Happy St. Patrick's Day from The Global Small Business Blog!

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“May neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you, the angels protect you, and Heaven accept you.” – Irish Proverb 🍀

Today in Global Small Business: Iran Has Not Asked for a Ceasefire

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

• Trump told NBC News on Saturday, 3/14/26, that Iran was ready "to make a deal, and I don't want to make it because the terms aren't good enough yet."  But on Sunday, 3/15/26, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi refuted Trump and said it has not asked for a ceasefire.
• LIVE from BBC News.
• Quote of the week:  “The natural aim of military operations is the enemy’s overthrow.” – Carl von Clausewitz
• FCC chair threatens TV networks amid Iran war coverage – but his warning rings hollow.  In other words:  He's powerless.
• The damage to the world economy from the Iran war will be severe, but uneven.
• How much the war in Iran is costing Americans.

Note:  The Global Small Business Blog has been in operation since 2004 and is ranked number one in the world for entrepreneurs and small businesses interested in going global.  As of February 1, 2026, we have more than 900,000 readers on a monthly basis.

Wishing You Irish Luck, Love and Laughter on St. Patrick's Day 2026

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Wishing you Irish luck, love and laughter, on St. Patrick's Day 2026 and all the days that follow ever after." – Laurel Delaney

The Global Economy Is Threatened by the War in Iran

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Into the American and Israeli war with Iran, the economic, political, and military costs of the conflict for the region and global economy are already significant, and mounting every day.  Iran’s swift and broad retaliation against American military bases in the region, its waves of drone and missile attacks against the Gulf Arab states targeting hotels, airports, and energy infrastructure, and its de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz are a cumulatively costly nightmare for the Gulf.

The cost this war will exact from the Gulf will ultimately depend on how long it lasts. If intense fighting ends within three to four weeks, the shock may prove temporary. A longer war, however, risks leaving deeper scars – disrupting energy flows, unsettling investors, and gradually eroding the Gulf’s reputation for security and stability.

Read the entire article:  How the War on Iran Threatens the Global Economy (Time Magazine).

Many People Feel Betrayed By the Iran War

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Joe Rogan, the podcast host, has sometimes criticized President Trump since he returned to office, and has appeared increasingly skeptical of the administration in recent months.

He said on his show yesterday, 3/10/26, that the war in Iran was “crazy” and had left Americans feeling “betrayed” by President Trump, describing the conflict as a sharp reversal from the policies that the president had campaigned on.

His criticism arrives as the 12-day-old war threatens political peril for Mr. Trump’s party in this year’s midterm elections.

Read the entire article here.  Many people feel betrayed by the Iran war.

War in the Middle East Strains Sales for Lindt

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The Swiss chocolatier Lindt now expects organic sales growth this year of 4%-6%, down from previous annual targets of 6% to 8% growth. Last year, Lindt’s sales rose 12% to 5.92 billion Swiss francs ($7.62 billion), it said in an earnings update Tuesday, March 9, 2026.

War in the Middle East will likely further dampen sentiment and strain sales as energy prices spike and international travel faces a squeeze, Lindt Chief Executive Officer Adalbert Lechner said. 

The Bait and Switch Deal: The Legal Case Against Section 122 Tariffs

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Who would've guessed progressives would be quoting Milton Friedman? Yet here we are—22 Democratic Attorneys General just did exactly that, using the free-market legend’s words to take on President Trump’s new Section 122 tariffs. And, they’ve got a pretty solid argument.

Further, White House is slow-walking refunds. Judges shouldn’t let the Administration get away with another bait-and-switch.

Read the entire gifted article.

Note:  The Global Small Business Blog has been in operation since 2004 and is ranked number one in the world for entrepreneurs and small businesses interested in going global.  As of February 1, 2026, we have more than 900,000 readers on a monthly basis.

Today in Global Small Business: The Next Wave of Sustainable Global Growth

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

• Six business models piloted in Asia offer lessons for global leaders in any market – and just might be the key to the next wave of sustainable growth.
• Energy economics expert Michael Pollitt explains why the most muscular solutions to the world’s energy transition are global.
• Quote of the week:  "Watch the walls come down, whether it's in the South or on Wall Street. When the walls come down, what do we find? More markets, more talent, more capital and growth. Which means that the race and sex discrimination stunt economic growth. It's not good for capitalism. It's not good for America's growth. And it's not morally right." – Jesse Jackson
• Visa and Stripe plan global expansion of stablecoin card issuance product to over 100 countries.
• Japan’s music industry is in a particularly unique position. Find out why.
• The perfume houses of tomorrow are scaling up today – priming a brand for global expansion.

Note:  The Global Small Business Blog has been in operation since 2004 and is ranked number one in the world for entrepreneurs and small businesses interested in going global.  As of February 1, 2026, we have more than 900,000 readers on a monthly basis.

It's the Irish Flu

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"This isn't a hangover, it's the Irish flu." – Classic Irish saying

It's Tom Ford Mania at Paris Fashion Week

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Zoomers are snapping up Tom Ford from has past collections for a bunch of reasons. It has just the right price-to-vibe ratio – it’s relatively affordable but packs a punch. The clothes also speak to an authenticity of the pre-social media age they never got to experience, where style was perhaps more honest and instinctive says Samuel Hine for GQ.

But it's Haider Ackermann who is the truest steward of Ford's legacy.  

As they say, "Oh, those jeans!"  All coming off Paris Fashion Week.

Love Reading About Pete Hegseth's Past

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Oh the troubles we carry ... from Wikipedia on Vets For Freedom where Pete Hegseth was involved.

In 2007, Pete Hegseth became president of Vets For Freedom, and when its finances became bleak, the donors arranged a merger that took over management, and Hegseth left in 2012.[13]

And the latest is that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the Pentagon would end funds supporting active-duty service members at Harvard where he graduated in 2013 with a master's degree in public policy. The school is offering military students alternatives to defer or go elsewhere.

Do you think Pete Hegseth cares about declaring Anthropic a supply chain risk?  “Designating Anthropic as a supply chain risk would be an unprecedented action – one historically reserved for US adversaries, never before publicly applied to an American company,” Anthropic wrote.

I think we should declare Pete Hegseth a serious risk to our country.

One-Size-Fits-All International Expansion Is Over

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If you can get through the ads in this article, you can uncover some new perspectives on international expansion. The big one the author claims: a one-size-fits-all international expansion is over.

• One-size-fits-all global hiring is obsolete. Today’s expansion leaders strategically blend three workforce models — entity-based employment, EOR solutions and contractor relationships — choosing the right fit for each market, role and business objective.
• Flexibility is now a competitive advantage because market uncertainty demands agility, compliance complexity is accelerating and local nuances determine success.
• Companies that scale globally most effectively master compliance that adapts to local requirements, payments infrastructure that works everywhere and the ability to shift models as strategy evolves.

Read the entire article here.  If you want to learn about a new international playbook, watch this.