Are You Using Twitter As a Global Force?

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Are you using Twitter as a global force for your business - a direct line of communication with your constituency base? When people respond to your Tweets, do you respond in kind? According to Tricia Mulcahy of Ogilvy PR:

A recent study* indicated eight in 10 Twitter users surveyed worldwide said they thought the answers businesses posted on Twitter were at least as trustworthy as those from regular people, and about six in 10 said they wanted businesses to respond to them on the microblogging service. Clearly this shows that Twitter is more than a nice-to-have for businesses – it is becoming an important means of real time conversation with customers.

Learn more here.

* http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008440

China Will Become a Creative Force: Are You Ready?

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Interesting article here about the creative forces behind China and why it's been slow to peak.

Why just take a look:

"If you think about a discipline where China can make its mark, it would be outdoor," said Doug Schiff. "Japan excels at interactive, Singapore is known for print and Thailand TV. In China, most of the award-winning work has been in outdoor." He said the relatively low cost of outdoor campaigns makes it easier to experiment.

Yet, tried and true trends are emerging:

... we are seeing among the Chinese creative community in general are neo-traditionalism, nostalgia/retro, and a yearning for childhood," Mr. Schokora said, noting that what those have in common is a preoccupation with history. "As forward-looking as China is, creative inspiration is still coming from its rich past and robust heritage."

Read the entire article here. 

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Five Must-Haves To Get Started In International Sales

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Here's my latest contribution for the American Express OPEN Forum via Small Business Trends:

5 Must-Haves That Make An International Sale Happen

No. 5 is my favorite.

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Products Make Better Exports Than Jobs

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According to international trade specialists at Southern Illinois University, products make better exports than jobs.

Find out why here.

World: Let The Summer Fun Begin

 ©Laurel Delaney 2011. All rights reserved. Chicago lakefront.

"I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June." ~ L. M. Montgomery

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Betting On Global Trade Rebound

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If Maersk, the world's largest container-shipping line, is ordering ten huge container ships valued at $5.7 billion from South Korean Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. with a delivery date of 2014 -- that can only be good news for global traders!

Read more (NYTimes.com):
Maersk Line to Buy 10 New Ships, With an Option for 20 More

In Search of An Irish Internet Entrepreneur

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Found:  Sean MacEntee,
Irish Internet Entrepreneur

What Is a Freight Forwarder?

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Good video from the U.S. Census/Foreign Trade that addresses the question of:  What is a freight forwarder?

Related articles in support of video:

11 Questions a Logistics Specialist Will Ask

Packing for International Shipping:  10 Factors to Consider When Packing For International Shipping

How to Prepare a Proforma Invoice

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

Trade Balance: April 2011

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•  Exports increased to $175.6 billion in April from $173.4 billion in March.
•  Imports decreased to $219.2 billion in April from $220.2 billion in March. 

To learn more about good and services by category and goods by geographical area, go here.

Source:  U.S. Census Bureau/Foreign Trade Data

How to Find a Good Importing Wholesaler

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Stuck on how to find a reputable importing wholesaler or distributor for your product line?  This should do it -- my latest article for About.com -- as their Import and Export Guide:

How to Find and Pre-Qualify Importing Wholesalers For Your Product Line Overseas

Spend Your Weekend Your Own Way

 ©Laurel Delaney 2011, Loyola University Chicago lakefront North Shore Campus

"There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way." ~ Christopher Morley

eBay: Fight For Growth in Asia Is Just Beginning

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Will eBay make it in China?

The company argues that what matters is making money, and that it is building a much more viable business by exploiting its lead in the global market.

Is that all that matters in terms of running a global business: making money?

Well eBay plans to focus on that and reinventing its China business by helping local companies sell to consumers overseas.

Read the entire article here.

How is the National Export Initiative Working For You?

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That's the question I have for small businesses after I read this article:

Small Businesses Barely Keeping Afloat

As always, the comments baffle me.  But I am serious about my question:  Is the NEI working for small businesses?

Is it the best of times for BIG businesses and worst of times for small?  We welcome hearing from you!

How to Have Happy and Safe Travels Internationally

In response to rising travel threats worldwide, the following article might be useful to you in preparation for your next trip.

Crisis Abroad:  Tips for International Travelers

Related article:

International Travel Alerts:  Travel Alerts By Country

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Expand Your Global Business Through Constant Reinvention

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Do it the IBM way:

What started as a business making clocks, scales and cheese slicers has evolved into a global enterprise that’s responsible for a blur of innovations that include ATMs, mainframes, mini-computers, supercomputers, memory chips, the now obsolete typewriter, the barcode, and even that thin magnetic strip you see on your credit card.

Thanks to the Internet (and IBM), our world is not only becoming smaller but smarter too.

Read more about how IBM is transitioning from a multinational corporation to a globally integrated enterprise.  See if what they are doing applies to your global small business.  For example, where is your best work being done?  Put yourself and your business in the place with the most opportunity -- wherever that might be.

Thinking Big

Lady Gaga Is Conquering the World

Lady Gaga, queen of American pop music, and her management team have decided it's time to focus on conquering the rest of the world.  One of her first targets, after Germany with its 'Top Model' performance finale (as shown above) will be India.

Read more here on how Lady Gaga is going global.

Work Through the Critical Processes of Exporting

• How to determine your export readiness
• Worksheets for global market research
• Financing information and options
• Customizable export and marketing plan templates

Learn more here.   All brought to you by SBA.

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

How Retailers Can Find Riches Overseas

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A new report, “The Global E-Commerce Gold Rush:  How Retailers Can Find Riches Overseas,” by Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) sizes up the challenges, opportunities and best practices for retailers who want to take advantage of e-commerce growth -- estimated to reach nearly $1.4 trillion in 2015 -- by going global.

Learn more here.

To read the report go to cisco.com/web/about/ac79/globalecom

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

My Top 10 Favorite Global Small Business Web Resources

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Visiting these resources and studying them will help you get on top of your global game.  Here they are (originally published by Crain's Chicago Business (6/8/11):

Laurel Delaney:  Top 10 going-global websites

Do you have a favorite?  Let me know your best-kept secret!

Stop Restricting Imports

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Severely imposed international trade restrictions worsen a struggling economy.  It may not impact global trade now but it could in the long run.  Here's why:

Keeping Protectionism at Bay
NYTimes.com (Editorial)

What's your opinion?

Becoming a Global Force

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How do you become a global force?  Be around for more than three decades and make a product that everybody around the world loves.  Find out which company we are talking about here.

Big hint.

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Why Free-Trade Agreements Are Critical

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According to South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com, Rep. Allen West (a Republican congressman from Florida's 22nd District, pictured), free-trade agreements are critical.

U.S. exports are at an all-time high, and our small businesses deserve a lot of the credit. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, small businesses account for nearly 97 percent of all U.S. exporters in 2007 and support nearly 4 million U.S. jobs. I urge President Obama and those in the Senate to work with the House to pass these free-trade agreements and continue this positive trend.

Read:

Free trade: Obama should make pending pacts a priority

Go Global: I Wish I'd Done It Sooner

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That's what Fifth Ring co-founder Ian Ord said about the impact that being a globally operating business has had over the last decade. This was ahead of speaking at the forthcoming Go Global International Expansion Conference, which is being hosted by MiNetwork in Manchester in June.

Ord also said:

“We decided to go global in 2003 and took our first step into the Middle East in 2004. We started to plan our expansion into North America in 2006 and opened the office there in 2008. Given the success that particular office has achieved, I genuinely wish we had done it sooner but there were both resource and commercial constraints on our business. Expansion into Asia Pacific in 2011 was the next logical step in our international expansion and we were able to apply what we had learned from the move into the Middle East and North America.”

Read the entire article here.

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

How To Travel Safe When You Travel Internationally

©Laurel Delaney 2011.  All rights reserved.

Here are some practical tips and resources to check well in advance of your next international business trip to ensure a safe journey.

International Travel Alerts:  By Country
by Laurel Delaney, About.com Import and Export Guide

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Doha: Dead or Alive?

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The Doha round has stalled for what seems like forever.  At this point, do you think it's dead or alive?

Read:

If Doha goes down, what goes with it?
by David Bosco for Foreign Policy

And let us know what you think.  We welcome hearing from you.

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

World, Are You Listening? Exporting Sound.

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An article from NPR talking about exporting sound to the world.

"I'm fortunate because I exported my business," says Carl Craig, one of techno's biggest ambassadors. "If I kept it in the U.S., we would have failed a long time ago."

 What are you doing right now locally that could be taken globally?