Today in Global Small Business: Talk Sells, Especially on Social Shopping

©iStock/RedVector

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

• Two billion people made a purchase on social media last year. That’s two-thirds of all social media users around the globe. Some predict the current $492 billion global social commerce market will become a $1.2 trillion industry by 2025.  Talk sells.
• Quote of the week: “The great thing about social media was how it gave a voice to voiceless people." – Jon Ronson
• The secret behind Apple's simple yet effective global marketing strategy.
• As the pandemic continues to show signs of decline, the global educational landscape also continues to change. Educational institutions are increasingly realizing the need to market their brand just like any other business. Learn how to do it.
• How a female venture capitalist is creating billions in a new world of work beyond the office.
• Hooray!  Chuck E. Cheese makes a big international push.  Finally.

Get Away From the Unreal Things in Life

©2022 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Spring is beautiful, and summer is perfect for vacations, but autumn brings a longing to get away from the unreal things of life, out into the forest at night with a campfire and the rustling leaves." – Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

Deep Dives Into Globalization

©iStock/Heiko119

Explore how the movement of talent impacts creative quality, new expansion opportunities, why partnerships matter for global domination and more. Take your deep dive into globalization here.

Watch What Is Next for TikTok

©iStock/hapabapa

TikTok has been intensifying competition with Meta and other rivals, luring younger users as well as popular influencers.  Now it appears to be deepening its foray into e-commerce with plans to operate its own warehouses in the United States — the kind of packing and shipping facilities more associated with Amazon or Walmart than the social media platform best known for addictive short videos.

Check out how job listings offer a clue on what moves TikTok will be making next on US e-commerce.

Only 9 Days Left to Register for the Biggest and Best Global Small Business Forum on the Planet

©2022 Global TradeSource, Ltd.  All rights reserved.

You won't want to miss the biggest and best 7th Annual Global Small Business Forum on the planet held virtually on Friday, October 21st from 8:00AM-11:30AM CT.  The theme is:  #rebootyourbusinessforglboalgrowth.

Lead sponsor is Associated Bank with support from Foley & Lardner.

Below is a listing of the speakers.  If you look at the graphic above with the circle, follow top left clockwise.  

• Steve Greenspon (top left), Chief Executive Officer, Honey-Can-Do International
• Michael Jones, Michael A. Jones, II., International Sales Division Leader, Avlon Industries, Inc. 
• Shital Daftari, Founder and CEO, Saris and Things & SNT Biotech 
• Tom Britz (lower right), President and CEO, Glacier Hops Ranch (winner of 2022 Small Business Exporter of the Year Award!)

Additional speakers who are also award-winning exporters:

• David Kniepkamp (bottom left), President and CEO, Smart Controls LLC
• Amy Bosco, Director of Global Business Development, Beekley Medical (recent winner of The President's "E" Award!)

Speakers will discuss how they are leveraging the lessons from the global pandemic, the war in Ukraine, high inflation, global supply chain challenges, and a rise in interest rates – all while still growing and focusing on the future of global business.  During panel discussions you will learn their best-kept secrets to driving results for a business.

Special guests include, but are not limited to:  Marc Schulman, President of The Eli's Cheesecake Company and Richard Paullin, Executive Director, International Trade Association of Greater Chicago.  We've also invited Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot.

Full lineup of speakers can be found here.

Added to our list of specialness, is e-vendor, Boomerang Carnets.  They've supported us before and we look forward to working with them again this year during our breakout rooms.  

We also have Il SBDC International Trade Center, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville as a supporting organization this year.

Tickets run from $10 (student ticket), to $20 (general ticket), to $200 (ticket and one e-vendor table). 

Visit the website for more details and to register: https://globalsmallbusinessforum.com.  Network like crazy, learn what it takes to thrive in the global marketplace, and walk away with new insights to bring your business to new heights.

Note: The forum is also known for its fun raffle prizes at the end. Who knew by attending that you could potentially win a world famous Eli's Cheesecake, Tiffany's article or cool houseware item?  You must be present to win!  See you there.    

Benefits to Branching Into Foreign Markets

©iStock/metamorworks

Global markets offer tremendous potential for developing new customers.  Globalization isn’t a trend, it's a necessary strategy for expansion.  Presently, some 96 percent of the world’s consumers live outside the U.S.  Taking business abroad, therefore, is not only irresistible, but an essential requirement for any future-focused company’s growth strategy.

Here are 5 benefits to branching into foreign markets. 

Today in Global Small Business: Why SMEs Must Cross Borders

©iStock/cybrain

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

• Why SMEs must cross borders.
• 3 obstacles to globalizing a digital platform.
• Quote of the week: “E-commerce is a powerful means to connect the unconnected to global trade." – Arancha Gonzalez
• A strong cross-border strategy is key to sustaining e-commerce growth post-pandemic.
• Global expansion and the international tax challenges businesses face.
• How digital multinationals innovate across borders. 
• Happy Columbus Day 2022 in the Americas and elsewhere.

Chicago Screening of the Movie Till

©2022 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

The true story of Mamie Till-Mobley's relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, who was brutally lynched in 1955 while visiting his cousins in Mississippi.

The Till movie stars Danielle Deadwyler as Mamie Till and Jalyn Hall as Emmett Till, alongside Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett, and Whoopi Goldberg. It was directed by Chinonye Chukwu, written by Michael Reilly, Keith Beauchamp, and Chukwu, and produced by Beauchamp, Reilly, and Goldberg. 

The film premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 1, 2022, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on October 14, 2022, by United Artists Releasing.

Great sensitivity and contribution by Bob Marovich for his suggestion on what song to play during the funeral scene:  "It Is Well With My Soul."  Very, very sad and touching.  Not a dry eye in the audience, including mine.

Photos are taken from the screening that took place in Chicago on Thursday, October 6, 2022.

Whatever You Are Worrying About Right Now, Forget About It (Music Video)

Despite a Cloudy Outlook, Global Trade Is Still Resilient

©iStock/RusianShevchenko

According to DHL and the NYU Stern School of Business, forecasts for global trade indicate:

• Trade is expected to grow slightly faster in 2022 and 2023 than it did over the previous decade.
• Many companies backed away from reshoring and nearshoring plans, leading trade to grow faster in emerging economies close to China.
• Vietnam, India, and Philippines are benefitting, with Vietnam the biggest winner.

Trade is expected to grow slightly faster in 2022 and 2023 than it did in the previous decade, despite the headwinds of Covid, a global economic slowdown and the war in Ukraine.

Read on about how globalization of trade isn’t ending, despite Covid, war and inflation.

Let's Push for Better Opportunities for Women in Trade

©iStock/jacoblund

According to three international trade bodies, for a more inclusive approach to rebuilding the post-pandemic economy, women need to participate more in the most profitable exporting sectors.

At the World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum in Geneva last week, WTO director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, International Trade Centre (ITC) executive director Pamela Coke-Hamilton and Institute of Export and International Trade (IoE&IT) director general Marco Forgione highlighted the importance of an inclusive economic recovery, with a particular view to getting more women into the world’s most lucrative – but male-dominated – industries of STEM, automotive, aerospace, manufacturing and finance.

Read more about how the WTO, ITC and Institute of Export and International Trade push for better opportunities for women in trade.

How to Better Serve Global Customers On An E-commerce Site With Nita Lathia (wegginar 10/5/22)

©Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®  All rights reserved.

Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® has its next wegginar® coming up tomorrow, 10/5/22, and this one will be a winner for anyone who currently runs an e-commerce business; or, for anyone who should be running an e-commerce business (e.g, retailer).  If you are pressed for time, link to it now to learn more and to register:  https://bit.ly/3fg7Vth.

Nita Lathia, Head of Marketplaces, Passport, will be presenting, "How to Better Serve Global Customers on an Ecommerce Site."

Who doesn't have issues with trying to provide exceptional service to their global e-commerce customers?  We all want to treat our customers like kings and queens when they make an online purchase – from anywhere in the world – but what separates a positive global shipping experience from one that goes sour?

We will find out on Wednesday, 10/5 at 11AM CT.  Nita will share her best-kept secrets on how to better serve your global customers and more.  She will talk about:

• Why should retailers consider cross border trade?
• How is this different from the domestic model?
• What does a good solution look like?

A little about the impressive Nita Lathia – let's just say she has a bit of experience in this industry.  She has been in logistics, shipping systems, and cross-border #ecommerce for the last 20 years. Last 10 years exclusively in the product management function for all aspects of cross-border #ecommerce, including eligibility, duty, and tax calculation, and building robust organic networks.  Her full bio can be found here:  https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/2022/09/28/how-to-better-serve-global-customers-on-an-e-commerce-site-with-nita-lathia-october-5-2022/

All the clients I [Laurel Delaney] work with and groups I manage have been encouraged to sign up for the free of charge wegginar.  Hope you will, too.  It's complimentary thanks to the supportive wegg® sponsors as highlighted in the graphic.

To learn more and to register (free of charge), visit:  https://bit.ly/3fg7Vth 

See you there!

Today in Global Small Business: Why Study Global Business?

©iStock/yacobchuk

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

• Why study global business?  Check out 5 benefits.
• 10 alternative funding sources from Tennessee to consider if you are trying to start a new business but lack access to funding.
• Quote of the week: “The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow.”— Bill Gates
• Get your grant Mississippians, that is, if you are trading internationally.
• As India small businesses expand their presence globally, it is essential that the global financial ecosystem supports their needs and requirements for low-value transactions, which currently presents a number of challenges.
• McKinsey and Company economist Ezra Greenberg says the global economy is at a “historic crossing point,” as it emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

There's a Guinness Waiting For Me

©2022 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"I'm an early riser. I work out really hard. I push myself; I get my job done, and at the end of the day, there's a Guinness waiting for me." – Jason Momoa

Heartbreaking: Prayers for Floridians as They Deal with Hurricane Ian

©iStock/lisatop

A drone video taken in Port Charlotte, Florida on Sept. 29, shows extensive damage to homes and flooded streets following Hurricane Ian.

Ian leaves catastrophic destruction across Florida.  The death toll remains unclear.  Prayers go out to all Floridians during this time of turmoil.

Is the Golden Age of Globalization Over?

©iStock/lena_serditova

“The golden age of globalization that we experienced in the last 30 years since the end of the Cold War has ended clearly and we are entering a new era, a new era that will be marked by greater geopolitical contestation,” said Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong.

Agree?  Disagree?  Learn more.

Women Entrepreneurs Are On the Rise Globally

©iStock/Prostock-Studio

Chicago-based nonprofit Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® knows this better than any organization on the planet:  Women entrepreneurs are on the rise globally.  But did you know the following?

Historically, Africa has led the world in terms of numbers of women business owners, with countries like Uganda and Ghana – leading the way. Recently the MENA region has also been taking important strides forward with Saudi Arabia being a key example where more women are engaged in entrepreneurial activity than men.

Women the world over are now ever-more confident, and optimistic about launching their businesses and contributing to the economy.  Addressing the specific constraints – financing, for instance – facing women entrepreneurs is critical in unleashing their economic potential and empowers women to be a force for growth – powering the path of sustainable economic recovery.

Say "Hello" to a New Way to Heal... and Export: Featuring Cast21(wegginar® 9/28/22)

©2022 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

Did you know?

• International sales may actually be easier than domestic sales?
• How to use your local, regional, federal and industry resources to assist you with international expansion efforts?
• Who to call when it comes to export credit?

All of the above and more will be addressed by two rock stars who will be presenting a wegginar® tomorrow entitled, "Say “Hello” to a New Way to Heal… and Export: Featuring Cast21," 9/28 at 11AM CT (free of charge thanks to generous sponsors as noted in the graphic).

The presenters are Ursula Wegrzynowicz, Business Development Specialist at EXIM Bank and Ashley Moy, Co-founder at Cast 21.

If you are running a domestic enterprise and are thinking about exporting, this wegginar is for you.  Exporting can be lucrative for all sized businesses.  On average, sales grow faster, profits increase, more jobs are created, and employees earn more than in non-exporting firms. 

To learn more about the fabulous wegginar and to register (n/c), visit https://bit.ly/wegginar.  See you there!

Today in Global Small Business: Global Ocean Freighters Want to Take On Flying Goods Next

©iStock/Tryaging

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

• The state of shipping includes ocean freighters wanting to fly their goods, too.
• Why having a global TMS is critical to a supply chain transformation.
• Quote of the week: “I never predict freight rates; nobody can do that.”— Søren Skou
• Go carbon neutral on Passport Shipping for 12 months.
• How to choose the right e-commerce platform to help your business grow.
• Import duty calculator.

Mellow Time

©2022 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Autumn's the mellow time." – William Allingham