Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report (GEM) 2007 Released

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Dawn has broken in Chicago and as promised (and corrected), below is the latest GEM Report.

Download it here.

The World's Most Comprehensive Entrepreneurship Report

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We will be releasing the best of the best in global entrepreneurial research reports here tomorrow at the crack of dawn Chicago (CDT) time.

Stay tuned.

Found in Translation

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The more global you are, the more you need a good translation service and I am not talking about free online translation tools where you get a sentence translated. I am referring to translating important things such as your entire website, company's collateral material, legal documents and even email communications to ensure communications are understood.

Take a look at this article. Think the author is on target?

Operation China

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How do you go from idea stage to strategy to doing business in China? Well a good portion of those answers can be found here.

Although Operation China focuses on multinational corporations, you can still, even as a global small business, pick up good insights (for example, as the authors note: even the best strategies are only as good as their execution) and winning tips on how to do business in China.

Co-authors Hexter and Woetzel have been consultants in McKinsey's offices in Greater China for more than fifteen years and are considered experts on the subject matter. Check it out. Take full advantage of what this book has to offer.

What Sets The Best Apart?

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When Subroto Bagchi and nine other colleagues launched Mindtree Consulting in 1999, he believed he had two responsibilities. The first was to build the company as a global information technology and research and development services firm. The second was to document his entrepreneurial experience, not with 20-20 hindsight -- as many businesspeople do -- but as it unfolded.

Want to know what he did and how he did it? Go here.

Global Tip of the Week

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"Never assume that what plays in the States will resonate in the world."

Read where it came from here. Great story. Many lessons to be learned (when to open an overseas office?) and many great ideas to act on (who should open it for you?).

And don't think milk is the only thing you should shake for a winning global recipe! Dig deep into this article ... some truly great nuggets of advice but you have to look for them.

Disruptive Innovator: Is That You?

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Calling all global small business owners!

If you are an owner (and disruptive innovator on technology), president, or chief executive of a company with 100 employees or less that has driven a significant change and/or developed a competitive advantage in delivering superior customer value and experience, Dell wants to hear your story. In addition, they want you to share customer testimonials to show how technology has helped you improve customer relationships.

The International Council for Small Business (ICSB) (www.icsb.org) announced that it is partnering with Dell and Endeavor (www.endeavor.org) to expand the Dell Small Business Excellence Award internationally (www.dell.com/ceaward). Small businesses in countries around the world will be eligible to compete by demonstrating how they use information technology in innovative ways to better serve customers. Additional countries participating in the award program will be announced in the coming weeks.
Winners will receive ... up to $50,000 in Dell solutions, a lifetime ICSB membership and the opportunity to engage with Endeavor's network of business leaders and high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging-market countries world-wide.

Get ready, get set, go here.

Deadline: February 29, 2008!

Chicago's Place In the World

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Is Chicago a hub to the world? To outsiders, possibly. To natives, probably not. Find out more here and let us know what you think.

2008 Global Trend Toolkit

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Happy New Year! May it be your year for doing business with the world.

We hope this 2008 Global Trend Toolkit that we put together below provides a road map to your future!

Get ready, get started, go global!

Prediction for 2008: Business and Website Globalization, Technology, and Business Models

Web Globalization Predictions: 2008 and Beyond

Resolutions To Do Business Globally in 2008

Keeping You at the Forefront of Global Business

Eight Business Technology Trends To Watch

2008 Small Business Trends and Predictions

Advertising Trends to Watch in 2008

Top 10 Marketing Trends for 2008 (look for the listing and PDF file to download)

10 Media Trends to Watch in 2008

2008 Top Hotel and Restaurant Trends to Watch

Ten Wine Trends to Watch in 2008

Six Enterprise Application Trends to Watch in 2008

5 Wireless Trends to Watch in 2008

Small Business Trends (constantly updated)

Five Tech Trends to Watch in 2008

8 Important Consumer Trends for 2008
Seven Virtualization Trends to Watch in 2008

E-commerce Trends to Watch in 2008

E-business Trends to Watch in 2008

Packaging Trends to Watch in 2008

Pantone Fashion Color Report for Spring 2008

Financial Trends for 2008 by Wall Street & Technology

Stuck? Visit Google's Trends Lab

Have we missed your trend report? Let us know and we will post it.

Resolutions To Do Business Globally in 2008

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Hope you had a very Merry Christmas and that these resolutions I wrote about for Small Business Trends inspires you to take your business global in 2008!

Back with you in the new year. Enjoy.

World Greetings

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One of the real joys of the holiday season is the opportunity to say thank you to all our readers and wish you the very best for the new year.

Our toast to you is this: Here's to taking your business global in 2008!

Global Small Business is BIG Business

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Very powerful video.

A hat tip to the Women Presidents' Organization for turning us on to this clip.

A stat not mentioned in the video clip is that global small businesses play a HUGE role in global trade. They typically generate 29 percent of the U.S. export sales in a given year, and in 2005, they accounted for nearly $300 billion of the $906 billion generated by all U.S. exporters.

Here's our mantra for next year ... Get it straight in '08: Go Global!

Gambling Market Is Part Global

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The United States has reached a deal with the European Union, Japan and Canada to keep its Internet gambling market closed to foreign companies, but is continuing talks with India, Antigua and Barbuda, Macau and Costa Rica, U.S. trade officials said on Monday.

Read more here.

Web Design and Marketing Solutions

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At GlobeTrade, we make going global easy. In his new book, "Web Design and Marketing Solutions For Websites," Kevin Potts makes web design and marketing solutions simple. I wish we would have had this book on hand when we redesigned GlobeTrade!

Note: Globalization is covered briefly on Page 22.

Interesting Column By Thomas Friedman

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A fascinating post by one of my favorite minds: Thomas Friedman. It's a little off course to our work here but once in a while you just to have go with it -- provided it's that good. And it is.

Demand for U.S. Products Abroad Outpaces Supply

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Despite demand for American-made products abroad, small-business owners’ reluctance to export often means that their products do not find their way into global markets, trade experts told GlobalAtlanta.

Find out what the danger is in not going global here.

Keeping You at the Forefront of Global Small Business

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What's really holding you back from going global in 2008? Probably a lot of things but most of all I suspect it's knowledge.

But if knowledge is power, why not harness it by reading these very insightful reports that shed light on international issues affecting businesses around the world?

I read them once, twice and even gave a talk about the amazing results in Atlanta on November 13th.

So don't let the length of the reports intimidate you. It's worth it to explore. Dig deep. After all, 95 percent of the world population resides outside the United States. Are you tapping into it to grow your business?

Read more here. Spread the word.

How To Dress Globally

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Yellow in China is a don't and so is leather in India. Want to know more? Read Where Yellow's a Faux Pas and White is Death.

12 Days of Christmas in a Web 2.0 World

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On the first day of Christmas,
my cool colleague sent to me
A tip to expand my business globally

On the second day of Christmas,
my cool colleague sent to me
Two social networks,
And a tip to expand my business globally!

On the third day of Christmas,
my cool colleague sent to me
Three Del.icio.us bookmarks,
Two social networks,
And a tip to expand my business globally!

On the fourth day of Christmas,
my cool colleague sent to me
Four YouTube videos,
Three Del.icio.us bookmarks,
Two social networks,
And a tip to expand my business globally!

On the fifth day of Christmas,
my cool colleague sent to me
Five Second Lives, ...

Read more here.

Networking Is Going Global

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Whether you live in Kansas or Kuala Lumpur, networking is going global and many Chamber organizations in the United States are encouraging it. Why?

Sharing ideas on a regular basis helps support economic development, job creation and the marketing efforts of area cities.

But for many chamber organizations in Greater Kansas City, networking is going global.

The potential for tapping into huge overseas markets, including India and China, is becoming increasingly important for chamber members, particularly ones with expertise in the biosciences and information technology.

Read more.