e-commerce alone will exceed RMB 6.5 trillion in 2016, accounting for 20 percent of total trade volume.

Learn more, especially about China’s cross-border e-commerce industry, and the common sales approaches used by foreign merchants engaged in the industry:  Exporting to China:  Import Tax Slashed in Cross-Border E-Commerce Zones

3 Challenges That Threaten Small Business Owners

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Small business owners always face challenges -- from raising capital, to retaining talented employees, to finding time to work on the business as opposed to in the business.  But who knew that marketing remains one of the biggest challenges that threaten local entrepreneurs as well as global small business owners.

In the article below, the author at the Global Dispatch talks about three specific marketing challenges that entrepreneurs face:

1. Not enough online presence.
2. Adapting to mobile (check out three global mobile trends to watch in 2016).
3. Increasing local awareness.

Read more:  The Biggest Marketing Challenges That Threaten Small Business Owners

Today in Global Small Business: The Almighty Exporting Book is Getting An Update

Photo courtesy:  Apress

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

• How Hannover Messe offers manufacturers an entry into global markets (great resources mentioned here that are offered by the U.S. Commercial Service).
• Why small businesses win with LNG exports provision.
• Why a global slowdown won't stop U.S. businesses.
• Discover how the Global Entrepreneurs in Residence (GEIR) Program brings a trifecta of international entrepreneurial expertise to the University of Colorado Boulder.
• How to stop customers from returning products online.
• How the almighty book "Exporting:  The Definitive Guide to Selling Abroad Profitably" is being updated by Laurel Delaney.

The Artisan Cellar at The Merchandise Mart in Chicago

Say hello to the Artisan Cellar (AC), a gourmet market featuring a wide variety of wines and beer plus a delicious deli takeout, not to mention a great place to hang when you have time to kill at The Merchandise Mart, Chicago.  (Note:  AC has free wine tastings Fridays 4:00-6:00 p.m. Central Time.)  Twitter handle here.

Photos courtesy:  ©Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

The Paradoxes of Scaling: Time Your Transition

Prepare for Global Growth With Your Equity Crowdfunding Campaign

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People talk about the importance of having the right mindset, the right people, the right products or services and the right processes in place before you take a business global.  But what happens when you try for equity crowdfunding?

Take Linda Bulk who is general manager and director of Waikato, New Zealand-based Aeronavics.  Her company is a drone manufacturer that raised $1.5 million through an equity crowdfunding campaign last February, with 213 investors taking a total 15 percent stake in the company.

How did she prepare her aerial solution business for equity crowdfunding?

Business owners do have to understand that accountancy requirements change as the amount of shareholders increases, so that is something to be considered. For us this hasn't meant a lot of change though as we're in preparation for global growth and have already adopted these standards.

Read more:  Small Business:  Equity crowd funding - Linda Bulk, Aeronavics

London Small Businesses Have Big Global Ambitions

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There's a tremendous global opportunity for London-based small businesses to scale-up and expand internationally.  But how do you become a globally-recognized brand and business?

The Mayor's International Business Programme [led by London & Partners, the Mayor's official promotional company and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund] is the first programme of its kind, using peer-to-peer mentoring and private sector backing, to help London-based companies to scale up and internationalize.

There's an answer to the question above but you must read the article below because it is designed to maximize the international business potential of London-based SMEs.

Read more:  Boris Johnson looks to scale SME success & take London tech global

WEGG Wednesday Webinar 2/3 on International Finance

©Women Entrepreneurs GROW Global.  All rights reserved.

What payment and financing issues do you need to consider when exporting?  What are key financial instruments you ought to know of?  Where do you go to secure these instruments?  And what are other special considerations for fueling your international growth with growth capital?  WEGG has got your back.

Join the webinar on Wednesday, February 3rd at 10:00 a.m. Central time to hear Kati Suominen, who just returned from Davos, address these questions and more with her presentation, "Financing Your International Business:  Plan Early and Smart."  The WEGG webinar is no charge but registration is required.  I'll be on the webinar.  See you there.  Register here.

Today in Global Small Business: Embracing Change Is No Longer An Option in Our Global Marketplace

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

• Discover how to finance your international business activities (webinar on 2/3 at 10:00 a.m. Central time - requires registration; no charge).
• Find out why embracing change is no longer an option in our global marketplace.
• How a small Miami-based company has a global reach.
• Learn how crowd funding has become so hot that big players like GE want a piece of the action.
• Who is winning in the global e-commerce game?
• What's driving global economic growth in 2016?  PwC has some CEO survey insights.

Joy Every Day

©2016 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"My cat is the Christmas in my life; he brings that kind of joy every day."  -- Anonymous

Small Businesses Are the Building Blocks For the Global Economy

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Entrepreneurs and small business owners are tough.  They are bold and fearless with their actions but that doesn't protect or insulate them against failure.

In Malaysia, for example, SMEs constitute 99.3 per cent of all businesses in the country, are a vital component and contribute significantly to the nation’s economy. Yet many of them cannot sustain themselves over the long haul, particularly with making it successfully to a five-year mark.  What are some of the problems they face?  Here are five:

1. Leadership failure.
2. Lack of strategic planning.
3. Failing to effectively market online.
4. Failing to listen to the core customers.
5. Poor financial management.

Yet as the article below states:

Many countries have accepted the fact that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the building blocks of their economies. 

The bottom line:  Success for Malaysian SMEs or any global small business owner depends on strong leadership.

Learn more:  Five deadly sins of small business failure

Asia Pacific SMEs Need to Unlock Global Growth Potential

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According to "Why small business is missing out on a world of opportunity," published by SMBAsia:

In Asia Pacific, small- to medium-size enterprises – or SMEs as we often refer to them– make up 98% of all businesses, employ 50% of the workforce and generate 42% to GDP, so it is important that they continue to succeed and grow.

But are most SMEs leveraging international trade to help boost their revenues and profitability?  Everyone knows, or should know, that there is a correlation between exporting and achieving rapid growth, for example.  Further, exporting, in this case, helps SMEs achieve economies of scale, reduce risks and balance uneven growth cycles.

The trick is to unlock SME global growth potential.  How do you do it?  You can find some ideas here.

Re-Invent Your Business Model To Grow Global

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In 2016, small businesses should plan to take a leap and bargain in good faith with destiny by reinventing their business models to grow beyond U.S. borders. Small businesses have just as much potential as multi-national companies to embark on the adventure of being part of a global economy and creating a positive impact to the bottom line.

Here's why.  International trade consists of 30 percent of the U.S. economy. Exports of products and services reached a record $2.3 trillion in 2014.

Growing your business across borders is no easy feat, and yet more than 95 percent of the world’s customers are living outside of the United States and they are thirsty for everything American.

Learn more:  Small Business in International Market

How Do You Know If Your Business Is In the Decline Stage?

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Whether you run a PR consultancy, manufacturing enterprise or international trade company, there are early warning signs that get ignored yet indicate right in your face your business is moving toward the slow road to deterioration.

What are the signs?  You know it when you experience it:  Customers complain, everyone focuses on the past and so forth.  See if I'm right.  And if I've missed any, send me an email and I'll add to the post!

The 7 Signs of Import/Export Business Deterioration

Today in Global Small Business: Global E-Commerce is the Great Equalizer

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

• Singapore small businesses are strong and resilient, survey finds.
• SIUE International Trade Center helps industry leader go global.
• How global e-commerce is becoming the great equalizer.
• Helping SMEs go global -- Banana Fish Shoes.
• How to foster creativity at your business.
• Five tips for launching a mobile app in an international market.

Too Much Winter?

©2014 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"You can't get too much winter in the winter."  -- Robert Frost

How Do We Avoid a World of Joblessness, Low Productivity and Inequality?

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How do we avoid a world of joblessness, low productivity and inequality?  The answer is by empowering global small businesses and entrepreneurs to create jobs and wealth in their communities.

We must always leave a space at the table for global small businesses.

Yet small businesses have no voice at Davos. That means that their issues are not on the agenda, despite the sacrifices entrepreneurs make to grow their countries’ economies and their vital part in unlocking a more prosperous world. Thus, Sage aims to draw the attention of the world’s political and economic leaders to the small business sector.

Read more:  Ivan Epstein:  Small business jobs saviour yet voiceless at Davos

The World's Most Innovative Economies

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Which country is putting a lot of money into developing new technologies?  In the world of ideas, it's South Korea, lifting itself up from their bootstraps through a combination of government support and private enterprise.  Surprise, surprise.

Germany, Sweden, Japan and Switzerland rounded out the top five in the 2016 Bloomberg Innovation Index, which scored economies using factors including research and development spending and concentration of high-tech public companies.

South Korea's almost six-point edge on No. 2 Germany — and outpacing of neighbors Japan (No. 4) and China (No. 21) — also might understate the degree of economic competition felt among those in the Asian nation. 

Read more:  These are the World's Most Innovative Economies

Getting a More Global Use of Higher Education

Instagram Looks Outside Borders for Growth

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In order to strengthen its advertising operations, Instagram is going global.  It will focus on small businesses and users outside the US, as its sales operations rely more extensively on those of Facebook, its parent.

Ms Levine [chief operation officer Instagram; Facebook VP] added that international expansion was a priority, with 75 percent of its more than 400 million users based outside the United States.

Users

• Brazil:  29 million (second largest market outside United States)
• Germany:  9 million 
• UK:  more than 14 million

Read more: Instagram to ramp up efforts to lure small businesses

Today in Global Small Business: How to Make TPP Work For Everyone

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

• 12 tactics for creating powerful global leadership connections.
• From getting started in exporting to financing your international business, start now.
• New study says 2016 brings "banner year" for small business owners.
• Why Bitcoin has failed for the 89th time.
• How to make the Trans-Pacific Partnership work for workers and communities.
• Who are the five most important retail e-commerce vendors?

America Is Built on Courage

©2016 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"America was not built on fear.  America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand." -- Harry S. Truman

How to Make Interactions With People Count

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In the article below, I talk about why interactions matter with people and how you can become a much better leader by using your head and a tender heart to fully engage those you lead.  This article was originally prepared for About.com where I serve as an Import-Export Expert.

Twelve Tactics for Creating Powerful Global Leadership Connections

The American Dream of Global Small Business Ownership

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I'll start with the ending of this Forbes article by Rohit Arora, Contributor for Forbes, because it pretty much sums up his take on President Obama's work on small business initiatives through the course of his presidency:

Naturally, the current economic climate is not without peril. However, the past few years of the Obama Administration have been prosperous ones for entrepreneurs on a number of measures. It is why Americans continue to dream big and why foreigners seek to come here to pursue the American Dream of business ownership.

Rating the Obama Years For Small Business Growth

Grow Aggressively Both Domestically and Internationally

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Gerry David, CEO and President of Celsius Holdings, Inc., the makers of the Celsius healthy energy drink, says:  "Aim for balance in all of your business endeavors to maintain a strong brand image at home as you begin to establish yourself globally."

He goes on to say that before you start the process of internationalizing your business, make sure that your business is ready to go global and that you have all of your resources in place.

He provides seven pointers on how to go about it.  It boils down to growing your business aggressively both domestically and internationally.

Read:  Small Businesses Go International

David Bowie: Strung Out in Heaven's High

©2015 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

David Bowie, global rock star and most influential musician of his era, dies of cancer at age 69.  From the song:

Ashes To Ashes

"Do you remember a guy that's been
In such an early song
I've heard a rumour from Ground Control
Oh no, don't say it's true

They got a message from the Action Man
"I'm happy. Hope you're happy, too.
I've loved. All I've needed: love.
Sordid details following."

The shrieking of nothing is killing me
Just pictures of Jap girls in synthesis
And I ain't got no money and I ain't got no hair
But I'm hoping to kick but the planet is glowing

[Chorus:]
Ashes to ashes, funk to funky
We know Major Tom's a junkie
Strung out in heaven's high
Hitting an all-time low" ...

Read more:  David Bowie Lyrics - Ashes to Ashes

Past post about David Bowie, find here.  Some videos of interest. Condolences to his family and friends.  May he R.I.P.

Today in Global Small Business: What CanExport Do for Canadian Exporters?

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

• Why innovators are more likely to achieve export success.
• Three must-have apps for global travelers.
• How the STEP program can help businesses export products.
• Learn more about the CanExport program for Canadian small businesses and what it can and cannot do.
• Can you export before you are ready?
• An international trade forecast by Orange County and South California Exports.

Bravery is Freedom

©2015 Laurel Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"He who is brave is free." -- Lucius Annaeus Seneca

TPP Tackles E-Commerce As We Know It Today

©iStock/Massimo Merlini

As the leading ecommerce platform for businesses of all sizes, eBay Canada applauds the government’s support of SMEs with the launch of a $50-million fund designed to help Canadian small and medium businesses (SMEs) export their products, which will help them compete in a global marketplace and also recognize their capacity for international trade.

According to Industry Canada, SMEs employ 90 per cent of the total private labour force, and small businesses alone (up to 99 employees) generate 27 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Interesting fact:  "On eBay, for example, 99.8 per cent of Canadian commercial sellers exported in 2014 with 99.5 per cent of those sellers exporting to Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries."

TPP not only updates much of the North-American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), it also promises to improve access to global markets for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).

Unfamiliar with TPP?  Go here for more information.

Read more:  Why the TPP is the right direct for e-commerce

Unstable Global Economy?

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According to a survey of small business-owners by Manta, the top concerns for global small businesses finishing up 2015 and entering into a new year are as follows:

• Lack of capital.
• Competition.
• Lack of talented employees.
• Taxes.
• Health care costs.
• Unstable economy.

Manta's survey indicates:

... most of the small business owners surveyed (83 percent) expected to grow in 2016, and 39 percent said they had plans to hire in the first half of 2016, indicating they'll be looking for talent that can grow into higher-level jobs down the line.

It seems as if a lot of business owners have a roll of the dice global strategy in place for 2016.

Read more:  Health Care Costs, Lack of Capital Worry Small Businesses

Facebook Readies to Globalize Its Awards

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In 2016, the Facebook Awards will institute a regional bracket system that will crown winners for each category in four regions — North America, Latin America, EMEA and Asia-Pacific — then pit those local winners against one another to determine overall honorees.  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted October 4, 2012 that the next billion Facebook users will come from regions outside North America.  This gives everyone who uses Facebook in the world a fighting chance to come out a winner.

Not surprising, Facebook will also feature a new category in the awards:  Small Business Award.

What is your best practice on Facebook?  Maybe you should apply for the award!  More details:

The submission period for the 2016 Facebook awards runs from Jan. 8 through April 1. Awards will comprise five categories: Best Use of Facebook Family of Brands (the overall winner for best use of Facebook and Instagram), Innovation, Small Business, Social for Good and Integrated. Awards can be given to any work that appears on either Facebook, Instagram or both. Global winners will be selected by a global judging panel in June.

Facebook ran a news release but I can't seem to track how we can apply (2015 winners featured here).  We might have to wait until January 8, 2016 for more information.

Last Call to register for export webinar that Laurel Delaney is giving today (1/6/16) at 11:00 a.m. Central time over at WEGG!

The New World Order: Innovation

©iStock/Eric_Schroeder

As research and development programs become more global, a geographic footprint of innovation is changing dramatically.

An overwhelming 94 percent of the world’s largest innovators now conduct elements of their R&D programs abroad, according to the 2015 Global Innovation 1000 study, our [PwC's Strategy&] annual analysis of corporate R&D spending.

Where are innovation dollars going?  To countries in which their sales and manufacturing are growing fastest, and where they can access the right technical talent.  Markets like China and India are booming (no surprises there).

Bottom line:  Firms that favor a more global R&D footprint outperform their less globalized competitors on a variety of financial measures.

Read more:  Innovation's New World Order

Today in Global Small Business: Steve King's Predictions for 2016

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

• Start the new year out establishing a global footprint:  Register for Laurel's complimentary webinar, Getting Started in Exporting, January 6th from 11:00 a.m. -- 12:00 noon Central time.
• How to expand your business globally without abandoning your roots.
• What do you do if your love letters go global?
• Predictions and trends for 2016 -- the good and the ugly.
• Crystal ball predictions in 2016 from Jim Blasingame (who claims a 15-year 73 percent accuracy record).
• Steve King's famous small business trend list (going strong 8 years+) -- you won't want to miss his 2016 predictions!

Off to a Healthy Start in 2016

Off to a healthy start in 2016 -- ran the New Year's Day 5K Run in Lincoln Park (Chicago), Illinois, U.S.A.  I hope your new year is filled with good health, joy and much global success!

Photos courtesy:  ©Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

The World Is Your Market in 2016

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