With Freedom Comes Responsibility

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

“Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility." –  Eleanor Roosevelt 

Decide On Your Waterfront Getaway This Memorial Day Weekend

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If you’re still deciding which waterfront getaway is right for you this Memorial Day weekend, we’re here to help.  From the Pacific to the Atlantic, the Great Lakes to the Gulf, millions of Americans will head to the beach this weekend, the unofficial start of summer.

Here are six of the NY Times' favorite U.S. beaches to explore this weekend, from a pristine white-sand stretch of the Hawaiian coast to gently rolling dunes along Lake Michigan and a wild barrier island in Georgia.

How AI Will Transform Marketing

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Artificial intelligence can automate and streamline many basic marketing functions, but the real opportunity lies in AI's ability to help CMOs reinvent their entire operating model.

• Although AI can automate basic marketing processes, CMOs who focus exclusively on productivity gains are missing the bigger picture.
• Marketing leaders who fully embrace AI can transform their entire operating model in ways that were previously impossible.
• The challenge for CMOs is to sell their marketing vision to the C-suite and to their own teams while forging new partnerships with outside agencies.

Read more here.

Claude For Small Businesses

©iStock/Robert Way

Small businesses make up nearly half the American economy, but they've never had the resources of bigger companies. AI is the first technology that can finally close that gap, which is why Claude is launching Claude for Small Business, alongside training and partnerships to make sure AI shows up for the entrepreneurs and communities who need it most.

Grievances and Drama On the World Stage in Artificial Intelligence

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A jury rejected Elon Musk’s claims against OpenAI, finding that he brought his lawsuit against the company and Chief Executive Sam Altman after the statute of limitations expired.

The verdict brings to a close a case that fixated the tech world on the grievances and drama of some of the most powerful personalities in artificial intelligence. 

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 average more than 900,000 readers on a monthly basis.

Today in Global Small Business: A Christmas Carol Can Never Come Too Early

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

• Ferrell, the “Saturday Night Live” alum, appears 5/16/26 with James Austin Johnson as President Trump in a sendup of “A Christmas Carol.” Paul McCartney provides the music.
• Search LIVE goes global.
• Exposing marketing tactics and strategies driving the global growth of nicotine pouches.
• Quote of the week:  “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.” – Charles Dickens
• HEINEKEN appoints new global marketing agencies to drive next phase of brand growth.
• If AI can translate instantly, why learn another language?

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 average more than 900,000 readers on a monthly basis.

Keep Calm, Head to Key West

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Keep calm, head to Key West." – Unknown

Accelerated Global Growth

©iStock/Robert Way

Roblox is announcing five new roles to position the company for accelerated global growth. John Ciancutti is joining as Roblox’s first Chief Growth Officer (CGO). Also joining are four regional General Managers (GMs): Joost Hagesteijn for Europe, Sunil Rao for India, Diego Dzodan for Latin America, and Mohamed El Sheakh for the Middle East, North Africa, and Türkiye. 

Read more here. 

Dear U.S.A. Government, Please Return the $160 Billion ASAP

©iStock/thitivong

The government must return about $160 billion, plus interest, collected from duties deemed illegal and potentially more if it loses a related tariff case.

The money is reserved largely for businesses that imported goods, not for American families, though both have faced rising costs as a result of Mr. Trump’s trade war. 

The refund process comes at a difficult political moment for Mr. Trump, who arrived in China on Wednesday, 5/13/26, for high-stakes trade talks. Just last week, a panel of federal judges found that the president broke the law when he replaced his illegal duties with a 10 percent tax on nearly all imports.

Customs officials indicated in a court filing on Tuesday that they had taken steps toward sending billions of dollars in additional, approved refunds to the Treasury Department for payment. The Trump administration has said it is still working to expand its system for processing refund requests.

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.

A Fast-Melting Antarctic Glacier at the End of the Earth

©iStock/staphy

Ten people.  Eight weeks.  Three-thousand feet to pierce a fast-moving Antarctic glacier.  The hole in the ice at the end of the earth.

How to Prepare, Approach, and Sell Your Products to the World's Leading Retailers with Jim Debetta

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

Up next, 5/13/26 at 11:00 AM CT – free of charge wegginar® with Jim Debetta, President of DeBetta Enterprises, "How to Prepare, Approach, and Sell Your Products to the World's Leading Retailers." 

To learn more and to register visit here.

Today in Global Small Business: How Starbucks Is Turning Around

©iStock/M. Suhail

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

• Here’s what most turnaround stories get wrong: They focus on the result and skip the method.  Not Starbucks.  They did things differently.  See how.
• Key US export controls considerations for global data center projects.
• State of US tariffs (as of 4/8/26).
• Quote of the week:  “Growth doesn't require us to become something new, it requires us to be exceptionally good at who we already are." – Mike Grams, Chief Operations Officer, Starbucks, on the focus of the turnaround
• AI and the self you left behind.
• Advancing communications skills in the age of AI.

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.  In April, 2026, we had more than 2,920,000 – yes, 2.9 million – readers visit our blog.