Today in Global Small Business: Private Air Travel Has Flown In Via Ubair

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

• How to connect a website to a payment processing network (options).
• How to avoid three mistakes when launching a website.
• Is it true?  Facebook has become the top social platform for e-commerce.
• An app that allows you to shop and pay using social media.
• You've heard of Uber, now there's ubair.com for private air travel.
• Coming soon ... pay easily on social media.

How to Be a Cloud Floating in the Blue!

©2015 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"How sweet to be a cloud
Floating in the blue!
Every little cloud
Always sings aloud.

How sweet to be a cloud
Floating in the blue!
It makes him very proud
To be a little cloud"

-- A Cloud:  A poem from the original Pooh Bear book by A.A. Milne

To Go Global, Improve Your Online Presence

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There is $50 billion in untapped business potential out there, which businesses could get a share of if they improved their online presence,” says Richard Flanigan, Google's head of small business marketing in Australia.

Small Business: Digital Growth, new PwC analysis commissioned by Google, found that this myth is preventing Australian small businesses from realizing their growth prospects and future economic gain. The research, which is powered by PwC’s innovative Geospatial Economic Model (GEM), discovered that embracing digital and mobile technology could help small businesses unlock an additional $49.2 billion of untapped economic potential over the next 10 years.

Learn more:  Google head of small business to speak with Darwin businesses at Skycity next week (9/3/15).

Global Small Businesses: Is It Tough Out There?

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The portion of small businesses reporting that the U.S. economy was improving fell to its lowest level in August since the government shutdown of 2013, according to a monthly survey of small firms by The Wall Street Journal and Vistage International Inc.

Only 42% of the 682 small companies surveyed by the two organizations said economic conditions were better than a year ago, down from 47% in July and a January peak of 67%.

But small-business owners’ waning optimism about the larger economy belies their outlook for their own operations. Fifty-seven percent of small firms surveyed expect their total number of employees to increase over the next 12 months, while 46% forecast growth in investment spending. 

Bob Gross, the owner of 25-year-old Gross Automation, a distributor of automation and controls in the Milwaukee area, said, "But it’s tough out there."

Read more ... Small-Business Owners' Confidence in Economy Wanes

SBA's STEP Program Supports Global Small Businesses

To help enter and compete in the global marketplace, small businesses across the country will have access to $17.4 million in funding. The Small Business Administration (SBA) will make 40 awards from the agency’s State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) program to states and territories to support activities to increase exporting by small businesses.

Here's the listing of states that received funding in 2015 (note:  IL received $686,855 -- last year zero).

SBA’s STEP program ensures local resources are available to help small businesses tap global markets. By funding states and their export development partners, the SBA is delivering the tools and resources required for small businesses to launch their services and products abroad.

Learn more ... SBA Awards $17.4M to Small Business Global Trade

Chart screenshot courtesy:  Business Facilities

Related posts.

Ohio Grocery Store Offers Specialty Foods From Across the Globe

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Jungle Jim’s International Market is anything but traditional. The Ohio-based grocery store was opened by Jim Bonaminio as a vegetable and fruit market along Ohio 4.  It has morphed into Southwest Ohio’s most talked about grocery store with two locations -- the Fairfield store with 210,000 square feet of space and the Eastgate store with 228,000 square feet -- both offering specialty foods from across the globe.

It's a major destination.  Take a look:

More than 80,000 people come each week to shop with annual sales topping $90 million. They can choose among 150,000 different items including 1,400 different beers, 1,600 cheeses, an acre of produce and even a section devoted to jerky, Bonaminio said.

Think your local store can't be global?  Guess again.  Read more:  40 years later, Jungle Jim's remains a wild, fun place

Oh, and according to Bonaminio's wife, there is no retiring for her husband.  "He’s having too much fun.”

Today in Global Small Business: An Answer to the Big Language Problem

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

• How to turn global customers into true believers on your brand.
• Attend the world's biggest Global Small Business Forum gathering held at Navy Pier in Chicago on 10/23/15.
• How to keep global campaign costs under control.
• A year of global shipping routes mapped by GPS.
• To understand what's going on with China's turbulent currency markets, follow the bacon.
• How machine translation can answer the big language problem and aid in expanding a brand’s global and multilingual footprint.

How to Turn a Blank Wall Into an Artistic Treasure

©2015 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Richard Haas has turned dozens of blank walls across the U.S. into artistic treasures.  This photo represents one of them:  LaSalle Towers Apartments in Chicago, Illinois.

Registration is OPEN for the Global Small Business Forum Held in Downtown Chicago 10/23/15

Registration is OPEN for our Global Small Business Forum held at the historic Navy Pier in downtown Chicago on October 23, 2015. The Forum is for all entrepreneurs and small business owners – the makers, movers and shakers in our world – who want to export successfully and network with their peers.  This year's theme is:  "Up Your Global Game" (Twitter hashtag:  #upyourglobalgame).

For more information and to register, visit:  http://www.globalsmallbusinessforum.com

Hope to see you there!

Screenshot:  ©2015 GSBB Media LLC.  All rights reserved.

2016 Trends: Small Manufacturers Are Finding Global Success

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By avoiding such manufacturing pitfalls as overproduction and over processing, smaller manufacturing businesses are able to continuously meet sales goals.  Unlike larger manufacturers, small manufacturing businesses follow different trends when it comes to production.

In addition, U.S. manufacturing both large and small is responsible for 60 percent of exports in the country. That's nearly 12 percent of the United States Gross Domestic Product.

Read more:  Small manufacturing business trends 2016

Bringing Comfort To Patients Suffering From Bedsores on a Global Basis

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Victoria Langer is president and owner of Global Medical Foam, a business she started in 1994, working part-time out of her bedroom.

Global Medical Foam produces products that bring comfort to patients suffering from bedsores and pressure ulcers.  Langer started her business for personal reasons:  She made her first product for her late husband, whose thyroid cancer had metastasized to his spine.  When she couldn't get him comfortable, she made a product.

Now, the question is whether Langer's products can go global.

Read more:  Global Medical Foam's products help people

More Than 1.5 Million SMEs Use Facebook in India

©iStock/Stuart Jenner

There are 1.49 billion people on Facebook, which is half of the estimated three billion people who use the Internet worldwide.

According to Ritesh Mehta, Head of Economic Growth Initiatives for Facebook India, that's a compelling audience for a small business who is looking to find new customers, deepen relationships with existing customers and boost sales.

More than 1.5 million small businesses in India are already using Facebook Pages to take advantage of this community to grow their customer reach.

Read more at:  Small Business Boost:  Facebook increases investments in Indian SMEs

Today in Global Small Business: When Friends Go Global

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

• What's the next rule or big thing that might save or grow your global small business?
• How a Fort Worth entrepreneur is going global with handbags.
• The pressure when friends go global.
• Global e-commerce set to grow 25 percent in 2015.
• Why becoming a global e-commerce player will require universal payment methods like Bitcoin.
• Weakening Chinese currency could hurt Maryland exporters.

Have Contact With the Earth and Energies That Flow Through It

©2015 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"A walk barefoot on the beach or grass brings the feet into contact with the earth and energies that flow through it, and provides a revitalizing, energizing, and natural message." - Inge Dougans, Reflexology

Tools You Can Use to Manage Your Global Small Business

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Xero, a cloud accounting software provider, has established several new strategic partnerships, including with Dropbox, Adobe, Bigcommerce and Insightly, as it looks to offer improved business insights and simplify collaboration for small businesses and their accounting partners.

The intent is to give small businesses more choices than ever before about the tools they can use to manage all aspects of their business.

Read more:  Xero enhances market position with new global partnerships

Startup Firms Need to Think More Globally

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Bruce Andrews, deputy commerce secretary, kicks off Startup Global — an initiative designed to help more startup firms think globally — at a conference at Carnegie Mellon University (8/11/15).

Startup Global initiative was conceived as a way to connect entrepreneurs across the country with federal resources about which they might not otherwise be aware.

Andrews said the challenges facing women- and minority-owned small businesses are among the Commerce Department’s priorities.  That should get covered by the new nonprofit WEGG, especially on the global front.

Read more:  Startup Global continues quest to reach small businesses

Global Goals Matter to Businesses

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Here are four reasons why businesses everywhere -- from small start-ups to large multi-nationals - should join the effort to achieve our global development goals.

1. The global goals matter to business.
2. We need private sector engagement to help make progress.
3. This is not your grandfather's development sector.
4. It's the right thing to do.

Read more and find out how can you get involved in achieving your global goals:  4 Reasons Business Should Get Involved in the Global Development Goals

The Value Shift in SMB IT Priorities

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Market research firm Techaisle forecasts that global SMB IT spend is nearing US$600 billion in 2015 which is an average of US$700 per full-time employee and slightly over US$8K per SMB business. Corresponding US SMB IT spend will most likely be US$180 billion in 2015. Techaisle defines SMBs with 1-999 employees.

“The global SMB market has been the growth engine for the IT industry at large,” said report writer for Techaisle, Anurag Agrawal. “The reason is quite simply that SMBs account for over 80 percent of businesses in any country – developed or developing.  And over the last few years there has been an ongoing change in SMB IT priorities – Techaisle calls this the ‘Value Shift’."

Read more:  Global SMB IT spend heading towards $600 billion

Today in Global Small Business: The $400 Billion Cybercrime Problem

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

• How to avoid mishaps when shipping internationally.
• Why the rise of the modern, independent Asian woman.
• The advantages of direct exporting.
• Have you saved the date (10/23) to attend the world's best Global Small Business Forum?
• What does it mean if the Chinese middle class expects to reach one billion by 2030?
• What's the $400 billion threat to global business?

Life is Digital and Far Better at the Lake

Girl checking email at the lake in Rogers Park, Illinois at Pratt Pier.

Where Global Instead of Why Global?

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For any company wanting to compete successfully, it must think globally.

Yet while the “why global” is self-evident, the “where global” is a far more provocative question. When companies begin evaluating potential expansion cities, they must think in terms of specifics.

For example, an international airline would only consider English-speaking markets to locate its call center, even though it would benefit from reduced costs in other areas.

Read more:  Going Global the Right Way

3 Ways to Reduce Risk When Importing and Exporting

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Poor compliance practices can expose a small business to delays, retroactive duty assessments and penalties, which can lead to customs audits where something as simple as a recordkeeping error could trigger a $10,000 fine.  That's a pretty harrowing thought for a small business owner, especially if it happens.

With preparation and planning, you can reduce your risk and make importing and exporting a source of bottom line savings and increased revenue.

Here are three ways to do it:  Reduce Risk When Exporting and Importing

Hat tip to Paul Dillon for letting us know about this article.

A Building With a Worldview Of Endangered Species

On August 1, 2015, the Empire State Building in New York was lit up with giant photos -- some 160 different shots of endangered species. People around the city stopped to gaze and take photos.  I thought this was due to the killing of Africa's famous lion Cecil, but it's not, although Cecil is featured.  It's to promote a new documentary, Racing Extinction.

See the stunning photos here.

UK Women Entrepreneurs in E-Commerce Are Outdoing All Other European Countries

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According to eBay, using government data, the number of UK female entrepreneurs in online retail has grown faster than the rate of male ecommerce entrepreneurs. The number of self-employed men in online retail only increased by 10% over the same period.  More and more women are setting up successful enterprises.

For example, the number of self-employed women in online retail in the United Kingdom has risen by 28% between 2009 and 2014.  Other big European nations: 17% in France, 5% in Italy and -2% in Germany.

Another study, conducted by Dell, found that the economic potential of women entrepreneurs in many countries is still strongly limited.

Read more:  Female entrepreneurs thrive in e-commerce

Today in Global Small Business: Borderless E-Commerce Techniques

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

• 12 Apps that add efficiency in global business.
• How export of primary products stifles Nigeria's manufacturing sector.
• 5 Trends to track to grow your global business.
• Why it pays to understand the proposed federal rules in the U.S. regarding overtime pay.
• Borderless e-commerce techniques allow you to connect with your customers worldwide.
• Is your business ready for global expansion?

If Your Cat Could Talk, Would He?

©2015 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"If cats could talk, they wouldn't." - Nan Porter