Go Rock a Boat

“Only the guy who isn't rowing has time to rock the boat." - Jean-Paul Sartre

Photo courtesy:  ©2013 Laurel Delaney.  All rights reserved.

The Billionaire's Gift by Edward Iwata

Lifesize/Thinkstock

My friend and colleague Edward Iwata wrote another e-book, "The Billionaire's Gift:  A Spiritual Business Parable," his debut fiction and available at the Amazon Kindle Store.

Here's what a reviewer said about the book:

"Edge-of-your-seat drama to the very end will promise to sweeten your soul and change your outlook for the better."

Here's what Edward says about his book:

IN A CRAZED and chaotic world, I'm grateful to God and Buddha for helping many of us find a higher purpose in life. The Billionaire's Gift is about seeking one's calling. There is no doubt in my mind that everyone in a free society can choose our destinies and cultivate our talents. Each of us - rich and poor, young and old - can bear a gift to share with others.

A recent personal episode - one of many encouraging signs that appeared while I wrote The Billionaire's Gift - confirmed my belief that I've rediscovered ...

Grab a copy of Edward's book here.

We featured Edward's first business e-book, "Fusion Entrepreneurs;  Cross-Cultural Execs and Companies Revolutionizing the Global Economy," September 2012.

From Saks to Sears, Retailers Are Going Global Like Gangbusters

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Right now, it might be a small base of business for retailers but going global offers huge upside growth potential for companies who get e-commerce right at the outset.  The most complicated part?  Calculating a landed price for consumers online at checkout.  But even that challenge can be overcome.

Global ecommerce for physical goods outside the U.S. is expected to grow at an annual rate of 18% from 2012, reaching $640 billion by 2017, and outpacing projected annual growth of 7% in the U.S. during the same period ...

Read the entire article:  Virtual bazaar:  How U.S. retailers from Sears to Saks are going global

Guys and Gals: Startup Your Business Global

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

As we write about constantly here at this blog, the world is your market and - thanks to the Internet, you can tap into it from day one with your startup.

According to HBS Associate Professor William R. Kerr:

But building a startup as a global business requires managers with skills and strategy much different from their predecessors of even a generation ago. If you are a global entrepreneur, says Harvard Business School Associate Professor William R. Kerr, "you have to think much earlier and much faster."

 Read the entire article:  Built for Global Competition from the Start

Related article: Launching Your Start-Up Globally

Side note:  I've been writing a new book on exporting to be published December 2013 by Apress.  I talk a lot about the concept of "born global" in it.  I'll keep you posted when it is close to official publication date.

Going Global Translates to a Healthier Bottom Line

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

A study commissioned by HSBC Bank USA and carried out by the Economist Intelligence Unit, looked at globally oriented companies in the Southeast over the past six years.  Here's what it found:  Companies enjoyed profit margins of slightly more than five percentage points above those of their more domestically oriented peers.

Greater global exposure over the rocky recessional years may have made more international firms more resilient,’’ said the study, which analyzed the level of sales and foreign operations among public companies.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/18/3571471/study-going-global-correlates.html#storylink=cpy

So if you are interested in increasing your company’s profit margin, going global may be the way to do it.

Read the entire article here.

Note:  Study cannot be found.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/18/3571471/study-going-global-correlates.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/18/3571471/study-going-global-correlates.html#storylink=cpy

Greensboro, North Carolina Poised to Become Major Player in the World of Exports

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Greensboro, North Carolina is on a mission to prove that people in different areas can work together to create more jobs and improve the local economy.

The area already has a 
robust export business. Nearly 18 percent of the metro area’s gross domestic product is made up of exports, ranking the Triad fifth in the nation. Greensboro-High Point ranked 44th in the nation with 
$6.5 billion in exports in 2010, according to the Brookings Institution, a research organization.

Learn more on how Greensboro plans to take on the world here.

The Sea and Sky Look All One Fabric

"So fine was the morning except for a streak of wind here and there that the sea and sky looked all one fabric, as if sails were stuck high up in the sky, or the clouds had dropped down into the sea.” ― Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse

Photo courtesy: ©2013 Laurel Delaney. All rights reserved.

Export Pros Share Their Stories

Setting Up an e-Commerce Credit Card System in Emerging Markets

Photodisc/Thinkstock

Enabling broader credit card functionality and multiple payment options on your e-commerce site allows you to sell to emerging markets, which comprise more than half of the world’s population, and to other promising regions of growth in the world as well.  In the article below, I discuss where these emerging markets are, what is involved in setting up a credit card system and what online payment methods are most commonly used to sell to emerging markets.

Full disclosure:  This article is for client Pitney Bowes Global Ecommerce Solutions

Read:  Credit Cards and Ecommerce in Emerging Markets

According to the United Nations, World Population to Grow to 9 billion by 2050

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

As the world population surges, what will the impact be on cities?

... the number of those living in urban areas will swell by 3 billion to hit 6.3 billion. With demand from cities for energy and resources is set to spike on the back of urban population growth, smart cities have emerged as the modern answer to the wave of urbanization sweeping across the globe.

What's a smart city?  Find the answers here.

Key quote in article:

Professor Gerhard Schmitt, executive director at the Singapore-ETH Centre for Global Environmental Sustainability, notes that “there is a strong link between smartness, sustainability and liveability”.

Rethink the Global Rules

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Philippa Dee, Adjunct Associate Professor at the Crawford School of Public Policy, the Australian National University, writes about the prospects for trade in the Asian century, which appear good. However, Professor Dee highlights some immediate macroeconomic threats that are obvious.

Read: Time to rethink the global rules | East Asia Forum

According to David Shambaugh, China Goes Global

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

David Shambaugh says, "China punches below its weight."

The USC U.S.-China Institute hosted a talk by David Shambaugh on his new book China Goes Global (very positive reviews). Shambaugh examines China's rise in influence in many realms, but argues that China's impact is broad but not deep. 

David is an internationally recognized authority and author on contemporary China and the international relations of Asia.  He is presently Professor of Political Science & International Affairs and the founding Director of the China Policy Program in the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.  Learn more about David and his book here.

Read the entire article here.

Got the Wedding Bell Blues?

Madonna Della Strada Chapel:  Loyola University Chicago.  Picture-perfect for weddings.

Photo courtesy:  ©Laurel Delaney 2013.  All rights reserved.

Think Global, Act Social

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Below is an infographic on China's social dynasty and digital globalization for 2013.  Have a look at what you should keep in mind -- regional differences, languages and localization, for example -- when you develop a global social strategy, which includes targeting China.

China's Social Dynasty and Digital Globalization

Women Entrepreneurs Forge Global Partnerships

Wavebreak Media/Thinkstock

Below is a great article by our friend and colleague Rieva Lesonsky who writes for Small Business Trends about how entrepreneurial women can forge global partnerships.

It is possible and profitable to expand globally. One of the best ways to do it is to find partners in other nations to work with. In June at the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) conference in Istanbul, I (Rieva) talked with several entrepreneurial women who are doing just that.

Read on ... How Entrepreneurial Women Can Forge Global Partnerships

Is Your Global Small Business Heading South?

Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock

As you manage your global small business, have you ever felt, "It's not working"? You are not alone. At some stage, every business owner experiences trouble.

Below are seven signs that serve as early detectors of a global small business declining (heading South).  I wrote this article for the About.com Import & Export guide site.

Could it be time for a course correction?

Read:  The 7 Signs of Import/Export Business Deterioration

Yodo1 is Going Global

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Year and a half old Chinese gaming publisher Yodo1 is going global.

The publisher is helping Western studios tap the "gold mine" that is China, but at the same time, they're bringing bits and pieces of China abroad. 

Read the entire story here.

Every Organization is Global to Some Extent

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

By putting up a website, you have a global presence.  It doesn't necessarily mean you are transacting actual business across borders but it does mean people from all over the world who are connected to the Internet can find you.

The root of “going global” isn’t an option reserved for executives at worldwide companies; it is an essential activity that every decision maker must perform to keep pace in today’s world.

Going Global: What it Really Means Today

Private Retreat in the Heart of Oakbrook, Illinois

The Hyatt Lodge at McDonald's Campus, Oakbrook, Illinois.  Fabulous place.  Try it out sometime.  Good place to think, rest and relax.

Have a good weekend!

Photo courtesy:  ©Laurel Delaney.  All rights reserved.  "Hyatt Lodge at McDonald's Campus"

Fiksu. Who's That?

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Boston-based Fiksu offers technology for lowering the cost and effort involved with marketing mobile apps.

Fiksu has had Chicago-based Groupon as a customer for the past three years, primarily for marketing its mobile apps in North America.

Next big project?  Fiksu will serve as the exclusive app marketing platform for Groupon's expansion outside of North America — particularly into Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Read the entire article here.

For Canadians, Why Export?

The Skinny on Border Friction

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

My latest article for client Pitney Bowes Global Ecommerce Solutions.  I discuss what border friction is, what causes it and how to minimize or avoid it.

Going Global 101:  What is Border Friction?

John Yunker Helps You Get Lucky with Pricing in Asia

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

I have always been a fan of web globalization expert John Yunker who is big advocate for the translation of software and websites (see Global by Design and Byte Level Research, companies he manages).  In the article below, he says:

"Numbers sometimes mean much more than the data they represent. People often have lucky numbers that carry emotional significance to them."  He goes on to say:  "But lucky and unlucky numbers can vary by culture. When selling into Greater China, Japan, and Korea, retailers need to be aware of these numbers and use them to their advantage when possible."

Read the entire article to find out how to avoid the unlucky numbers in your international pricing strategy and concentrate on the lucky ones:

How Your Pricing Strategy Can Bring You Good Luck in Asia

Other related articles on John Yunker posted here at The Global Small Business Blog

China Exporters Prefer Bank Wire Transfer for Payment

Hemera/Thinkstock

According to Global Sources' latest survey of 70 suppliers, the majority of China exporters prefer receiving payments for their overseas orders via telegraphic transfer (also known as bank wire transfer).

The survey also indicates that only 66 percent of participants said their preferred mode of payment is letter of credit.  Although that method of payment is declining over the years due to L/C risks.

Further, credit restraints are making it harder for some issuing banks, usually in Europe and the US, to confirm or even endorse L/Cs.The last two make it difficult for suppliers to use an L/C as collateral in securing bank loans, reducing its appeal among SMEs further.

Read the entire article here along with key findings which are quite interesting - here's one:

   2.  A down payment of 30 percent is common, but buyers, especially long-term customers from the US and the EU, can press for more favorable terms.

Sweet As a Flower

"Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love and fearlessness. If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love." - American musician, singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder

Photo courtesy:  ©2013 Laurel Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Issa London to Become a Global Lifestyle Brand

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

BIG plans for the future:  Issa London to become a "global lifestyle brand."

What is Issa London?  Issa London was founded in 2004 by Daniella Helayel and since become known worldwide for its highly versatile design collections that complement a range of timeless pieces appropriate for any occasion and body shape.

The British label was thrust into the limelight after Catherine Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, opted for one of its flattering blue wrap dresses when she announced her engagement to Britain's Prince William in 2010.

Watch for Issa London to collaborate with Banana Republic next month, which includes a version of Catherine Middleton's engagement dress.

Read the article:  Issa London Going Global 

Note:

Issa London now wholesales through 350 stockists globally, manages a vibrant e-commerce platform, has a free-standing boutique in Tokyo, and plans for the opening of a Boutique in Sao Paulo, Brazil at the end of 2013. 

Ford's EcoSport Poised to Go Global

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Ford is on a global role. After launching the EcoSport in India and Nepal, Ford India has now started exporting its SUV to South Africa. Next up? Ford will launch EcoSport in Europe, Middle-East, Sri Lanka and Vietnam by late 2013 or early 2014

Ultimately, Ford plans to take the EcoSport production global. Besides Chennai in India, Ford has shortlisted locations like Elabuga in Russia, Rayong in Thailand, Camacari in Brazil and Chongqing in China for its plants. It will be retailed in 62 countries by the year 2017.

Read the entire article here.