Anything Is Possible

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"With a doughnut in each hand, anything is possible." – Jameela Jamil

Never, Ever Retreat From Globalization

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Eswar Prasad, a professor of trade policy at Cornell University’s Dyson School and the author of, most recently, The Future of Money, pens an essay for Foreign Policy on how the world will regret its retreat from globalization.

As countries retreat from globalization and begin to look increasingly inward, there could be wide-ranging implications for both economic and geopolitical stability. Just as with the surge in globalization, however, the consequences of this pullback are proving to be unevenly distributed, with low- and middle-income countries bearing the brunt. 

Catch Prasad's essay here.

Alibaba Restructures

©iStock/Robert Way

The Jack Ma-founded conglomerate, which includes Alibaba, said on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 it was planning to split into six units and explore fundraisings or listings for most of them, marking the biggest restructuring in its 24-year history.

This might be a signal that Beijing’s regulatory crackdown on corporates is ending, propelling the conglomerate's shares higher and boosting investor confidence in prospects for Chinese tech firms.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act

©iStock/gopixa

The proposed legislation or legal framework brought forward by the European Union (EU), the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, focuses primarily on strengthening rules around data quality, transparency, human oversight and accountability. 

It also aims to address ethical questions and implementation challenges in various sectors ranging from healthcare and education to finance and energy.

Read:  The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act, explained

Waste-Free Mascara by Paige DeAngelo Gets Global Attention

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Because she couldn’t find a mascara product that fit the bill for quality or safety, Paige DeAngelo created her own.  And now that mascara — and her waste-free mascara story — just might be taking her around the world.

In early May, the Drexel senior will be one of 18 young people worldwide to compete in the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) virtual semifinals. If she makes it through, DeAngelo and her Aer Cosmetics will represent the United States as one of only six contestants in the final international competition in South Africa. 

Read on to learn how Paige is part of a growing business breed: global social entrepreneurs.

Today in Global Small Business: Loaf Like You Mean It

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

• Leading UK sofa, beds and furniture brand Loaf has launched a major new advertising campaign, positioning loafing as a desirable pursuit, and encouraging people to really take their loafing seriously. 
• Mindshare, driving good global growth for clients.
• The future of ecommerce:  How a product becomes a purchase.
• Quote of the week: "Loafing is easy but "leisure" is difficult." – Peter Drucker
• The impact of ChatGPT on your job.
• Are you a climate "doomer?"

Chicago: Auditioning For the World

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Chicago is constantly auditioning for the world, determined that one day, on the streets of Barcelona, in Berlin's cabarets, in the coffee shops of Istanbul, people will know and love us in our multidimensional glory, dream of us the way they dream of San Francisco and New York." – Mary Schmich, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist

Globalization Is Working Better

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Globalization has rallied and is even working better but a new report also acknowledges that threats to globalization are real, with today’s “turbulent environment” of geopolitical tensions and other crises not being beneficial to business and policy-making. 

Taking a Family Business to a New Level

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Two siblings took their decades-old family farm business and pulled off a digital transformation.

The story of Perfect Plants Nursery shows how even a decades-old, family-owned business in a historically wholesale niche can pull off a digital transformation and scale quickly. 

Discover how they became a fast-growth e-commerce success story. 

Supply Chain Costs to Normalize in 2023

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Last year, footwear brand Skechers's margins were clipped by high supply chain costs, despite its attempt to raise prices. 

This year Skechers expects supply chain costs to normalize as shipping prices come down, developments that will ease margin pressure and propel the brand to its goal of $10 billion in annual sales by 2026, the company’s CFO John Vandemore said at the UBS Consumer and Retail Conference on Wednesday.

“You saw 40-foot-high cube container rates go from an average of about $3,000 to $25,000. So for an average pair of shoes that took the landed embedded freight cost from something between 25 and 50 cents to $2 and $2.50,” he [Vandemore] said. “Last year quite frankly wasn’t my proudest year from a gross margin perspective, but I do believe you know a lot of those exogenous factors are beginning to abate which should lead to improvement later on.”

Read more here.

Make Your Image Tell the Truth About You Worldwide (TEDxReno)

Today in Global Small Business: Remote Work Is Here to Stay

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

• Take your global remote workforce from policy to practice.
• What's the magic number for working in-office weekly?
• The global talent pool is open for business.
• Quote of the week: "People are more productive working at home than people would have expected. Some people thought that everything was just going to fall apart, and it hasn’t." – Mark Zuckerberg 
• Oh really.  The king of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, says engineers who joined Meta in-person perform better than those who joined remotely.  Check out his above quote. 
• What are the global workplace trends in 2023?

Keep Breathing

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"I've got to keep breathing. It'll be my worst business mistake if I don't." – Steve Martin

Happy St. Patrick's Day From Chicago!

True Global Leadership: The Gail Adinamis wegg® Award for Exemplary Global Leadership®

©2023 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

True global leaders are defined not only by their worldly knowledge and connections, nor by the global opportunities they seize, but by how they contribute to the improvement and growth of others.

Find out who the wegg® winner (awardee) is when wegg announces on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at 10 AM CT.  The celebration – The Gail Adinamis wegg® Award for Exemplary Global Leadership® – is free of charge and we welcome your participation.  Register here.  

Globalization Is a Fact

©iStock/Shivendu Jauhari

"Globalization is a fact, not a policy," says Condoleezza Rice.

With growing concerns that globalization is in retreat amid rising geopolitical tensions, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told an audience of policymakers, business leaders, and academics at the 2023 SIEPR Economic Summit that there’s no turning back on the interdependence of world economies.

Globalization is facing headwinds Rice said. The strongest, she said, are coming from China where government leaders have failed to meet international expectations of liberalizing the country’s economy.

Read on for her remarks.

Go Broad, Go Deep, and Go Global

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As countries around the world move forward with strategies to become “crypto hubs,” over the next eight weeks Coinbase is set to accelerate operationalizing its “Go Broad, Go Deep” international strategy in globally recognized markets across six continents.

We state it as:  Go Broad, Go Deep, and Go Global 

Today in Global Small Business: Keep the Bicycle Moving Because Trade Is Still Contributing to Recovery and Growth

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

• No doubt it’s a tough time for global trade, battered by supply chain issues and geopolitical concerns. But there’s a useful metaphor to help navigate our way through these challenges: Keep the bicycle moving.
• Expand into foreign markets and increase e-commerce sales.
• Is English the true language of startups?
• Quote of the week: "You have chosen the wrong path if it's not fun. And you are probably not taking enough risk if it's not hard and rocky sometimes" – Marc Russell Benioff
• The importance of cross-cultural communication in global business.
• Discover why creativity is a big driver to global business success.

Seeing What Is Invisible to Others

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others." – Jonathan Swift

Intentionality Is Important For Artists and Collectors In Going Global

©iStock/JLco - Julia Amaral

Intentionality with artists and collectors they align with is key, and expanding their global presence (whether opening international gallery locations or increasing global exhibitions) is critical—as is obtaining career-changing museum acquisitions for their rostered artists, and continuing to champion Black and POC artists.

Read more:  Black Women Gallerists on Growth and Going Global

The Day After: International Women's Day 2023

©Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®  All rights reserved.

After everyone did their part yesterday showing support for International Women's Day and turned the lights out with satisfaction at midnight 3/8/23 for their effort, this organization keeps cranking on behalf of women because every day is International Women's Day for Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.

Join wegg® on their next two programs:  wegginar® and The Gail Adinamis wegg® Award for Global Exemplary Leadership®.

wegg's lights are always on.  Offering a bright path forward for women yearning to take their business global.

The World Is Your Market For Talent

©iStock/Kateryna Onyshchuk

Those who want to stay on the bleeding edge need to look for ways to capitalize on (rather than minimize) the remote work experience. One of these ways is by expanding beyond traditional talent pools and recruiting from across the world.

Here are a few reasons why there has never been a better time to build a global workforce.

Direct Impact by FedEX on Small Businesses

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FedEx supports thousands of SMEs and millions of jobs around the globe through its direct and indirect employment and through its extended supply chain—88% of FedEx suppliers are SMEs, collectively employing 810,000 people.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the foundation of the global economy, representing about 90% of all business and employing half of the world’s workforce, according to the World Bank. FedEx is committed to helping these vital companies succeed and grow.

Read the Global Economic Impact Report 2022 – Measuring the FedEx Effect

Today in Global Small Business: 6 Global Business Trends to Watch in 2023

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

• According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, here are 6 global business trends to watch in 2023.  Also watch Laurel Delaney's Global Trade Trends Report 2023.
• Watch out Shopify.  Here comes Global-e Online.
• FX:  Thinking outside the dollar.
• Quote of the week:  "Trends, like horses, are easier to ride in the direction they are going." – John Naisbitt
• Try this on Friday – to make your weekend sing.
• Building resilience in a poly crisis world.

Bright Ideas Closer Together

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Everyone is a genius at least once a year. The real geniuses simply have their bright ideas closer together." – Georg C. Lichtenberg

The Way of the Future Is Through AI

©iStock/Black_Kira

First there was ChatGPT, then DALL-E 2 and Midjourney, and now Blue Mail.  Artificial Intelligence (AI) is coming into our world fast.  If you are not familiar with any of these, check them out.

AI technology will become the way of the future soon – sparking creativity and expanding the range of what's possible.

Americans Know the Best Way to Learn About Wine Is To Drink It

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"The United States confirmed its role as the driving force behind French wine and spirits exports," the Federation of French Wine and Spirits Exporters Chairman Cesar Giron told Reuters.  

French wine and spirit exports rose 11% last year to hit a new record, mainly boosted by a rise in prices, and the trend should last this year as Chinese consumers return to restaurants and resume travel, industry group FEVS said.

Exports to the United States, France's largest market for wine and spirits, jumped 14% last year to 4.7 billion euros and now accounted for over a fourth of total exports in value.

Americans know the best way to learn about wine is to drink it.

I'll drink to that.  Cheers.

Get Out of Your Own Backyard: Explore a New Market

©iStock/gustavofrazao

There are a plethora of resources right at your fingertips for taking a business global.  Why not explore a few of them?

1. Market diversification tool
2. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) tariff tool
3. Customs Info Tariff Database
4. Foreign Retaliatory Tariffs
5. Global Market Finder (Census)

Take a deep breath.  One step at a time.  

Start with the Market diversification tool which can help you identify potential new export markets using your current trade patterns; enter the products you export and the markets you currently export to, and the tool uses an algorithm with data from 11 indicators to score and rank potential markets.  Cool.

And then work your way through the rest of the resources.  Knock 'em down.  You'll be global in no time at all.

Susie Quesada Presents a wegginar® on Creating a Company Culture That Inspires Global Growth

©2023 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

Have you wondered how to grow and learn as a leader?  How to engage teams to give (and get) best results?  Or, how to access a new market before you enter it?

Then you should sign up for our next wegginar® Wednesday, March 1st at 11 AM Central Time.  Susie Quesada, 3rd generation owner and President of Ramar Foods International, will discuss all of the above centered around "Creating a Company Culture That Inspires Global Growth."

As the #1 Trusted Filipino Food Company, Ramar Foods manufactures authentic high quality tropical ice cream, lumpia and sausages that brings the Flavor of the Philippines to supermarkets and restaurants.

Yum.  You won't want to miss this!  To learn more and to register (free of charge thanks to sponsors noted in the graphic), visit:  wegg®.

Today in Global Small Business: A Global Fashion Brand Pairs Sustainability and Growth

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

• A global fashion brand pairs sustainability and growth.
• Steve Jobs said your overall happiness in life really comes down to asking 4 simple questions.
• How a global hospitality brand is making it personal.
• Quote of the week: “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.” ― Steve Jobs
• Companies that change the game can change the world.
• 5 tips to become a social global entrepreneur.

It's Never Too Late to Say

©2023 Laurel J, Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"It's never too late to say I love you." – Laurel J. Delaney

5 Reasons Why You Should Study Global Business

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Because global business is such a multifaceted field that’s often studded with high-risk, high-reward opportunities, it can be intimidating to dive in. 

Here’s a look at what global business is, five ways studying it can help you as an organizational leader, and how to kick off your education.

Growing Global Is Inevitable For Prosperous Companies

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Businesses frequently consider expanding “nationally” over time, that is, within their current nation. Many companies will consider international expansion at some point. This is the point at which an expansion turns into a “global” or “international” expansion, even if it is just into a neighboring nation such as Canada or Mexico for USA-based companies.

Although it takes guts to grow your business internationally, most businesses are forced to do so because local growth maxes out and there are greater opportunities elsewhere. 

Internationalization comes with expenses and risks, but with careful planning and a well-thought-out export strategy, overseas markets offer fantastic growth prospects.

Learn why growing global is inevitable for prosperous companies.

Mariah Carey's Black Irish Cream Liqueur Products Go Global

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Legendary songstress Mariah Carey is expanding her Black Irish Cream Liqueur products to both South America and the Caribbean by the spring of this year.  Previously only available in the U.S., it will be the brand’s first glimpse into international distribution.

“I am ecstatic to extend the reach of my cream-liqueur Black Irish to South America and the Caribbean,” said Carey in an official press statement. “My fans there have supported and given so much to me, so of course I wanted to create an opportunity for them to enjoy this delicious liqueur!”

Read more about Ms. Carey's foray into international markets with her products.

Grow From Hard-Earned Lessons

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Even though the four leaders referenced in the article below are from different sectors, there are a variety of similarities in what they’ve gone through over the past two years. They were all tasked with more responsibility and accountability than ever before, and yet they all saw opportunities to grow from those hard-earned lessons.  

When communities and business come together, everyone comes out stronger.  

Read the entire article by Jim Proppe, Managing Partner, Plante Moran.

Today in Global Small Business: Prioritize Profits in 2023

©iStock/Mongkol Onnuan

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

• Four (4) low-cost e-commerce growth strategies for 2023, one being prioritize profits.
• Apparel's devastating impact on the climate.
• Get found by international customers – some tips.
• Quote of the week: “Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who make excuses.” ― George Washington
• Overseas demand continues to affect cargo, exports at Chinese ports.
• Discover a thing or two about importing and exporting (Laurel Delaney's work).
• Enjoy USA's President Day – learn something on how it came about.

Anyone Who Gives You a Cinnamon Roll

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Anyone who gives you a cinnamon roll fresh out of the oven is a friend for life.” ― Lemony Snicket, When Did You See Her Last?

Standing Out Globally in the Sea of Swimwear

©iStock/Dmytro Bulanskyi

It's all about size.  Having a wide range of sizes can really be a huge point of difference for a swimwear company.  But to the point of this post, when Natasha Oakley and her best friend, Devin Brugman, created their blog, A Bikini a Day, in 2012, they had no idea their passion project would eventually turn into a multimillion-dollar global brand. 

The site, which expanded to feature fitness, travel and lifestyle content, was, at its core, a platform to celebrate curves and the diversity of women’s bodies. Oakley and Burgman’s ability to cater to that gap in the swimwear market, however, was the catalyst for the duo to launch Monday Swimwear in 2014.

Natasha and Devin are actively growing and expanding Monday Swimwear.  The brand plans to expand into international markets, as well as launch retail locations.

Stay Away From Bribes in International or Any Business

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In 2021, Deutsche Bank agreed to pay $130 million largely to settle allegations that it violated laws against bribery by using middlemen and hiding its payments to them as part of a global effort to win business.

Let me repeat the key part of what they did wrong:  They violated laws against bribery by using middlemen and hiding its payments to them as part of a global effort to win business.

Read on to learn more – about what a bribe is, about the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), how to stay clear of trouble and what you should do if you are part of a bribe.

Do You Temu?

©iStock/grinvalds

Did you miss the Super Bowl 2023 commercial – "Shop Like a Billionaire" – by the U.S. shopping app owned by Chinese e-commerce giant PDD Holdings Inc.?

Spending big money like Temu did shows how serious they are about penetrating the U.S. e-commerce market.

The commercial's jingle has a woman saying, “The prices blow my mind. I feel so rich. I feel like a billionaire. I’m shopping like a billionaire.'"

Pricing cheap?  You better believe it.  I did a search on 'purses'.  Here's what popped up.  Pricing averages anywhere from $2.98 – $17.99.  Yes, you can feel like a cheap billionaire or billionaire on the cheap.      

See some ratings on Temu here.  And then look closely at what Wikipedia has to say.  Do you Temu? (Nice tagline, eh?)

The Birth of Globalization. You'll Find It In New Orleans

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New Orleans, the city that was once the world’s gateway to America is betting it can win in a new and different era of global integration.

A critical gateway between the Mississippi River and global oceans, New Orleans has been an entry and exit point for the United States since before the Louisiana Purchase. The city is now betting that position will continue — and even deepen — as the world enters a new era of global integration.

Consider it the birth of globalization.  At least in New Orleans.  The gateway to the world.

Today in Global Small Business: How to Make Your Global Small Business More Sustainable

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

• How to make your global small business more sustainable.
• According to Reuters, shoppers globally are expected to pay even more for branded food items in the coming year as packaged goods production expenses remain high.
• Nearly half of small business owners (47%) say the economy is in a recession already, with an almost equal percentage (48%) describing the economy as “poor.” That’s according to the CNBC|SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey for the first quarter of 2023.
• Quote of the week: "Sustainability has to be a way of life to be a way of business." – Anand Mahindra
• Silicon Valley tech giants in the years leading up to the pandemic collected gleaming office campuses around the world as trophies for what appeared to be boundless growth. Those days of blockbuster real estate expansions appear to be over for now, however, as job cuts and profitability concerns have companies pulling back on investments.
• Here are a few tips to help your business prepare for an international expansion.

Falling In Love

©Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"You can't blame gravity for falling in love." – Albert Einstein

Slowbalization After Global Financial Crisis

©iStock/Anna Shalygina

Globalization has seen ebbs and flows over the decades. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the “Slowbalization” that followed the global financial crisis has been characterized by a prolonged slowdown in the pace of trade reform, and weakening political support for open trade amid rising geopolitical tensions.

As the Chart of the Week shows in this link, globalization plateaued in the decade and a half since the global financial crisis. This latest era is often referred to as “slowbalization.”

Scrollable Short-Video Formats Are on the Rise

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It was only a matter of time before e-commerce companies got on board with the scrollable short-video format like TikTok's.

Now, Amazon launched its own version of this feature, unveiling the new Inspire feed on its mobile Amazon Shopping App. While the company shies away from comparing the new feature to TikTok, the format is familiar.

Oh no one wants to claim that they are riding off someone else's idea and basically trying to improve on it.  No one.

Read on – From Amazon to tech startups, e-commerce takes on the TikTok-style feed.

Getting Paid Quickly Matters to Global Small Businesses

©iStock/Pixfly

Global financial infrastructure platform Stripe and global small business platform Xero recently announced the expansion of their partnership to help small businesses worldwide get paid faster. 

Stripe and Xero are working together to build a far deeper integration of Stripe Connect into Xero’s small business platform that will enable greater convenience for customers and automate accounting for transactions.

Getting paid quickly matters.

Xena Workwear Founder and CEO Ana Kraft Talks About Building a Global Brand Beyond Shrink It and Pink It (wegginar® 2/8/23)

©2023 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global.  All rights reserved.

"Be safe, be you, be a badass." – Ana Kraft

Hello all women badasses (and entrepreneurs).  We invite you to join Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global's next wegginar® Wednesday, February 8, 2023 at 11:00 AM Central Time to hear from badass founder and CEO of Xena Workwear, Ana Kraft. She'll talk about "Building a Global Brand Beyond 'Shrink It and Pink It'." 

Ana's company engineers stylish safety shoes and functional apparel for women in STEM and the Trades. This new category of workwear helps professional women be safe and feel confident in any work environment. 

Transitioning between the office, to the manufacturing floor or construction site has never been so easy.

Ana holds a degree in International Project Engineering from Reutlingen University in Germany and currently resides in Detroit, Michigan. The causes that drive her include sustainable development, education and maximizing opportunities for women.

Ana will cover:

• Building a global brand
• Fundraising
• Scaling
• Working with a distributor
• Shipping
• Packaging
• Collecting payments
• Ecommerce
• Challenges/successes
• + more ...

To learn more and to register, visit, Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  wegginar is free of charge thanks to badass (super cool) sponsors Bluedog Design, Associated Bank, FedEx, Global Care Clinical Trials and 1706 Advisors.

I'll [Laurel Delaney] see you there!  

Today in Global Small Business: Global Small Businesses Are the Heartbeat of America

©iStock/PeopleImages

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

• SBA Administrator Guzman in Anaheim recently – showing pride for global small businesses in Anaheim, CA.
• Black-owned brands eye ‘unicorn’ success with McKinsey’s Next 1B.
• Scientists at the University of Padova in Italy have proven that by using a completely non-invasive brain-machine interface technology, those who are fully paralyzed can drive a wheelchair simply by using their minds and a cap that decodes their brain waves.
• Quote of the week:  "A big business starts small.” – Richard Branson
• Three strategies to avoid or curb burnout the world over.
• The number of small businesses in the U.S. reached 33.2 million in 2022, according to the Small Business Administration. That's up from 32.5 million in 2021, 31.7 million in 2020 and 30.7 million in 2019. Many are looking for ways to manage their business in a single location.

Celebrate Your Life

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate." – Oprah Winfrey

Indian Companies Eyeing Global Expansion

©iStock/lakshmiprasad S

Small and medium businesses in India have now set their sights on global expansion, with many first-generation entrepreneurs successfully building their companies and looking to grow overseas.

After completing his master’s degree in 1999, 48-year-old Saket Gaurav started working at a Russian company for a while before he moved to Dubai to join another firm. 

Hailing from Patna, Bihar, Saket had no plans to be an entrepreneur. However, the 2007-08 financial crisis forced the company in the Middle East to shut shop.   Saket, who calls himself an ‘accidental entrepreneur’, was left with two options—looking for a new job or building his own company. 

Find out what Saket did and meet some of the other Indian companies eyeing global expansion.

How Jeff Bezos Got Rich When He Understood This

Did You Know? Website Globalization Review Gap Analysis

©iStock/metamorworks

The Website Globalization Review (WGR) Gap Analysis service provides technical and strategic assessment of a business’s ecommerce sales channel efforts. This is a SEO diagnostic service designed to help you acquire more international consumers online and is available to CS clients as part of digital strategy counseling with a CS Trade Specialist.

Curious to learn more?  Explore here.