Taylor Swift Break

Taylor Swift is widely considered the top contemporary singer and original songwriter dominating the music world right now. 

The Canada Booze Ban Is a Sore Point in Trade Talks

©iStock/Stockah

California Merlots, Kentucky bourbons and Tennessee whiskeys are collecting dust in Canada as alcohol becomes a high-profile hostage of trade tensions with the U.S.  What a mess.

After President Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods last year, Canada’s provincial leaders hit back. The majority of provinces exercised their power over the distribution and sale of alcohol to pull U.S.-made wine, spirits and beer from most store shelves and stopped placing new orders.

The stakes for U.S. alcohol producers are high.  Small businesses are especially vulnerable and caught in the crossfire.

Find out why.

From Immigrant to Old Navy Co-Founder: Jenny J. Ming Shares Her Story

©2026 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

Join Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® for a conversation with Jenny J. Ming, Public Company Director, Former Rothy's CEO, and Old Navy Founding President on Wednesday, August 19 at 11 AM CT – LIVE.

To register and to learn more, visit: https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/2026/07/01/from-immigrant-to-old-navy-co-founder-building-a-life-that-matters/.

Today in Global Small Business: Storms Battering the Midwest

©iStock/Nicola Patterson

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

• At least eight people have died from a storm system that has upended the Midwest and portions of the Mid-Atlantic over the past week, displacing people in several states and cutting power to hundreds of thousands of homes.
• Tropical storm Lala is sending drenching rain and winds across Hawaii.
• The flooding continued in Central Indiana Aug. 15 as water from days of rain continues to make its way downstream into Indianapolis.
• Quote of the week: “This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands." – Barack Obama
• Over 2,300 customers are without power in Franklin County (Columbus, OH) following another round of severe weather over the weekend.
• Why are the same [Chicago] suburbs being hit by tornadoes and storms? Meteorologist explains.

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 May, 2026, we average between 700,000-900,000 readers a month.  Thank you for your engagement!    

I Adore Chicago

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"I adore Chicago.  It is the pulse of America." –  Sarah Bernhardt

Cross-Border Ambition Is Becoming Mainstream

©iStock/Yellow duck

Geographic expansion is now the clearest growth route for professional services firms.  But they are doing it more selectively, with tighter control of risk, talent and cash. That is why geographic expansion has become the leading model. It offers access to new clients, new talent pools and new revenue lines, without forcing a fundamental change in the business model.

And it's not a niche strategy.  Cross-border ambition is becoming mainstream.

Are We Being Kept In the Dark?

©iStock/Roman Tiraspolsky

The United States does not have a king. In a representative democracy, the people must have confidence in the health of their leader, and in the leader’s capacity to guide the nation. Are we being kept in the dark on President Trump's health?

This is a Guest Essay for the NY Times by Jonathan Reiner, who is the co-author of the book “Heart: An American Medical Odyssey” alongside Mr. Cheney and Liz Cheney. The book details the former vice president’s struggle with heart disease.  Dr. Reiner is also a professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University.

Is AI Leadership Drift Stalling Your Progress?

©iStock/wildpixel

Organizations often blame employees when AI adoption stalls, assuming resistance stems from fear or lack of skills. Research across 23 interviews and three leadership workshops in 11 European IT services firms points to a different obstacle: senior leaders. 

Executives often recognize privately that AI requires fundamental changes to pricing, staffing, and business models, yet abandon those positions during group discussions. The authors call this pattern “AI leadership drift,” where reassuring narratives replace difficult strategic decisions. 

To counter it, leaders should ground discussions in their own data rather than industry hype, study how comparable firms are responding to AI, tie every AI initiative to a strategic question with a review date, and assign someone responsibility for keeping uncomfortable issues on the leadership agenda.

Read the entire article here.

The Most Beautiful 12 Adagios in Rachmaninoff Style

Today in Global Small Business: Importers of Record Have Received More Than $100 billion From Tariff Refunds

©iStock/jaouad.K

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

• Importers of record have received more than $100 billion from tariff refunds (CBS News 24/7 – video).
• Warren presses U.S. companies to share billions in tariff refunds with customers.
• Trump administration pays back $100 billion in 'Liberation Day' tariffs to businesses.
• Quote of the week: “While tariffs are a tax on trade that businesses pay upfront, it's actually the consumer who ends up feeling it in their wallets." – inFlow
• Small businesses filed a pair of lawsuits in the US Court of International Trade accusing President Donald Trump and US officials of unlawfully using Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to replace earlier tariffs struck down by the US Supreme Court.
• In the old days, this would be considered criminal.  Now it will be looked upon as purely insane.

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 May, 2026, we average between 700,000-900,000 readers a month.  Thank you for your engagement!    

Practicing Gratitude

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"I don't have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it's right in front of me if I'm paying attention and practicing gratitude." – Brene Brown

Are You Defaulting to Vague Positivity Instead of Honest Specificity?

©iStock/oatawa

Consider this: Find one place in your professional life – a team update, a newsletter, a public statement – where you’ve been relying on vague positivity instead of clear, candid detail. Rewrite it with specific, honest information. Then choose one concrete action you want your audience to be able to take afterward. That combination of clarity plus a next step is what creates trust that lasts when things get difficult.

Where is this coming from?  Find out here.