Gator Guard Makes Huge Splash Into Global Markets

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Small businesses are the key to keeping local communities afloat and also for driving a healthy number of American exports.  Take Farmington, Illinois based Gator Guard.  They are a USA-maker of premier marine protection products.  Sue Smith, President and CEO, stands at the helm of the business.

She [Sue] knew there had to be a better way. None of the products on the market at the time provided the quality she thought was necessary in order to protect her boat. So since Day One of Gator Guards inception, Sue and her team have worked tirelessly to research, develop and bring the best protective technologies and products to the marine industry.

Gator Guards has done so well internationally that it earned the Governor's New Exporter Award for Manufacturing in 2016.  Since Smith began focusing on exporting in 2013, she has seen international sales grow annually -- to the point that they could meet or exceed Gator Guard's domestic sales in the next 5 years.

Learn more here.  Go Gator Guards!  And congrats on your award.

Today in Global Small Business: How to Power Cross-Border Payments On Your Online Platforms

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

1. How to break into an overseas market.
2. How to take your business global in a heartbeat.
3. The trials and tribulations to running a growing global business (webinar 3/8; no charge).
4. FedEx helps small businesses achieve their dreams of growth and success with a grant contest.
5. For many Canadian small businesses, the talk of the new NAFTA might impact them.
6. How to power cross-border payments on your online platforms.

Fill Your Own Shoes

©2017 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"You have your own shoes.  Don't worry about filling someone else's." - Anonymous

What's On the Horizon for Commerce Trends in 2017?

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Commerce marketing automation provider Bronto asked experts inside and outside their company to talk about what's on the horizon for commerce trends in 2017.

In a nutshell: Get ready for global ecommerce, a more visual approach to marketing to customers, the emergence of cost- effective browse recovery technology and virtual dressing rooms, a more thoughtful approach to omnichannel marketing and, as always, a keen focus on personalization.

Read the full report here.

Middle-Market Leaders Across America Are More Optimistic About the Global and National Economies

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JP Morgan surveyed more than 1,400 middle-market executives, and 80% said they were optimistic about the national economy.

The 2017 Business Leaders Outlook found that business executives from small and mid-sized firms across the US are more optimistic about the global and national economies and think that the Trump administration will be a positive for the country.

What's the cause for the positive outlook?  President Trump is said to be at least part of the optimism.  There's good and bad here.  The good is the possibility of tax reductions and less regulation - positive impact. The bad is over the more protectionist trade policies - negative impact.

Read more here.

What Is Flex Global View?

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As UPS says, "If global shipping and supply chain management responsibilities have you overloaded, Flex Global View can help."

You'll get total visibility even across multiple modes of transportation--with a suite of tools that equip your business with key information to truly set you apart from the competition. With Flex Global View you have the ability to view and respond to shipment information and critical milestones as they occur.

To learn more, visit here.

A Pathway Towards an Agile and Enabled Digital Future

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UK businesses are looking for guidance, a pathway towards an agile and enabled digital future.  The only way out is for the UK government to outline what, if any, their digital strategy will be going forward.

Richard Hurwitz, Tungsten Network's CEO, says:

Many business functions are currently being held back by legacy systems and attitudes causing problems and limiting growth. The back office is, pun intended, holding business back. Will 2017 be the year that digital automations and technical collaboration accelerate across the global supply chain?

Full disclosure:  Tungsten Network offers e-invoicing, invoice finance and spend analytics solutions for AP and AR professionals.

In order to grow, all business owners, especially smaller ones the world over, must have an open global economy.  The fact remains that we must connect the unconnected.  There's no better place to start than through technology-empowered growth strategies.

Read more here.

Today in Global Small Business: Building a Global Community

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

• The challenges and successes to taking a business global (no charge webinar 3/8).
• A word or two, how about more like 6,000, on Facebook's global ambitions.
• Will President Trump's policies send Mexico's economy into a crisis?
• How to win with e-commerce shoppers in China.
• What's a "Digital Geneva Convention?"
• The art of negotiating deals abroad.

Accepting a New Reality

©2017 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it's less good than the one you had before." -- Elizabeth Edwards

Ninety Percent of Trucking Is Made Up of Small Businesses

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Kansas City, Missouri-based Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), which has 158,000 members nationwide, says it is looking forward to working with Linda McMahon as the newly appointed leader of the Small Business Administration.

“More than ninety percent of trucking is made up of small businesses,” said OOIDA executive vice president, Todd Spencer. “Our hope going forward is to have more recognition and appreciation for the unique contributions that small business truckers add to the prosperity of the U.S and the economy.”

OOIDA was established in 1973.  Linda McMahon was sworn in as SBA leader after Trump was voted in as President of the United States.

Read more at Go By Truck Global News

The Story of LEGO, the Largest Toy Company in the World

What UK SME Exports Reveal

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Today, we take a look at reports from two big global shipping companies, FedEx and UPS, on the state of UK SME exports.

FedEx says:

"More than 63 per cent of British small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are exporting and making a significant contribution to rising international trade by taking advantage of declines in the value of the pound, reveals new research of exporting SMEs by FedEx Express."

UPS says:

"The UPS European SME Exporting Insights survey draws on the views of more than 12,800 owners and directors of SMEs in eight European countries. The research shows more small business owners are exporting, and reporting above average revenue growth."

For the FedEx study, "2015 European SME Export Report," visit: http://images.fedex.com/downloads/small-business/FedEx_EuropeanSMEExportReport_July15.pdf

For the UPS report, "2016 European SME Exporting Insights Study," visit: https://www.pressroom.ups.com/assets/pdf/pressroom/white%20paper/European%20Exports%20Study_2017_0118_FinalUKPanEU.pdf

SMEs are the Bedrock of the Global Economy

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PYMNTS takes a good look at the latest statistics on SME health, optimism and finance for markets in the U.S. and beyond, including the U.K., Australia and South Africa.  Here are their top six highlights:

1. 84% of U.S. SMEs visit bank branches to make deposits, according to a new survey by Mercator Advisory Group that examined how small business owners interact with their banks.
2. 76.2% of Australian SMEs say they are confident in their prospects for the next three months, said the Bankwest Future of Business: 2017 Outlook report. 
3. 67% of U.K. small business accountants say better integration of software is a key focus for them this year, even more important than replacing physical paper forms with digital ones, the latest report from Exact said. 
4. 66% of U.K. SMEs expect revenue growth of at least 4% this year, said American Express’ Global SME Pulse report. 
5. 48% of South African small businesses are negatively impacted by late B2B payments, the latest analysis from Xero found. 
6. 24% of big U.S. banks approved small business loans last month, Biz2Credit found in its most recent Small Business Lending Index. 

Read more here.

Today in Global Small Business: How to Win Global E-Commerce Customers in China

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

• How to take an alcohol business global (webinar 3/8).
• What does American business on-shoring do for international business?
• How to win global e-commerce shoppers in China.
• Speaking of global e-commerce, here's a report predicting it will grow at twice the rate of domestic e-commerce through 2020.
• How to get your small business booming in global markets.
• How the founder of McDonald's, Ray Kroc, turned the enterprise into a global phenomenon.

Laugh Out Loud, Be Grateful and Follow Your Heart

©2017 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Oh just do all these things to have a good life.

What Is Dodd-Frank and How Does it Impact Small Businesses?

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President Trump has made a ton of executive orders and one of them has been to direct the Treasury to review Barack Obama’s 2010 Dodd-Frank financial regulatory law.  According to Small Business Trends, opinions appear to be split over the impact some of these policies will have on small business. But what exactly is Dodd-Frank all about and what are its implications?

Small Business Trends covers it all here.

Dream Big, Set Goals, and Make the Top 10 Blogs for Entrepreneurs List

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We are always happy (and honored) to make a top 10, 50 or 100 list for our Global Small Business Blog.  In this case, we made the Top 10 Blogs for Entrepreneurs to Read Daily.  Here's how they put the list together:

The criteria for making this determination was the richness of experiences, the depth of knowledge and the breadth of all aspects entrepreneurial.  These are entrepreneurs that have chased the same goal as your business and successfully succeeded both personally and professionally.

Discover the other great blogs featured here.  We are in good company.  Thank you to Deskhub, a coworking and office space, for putting the list together.

Tapping Into Global Markets Empowers People Worldwide to Share a Better Economic Future

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How many global scaling opportunities are you missing today? That is the question that begs to be asked and puts the elephant right on the table.

According to CEO & Founder of Startup Professionals, Inc., Martin Zwilling, there are six key risk factors when scaling a business to go global.  He bases the article below on NYU Stern School of Business scholar and leader Robert Salomon's recent book, “Global Vision."  The six factors are as follows:

1. Size market potential granularly based on local economics. 
2. Assume large and frequent economic swings.
3. Currency exchange fluctuations can wipe out gains.
4. Factor in basic infrastructure quality and services. 
5. Evaluate the political climate and operational processes. 
6. Honor cultural sensitivities and assumptions. 

Read more here.

Alibaba's Jack Ma Promises to Help Australian Small Businesses Grow

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Jack Ma, CEO of Alibaba and considered China's richest tech boss, with a net worth of about $US28 billion, promises to use funds he received from the Australian government to help Australian small business grow and expand offshore.  He just cut the ribbon on a brand new Alibaba HQ in Australia.

It's understood the Daniel Andrews state government has provided a number of "incentives" to Alibaba to set up its Australia-New Zealand headquarters in Melbourne but the ecommerce giant refused to reveal the exact nature of these concessions or the size of the investment.

Read more here.

Today in Global Small Business: Rewiring the Global Economy

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

• The importance of global brand ambassadors (webinar on 3/8 - n/c).
• USA President Trump's plan to fuel small business growth.
• Can Xero, the cloud accounting provider, rewire the global economy?
• Weak dollar, strong dollar:  what it means for small business exporters.
• Will Canada lead the new global economy?
• How the World Bank sees stronger global economic prospects along the horizon.

Forgive Yourself

©2017 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"If God forgives us, we must forgive ourselves."  -- C.S. Lewis

Small Businesses Are a Big Part of the Global Economic Pie

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Are men and women different in their outlook of what level of success they can achieve running their businesses?  Bhakthi Puvanenthiran thinks so. And she bases it on experience in her role as an editor of My Small Business at The Age while interviewing quite a few small business owners in Australia.

During her conversations, men would say, "we will go global in 18 months" or "we're the market leaders in this field."  Whereas, when she interviewed women, they expressed finding a work/life balance, having control over their own lives and, hiring people.

Regardless, small business owners march to their own drums.

In closing, Bhakthi Puvanenthiran says:

Sole traders, small businesses and start-ups are carving out a much bigger part of the economic pie. They deserve all the support they can get.

Read more here.

How to Improve Your Reach in the Global Marketplace

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If you run a global small business like I do, it's tough to pull out of the area where you live and work to merely have better and greater access to the world marketplace.  Yet bigger companies, with bigger budgets, are able to do so.

Take Caterpillar Inc. with their HQ office located in rural Peoria, Illinois.  There has been a lot of talk lately on whether it might be better suited for Cat to take its business to a bigger city in Illinois, like downtown Chicago.  Here's the latest:

The plans to build a new office complex in Downtown Peoria have been scrapped [1/31/17], and the company will move its global headquarters to the Chicago area by the end of the year. -- Source:  Journal Star

Will Peoria still be the center of the universe for Caterpillar?  After all, they want to remain local and global.  If you are a customer based in India, do you think it makes a difference?  A lot depends on where a specific product is manufactured -- Brazil, the UK or downtown Chicago?  Your guess is as good as mine.

Reigniting the Global Entrepreneurial Spirit

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President Trump is trying to get the American dream back for entrepreneurs.

President Trump signed an executive action Monday (1/30/17) that will result in a reduction of federal regulations on small businesses. He said the executive action would “knock out two regulations for every new regulation” adopted by federal agencies.

We are not inclined to hold our breath on what comes next concerning international trade.

Read more here.