Monday, April 30, 2012

Well What Do You Know: Small Businesses Go Global

iStock/Thinkstock
According to "Small Businesses Go Global," exporting has never been easier:
Much of Gladden’s business is in the United States and Canada, but an increasing amount has popped up in places like Australia, the Caribbean and across Europe, prompting him to move forward on opening an office in the United Kingdom. As a small business diving head first into the export market, Gladden Sales represents the kind of trend economic development officials would like to see more of in Louisiana.
Read the entire article here.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

World: How Not To Hear a Phone Ring

©Laurel Delaney 2012 "Tractor on a Beach, Chicago"
"That's the great thing about a tractor. You can't really hear the phone ring." ~ Jeff Foxworthy

Friday, April 27, 2012

Global Crossroads: Chicago NATO Summit 2012

iStock/Thinkstock
A guide to the world leaders who will be visiting Chicago May 20th - 21st.

Chicago NATO Summit 2012
The Official Host Committee Site

What is NATO?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, is a political-military alliance made up of 28 member countries, including the United States. Formed in 1949, NATO has played a unique and essential role in maintaining security and stability throughout the past six decades. It has grown and adapted to changing political environments and security challenges and, with enlargements, partnerships, and peacekeeping missions, has proven itself to be an effective Alliance.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

How to Work With an International Distributor

iStock/Thinkstock
What does an international distributor do?  What do you need to know before appointing one?  I've got it covered.

Read:  A Guide to Working With an International Distributor

Based on your experience, what am I missing?  Please share.  Thanks!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

e-Book Use By Country

iStock/Thinkstock
According to Bowker Market Research’s Global eBook Monitor, Australia, India, the U.K. and the U.S. are leading the world in e-book adoption rates.

The study tracks consumer attitudes to and purchasing of e-books in major world markets.

Learn more here.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Changing Higher Global Learning Forever

iStock/Thinkstock
Free online Stanford courses, enabling students (and individuals) to learn worldwide.  Go here to explore.

Read the full length article in Wired Magazine here.

Visit MITx, MIT's new online learning initiative here.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Infrastructure Entrepreneurs in India

iStock/Thinkstock
India's infrastructure sector is going global.
In India, Andhra Pradesh-based firms span irrigation projects, roads, airports and power, having outbid established players and outpaced them in growth. In fact, India's four best airports — Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi — are all managed by AP entrepreneurs. 
Learn more:  After making it big in India, AP infra entrepreneurs go global

Related information:

Department of Industries

Friday, April 20, 2012

Pizza in Sanlitun: A Story

Hemera/Thinkstock
I am not sure who authored the article below or perhaps by the time it is published a name will be attached to it, but it's about cab experiences in Beijing, giving a good dose of daily interactions in China.

Read:  Going Global

Thursday, April 19, 2012

United States Is the Largest Services Trading Country in the World

©Laurel Delaney 2012, "United States Flag"
According to Ron Kirk's article Rethinking 'Made in America,' the U.S. service sector currently accounts for four out of five American jobs.
The U.S. is the largest services trading country in the world, with $1 trillion in two-way trade in 2011 and a services trade surplus last year of $179 billion (up 23% from 2010). In what economist Bradford Jensen defines as the fastest-growing services sectors, Bureau of Economic Analysis data show that the U.S. in 2010 had a trade surplus of $57 billion with the Asia-Pacific region, of $44 billion with the European Union, of $35 billion with the countries covered by the North American Free Trade Agreement (Canada and Mexico), and of $25 billion with the rest of Latin America. America's robust services exports reduced its overall trade deficit by 24% in 2010. 
Read the entire fabulous article by Ron Kirk:  Rethinking 'Made in America'

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Thanks to the Internet, Everyone Can Be Global

Digital Vision/Thinkstock
Why just look.
These days though, indie recordings are the new currency, unsigned bands are the new mainstream, and no one needs to look to major music labels to get a shot at fame. Sure, you still get your Lady Gagas and your Madonnas and your Black Eyed Peas. But the buzz about indie artists is that they get just as much fan fervour as major label artists. 
Find out how:  Starting Local, Going Global

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Establishing Salespeople Overseas

Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock
How do you setup salespeople abroad, especially when they are located more than 12,000 miles away?

Here are some tips.

Revisit:  Finding Top Salespeople Abroad

Monday, April 16, 2012

Building Peace: Unesco

iStock/Thinkstock
See all the cool global knowledge shared at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) where the mission is to build peace in the minds of men and women.

Explore UNESCO.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

For the World to Enjoy: Tulips

©Laurel Delaney 2012, "Tulips Downtown Chicago"
"If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere." ~Vincent Van Gogh

Friday, April 13, 2012

Cozy Global Relationships: The Benefits

iStock/Thinkstock
Cozy relationships with government can influence many things.
Talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement, which the U.S. is negotiating with Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, are continuing this week (April 9-13) in Santiago, Chile in the form of an “intersessional meeting” on intellectual property (IP).
See what's brewing here.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Borderless Business

iStock/Thinkstock
"In the future, there will be two kinds of enterprises:  those that go global and those that die." ~ Laurel Delaney (May 2006)

Thanks to the Internet, small businesses have the ability to conduct business with just about anyone in the world.

So find out how no boundaries for small businesses can be a boost to growth here.

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Retail Transformed By Globalization

iStock/Thinkstock
According to Sandeep Mathrani, CEO of General Growth Properties, retail real estate is being profoundly transformed by the process of globalization.
Retailers are increasingly crossing borders and competing on the international stage. Developers too are diversifying portfolios and increasingly becoming international operators, forging relationships with tenants that cross the globe.
To learn more about this, visit here.

Also, pay a visit to 2012 Retail Real Estate World Summit

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Are You Ready to Import and Export?

iStock/Thinkstock
Is your business in the right state to import or export?  There's only one way to find out.

Go here to explore.

Monday, April 09, 2012

New TV Series Goes Global

iStock/Thinkstock
The new TV show Touch, starring Kiefer Sutherland, is going global.
But the universal language of numbers and a rainbow coalition of characters aren’t the only things that give “Touch’’ its global scope. The cosmic unity of “Touch’’ is also demonstrated in how it’s being launched: all at once around the world.
Learn more here.

Saturday, April 07, 2012

A World As Free As a Bird

©Laurel Delaney 2012, "Free As a Bird"
“Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see a bird that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses.” ~ Dale Carnegie

Friday, April 06, 2012

Laurel Delaney on Scribd: 300,000+ Global Readers

We want to remind you to visit from time to time Scribd (Laurel Delaney) where more than 300,000 people have read Laurel's work on global small business and entrepreneurship.  Are you one of them?

Here's a sampling of some of the articles you'll find:
Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Canada Exports a Lot Worldwide

iStock/Thinkstock
Canada is shipping a whole lot to the rest of the world -- especially to the United States.
The value of U.S.-bound exports grew by more than 10 per cent last year to $330.1-billion, led by sharply higher crude oil sales, according to Statistics Canada’s annual review of Canadian merchandise trade released Wednesday.
Learn more about Canada's imports and exports worldwide here.

Tuesday, April 03, 2012

Ding Dong, Coty Calling

iStock/Thinkstock
Coty offers to buy world's largest cosmetics direct seller Avon Products Inc. for U.S. $10 billion. Avon rejected the offer saying ...
it "substantially undervalues" the company and said a new CEO will create a "greater opportunity" to increase Avon's value beyond what Coty was offering.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Avon was recognized widely by its "Ding Dong, Avon Calling" advertisements.

Read the entire article here.

Monday, April 02, 2012

How Do You Make the World Your Marketplace?

iStock/Thinkstock
President of World Trade Center Miami and a director of the World Trade Centers Association, Charlotte Gallogly gives some advice on going global.

Q. What’s the best preparation for someone who wants to make the world their marketplace?
Determine your business (product/market interests) and then travel to trade fairs in those countries to determine the viability and the market interest in your products. Also, work in the industries to gain experience to ease your transition to becoming an entrepreneur.
Read the entire article here.

Note:  World Trade Center Miami
The World Trade Center Miami (worldtrade.org), a member of the World Trade Centers Association and Florida’s oldest international organization, fosters international business opportunities for member companies.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/11/2688205/business-leader-offers-advice.html#storylink=cpy
Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog