Immigrants Are the Future

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According to Quartz, "Unfortunately, at a time when we should be celebrating the positive impacts of immigration, multiple reports have indicated that the Department of Homeland Security plans to shut down a policy aimed at making it easier for international entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses in the United States."

Quartz goes on to say:

The International Entrepreneur Rule, a policy which makes it easier for the world’s best and brightest entrepreneurs to start their own businesses in the United States, would create more jobs for Americans, and ensure our country remains competitive in the global economy.  It also provides an opportunity for these same entrepreneurs to stay in the United States, as long as they can demonstrate how their startup will provide significant public benefit to the American economy–through jobs, revenue, or investment. 

But that ruling is currently being challenged.  If the Department of Homeland Security rolls back the International Entrepreneur Rule, they are telling thousands of foreign entrepreneurs who are a large part of our future to start their companies abroad and compete with us [the US] abroad.

Read more ...

Ivanka Trump to Lead US Delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in India 2017

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The Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), an initiative started by former US President Barack Obama, will have its eighth edition in India in 2017.  Donald Trump’s daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump is set to lead the US delegation to the event.

According to the official website of GES, the summit would “showcase inspiring entrepreneurs and investors from around the world creating new opportunities for investment, partnership, and collaboration; connect American entrepreneurs and investors with international counterparts to form lasting relationships; highlight entrepreneurship as means to address some of the most intractable global challenges.”

The summit's agenda includes workshops, panel discussion, talks, pitch competitions, mentoring and networking sessions to fuel the growth of companies participating in the summit.

Read more ...

Small Businesses Make a World of a Difference

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In the United States we have Small Business Saturday, the Saturday after US Thanksgiving during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year, where people are encouraged to shop local.

In April, the UN General Assembly marked June 27, 2017 as a global day for the celebration of small and micro enterprises, recognizing the significant contribution this sector makes to its global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

To support local vendors ...

“Each and every one of you should go to three small businesses today and spend a minimum of $10 dollars,” he [Victorian Small Business Minister Philip Dalidakis] suggested. 

The reason [the UN] have got it right here is because small businesses do make a world of difference,” he [Dalidakis] said.

Read more ...

4 Ways to Tap Into Rapidly Developing Economies

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As you craft your new overseas market expansion plan, think critically about where you should be going next to achieve massive growth. Discover the power of adding these tips that I [Laurel Delaney] write about here to your business development model and consider tapping into emerging markets to accelerate your company’s global growth.

Read more:  4 Ways to Achieve New Growth in Rapidly Developing Economies

Today in Global Small Business: Ireland's Most Powerful Women

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

• Ireland's most powerful women.
• How to finance export sales (WEGGinar™on 7/12 - no charge).
• Oh UPS and Martha Stewart are kissing ... to Alibaba because China is a BIG market.
• The pros and cons of selling on Amazon.
• How to take a website global.
• A view of business expansion via exporting.

Radio Obsession

©2017 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"I'm obsessed with radio.  It's a good start to Sunday morning." -- R.L. Stine

Be Local. Sell Global.

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Hassle-free exporting is on the way thanks to the Amazon Marketplace.  Amazon claims they can help get you on the world stage.

The Amazon Academy took place last month at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) in Edinburgh with the goal of helping small business owners navigate the world of ecommerce and exports.  If you couldn’t make the event itself, below is a round-up of some of the key points highlighted during the event.

Thanks to the internet and technology, Katie McQuaid, Director of Amazon Marketplace UK believes we can now be local and sell global.

Read more ...

Internet Giants Are Transforming Trade

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While the Internet giants such as eBay, Amazon and Alibaba are transforming trade, global small businesses are doing their best at making it work too.  But the biggest barrier to a large-scale increase in SME cross-border trade is lack of finance.

E-commerce platforms are shrinking the world. Research by eBay estimates that whereas a 10% increase in distance between two trading partners reduced conventional trade by 18%, this number reduces to only 3% over the eBay marketplace. 

The question that begs to be asked is:  What are banks doing to review their own SME and trade finance models to make more funds available for international trade.  This will help SMEs transform their global trade activities too.

Read more ...

How to Sustain Global Business Success

Finding a Spark to Identify Solutions for Contemporary Problems

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More and more universities are promoting global entrepreneurship.  According to Katia Passerini, Ph.D., Dean, College of Professional Studies at St. John's University, an innovation and entrepreneurial movement is taking place around the world and is building environments that encourage new, forward-thinking approaches.

“By connecting with students from different parts of the world, my hope is that they find that spark to identify solutions for contemporary problems,” said Dr. Monteiro [Basilio Monteiro, Ph.D., Associate Professor of International Communication at St. John's University]. “The future of business is in small enterprises, and entrepreneurs are the ones who are best prepared to respond to the needs of the marketplace, and particularly promote effective sustainable development goals.”

Read more ...

Today In Global Small Business: How Can We Better Support Global Female Entrepreneurs?

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

• Amazon buys Whole Foods for more than $13 billion.  Forget groceries.  It's now about more important things.
• Which country accounts for 40 percent of global ecommerce transactions?
• How to finance export sales (WEGGinar™on 7/12 - no charge).
• The entrepreneurship bug is spreading in Canada.
• How can we better support global female entrepreneurs? And then there is WEGG.
• Do you have a global mindset?  And then there are other characteristics that lead to overseas success.

Save the World

©2017 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"I can save today, you can save the world." -- Steve, from the Wonder Woman movie (2017)

Canadian SMEs Get Help From Their Government on Exports

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How do Canadian SMEs boost their exports?  They turn to Export Development Canada (EDC), Canada's export credit agency, offering trade finance, export credit insurance, bonding services, and foreign market assistance.

Here's a look at some of the expertise offered by EDC:

• Country Risk Quarterly
• ExportWise
• Canada Tariff Finder
• Export and Business Plans
• Competitive Strategies
• Knowledge Center
• Country Information
• Compliance in International Trade ...

and there's more, visit:  Export Development Center (EDC)

7 Steps to Take a Business Global

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Career advice expert Margaret Francis talks about how to transform a local business into a global brand that has the potential to impact billions of lives across the globe.  She focuses on seven (7) key steps to take a business global:

1. Get ready and be prepared.
2. Be focused.
3. Use technology.
4. Find reliable partners.
5. Educate yourself about other cultures.
6. Start slow.
7. Utilize trade shows.
8. Oh, there's one more:  Read a good book.

Read more ...

The Global Courtship of Female Entrepreneurs and Business Owners

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Facebook is catching up to Women Entrepreneurs GROW Global's (WEGG's) mission of wanting to help women entrepreneurs and small business owners achieve a more global reach.  Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO, says "People are worried about technology, worried about change, worried about globalization, and that worry is really centered on jobs and opportunity for themselves and their children."

The article cites:

Now in the U.S., women make up 40% of new entrepreneurs, the highest percentage since 1996, according to the Kauffman Index of Startup Activity. And across 51 economies, rates of women’s entrepreneurship increased 10% from 2015 to 2016, compared to 5% for men, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor survey.  “As we give more people access to tools, we help use the full talent of the population and we give women a voice,” Sandberg said.

Read more ...

New Growth Engine: Exports

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Aiming for global markets from the beginning and investing aggressively in research and development are key to the overseas success of small and medium-sized enterprises.  Korean-based Dr. Jart+ is living proof.

Known for its cosmetics products packaged in containers that look more like medicine than makeup.  Doesn't matter.  It worked.  The products have been featured in Vogue and InStyle, sold in Sephora, and in 2015, it became the first Korean cosmetics brand to receive equity investment from Estee Lauder.  Dr.Jart is now available in 15 countries across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America.

Wait.  There's more.

According to the analysis [a report released by the Korea International Trade Association], the biggest booster for SMEs going abroad was tackling foreign markets from its early stage of business just as Dr. Jart+ had. “While the globalization of local companies used to be based off a strong domestic business, born-global companies tackle markets at home and abroad at the same time,” the report said. 

It is essential for a company and a country to find a new growth engine:  exports.

Read more ...

Today in Global Small Business: Why Global Technology Companies Are Setting Up Shop in Miami

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

• How to finance export sales (WEGGinar™on 7/12 - no charge).
• Most small businesses think policy changes will have a positive effect on their businesses.
• Eighty percent of small businesses have not automated their processes.
• How people have found their lives transformed since 2008.
• Britain has added another anxiety-provoking variable to our global economy.
• Why global technology companies are choosing Miami as their U.S. base.

Even Love Unreturned Has Its Rainbow

©2017 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Let no one who loves be unhappy ... even love unreturned has its rainbow."  -- William Shakespeare

The International Entrepreneur Rule

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The International Entrepreneur Rule is needed at a time when U.S. entrepreneurial leadership is being challenged by other countries.  It has been said by the National Venture Capital Association's (NVCA's) VP of Government Affairs Jeff Farrah:

“In the last five years, at least half of the top ten largest venture investments in the world occurred outside the U.S.”

Civic leaders, investors and entrepreneurs are pushing the White House to not block a rule that would allow entrepreneurs from other countries to come to the U.S. more easily.

Read more ...

Bring Those Jobs to USA!

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Dorel Juvenile Group (DJG), a leading manufacturer of children’s car seats and strollers, will add two additional assembly lines at the Columbus facility to produce its products for Walmart, which include car seat, stroller and walker categories.  DJG has had a 40-year relationship with Walmart.  Its annual sales are $2.6 billion and they employ about 10,000 people in facilities in 25 countries worldwide.

Impressive.

Walmart tied the deal with Dorel to a 10-year initiative by the company to buy an additional $250 billion in products that support American jobs.

DJG's other major retail partners are:  Amazon, Target, Babies R Us, Buy Buy Baby and Nordstrom, to name just a few.

We can all aspire to be big someday, global, and create jobs.

Read more ...

How to Source Products Worldwide (WEGGinar™)

©2017 Women Entrepreneurs GROW Global.  All rights reserved.

Join the WEGGinar™ this morning, June 7 at 11:00 a.m. Central time with Jodi Bondi Norgaard, speaker, consultant, and founder of Go! Go! Sports Girls and JB Norgaard Enterprises, Inc., who will talk about, "Go! Go! Global with Global Sourcing."  Here's what you will learn:

• How to source a product
• How to price a product (price versus landed cost versus selling price)
• How to market the product worldwide
• What costs are involved when you source a product?

The WEGGinar™ is free.  Register here.  I [Laurel Delaney] will be handling the Q&A.  Let's connect.  Come with questions.

SMEs Take on New Strategies to Enhance Innovation

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In the American Express Global SME Pulse, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the U.S. and worldwide are optimistic about the economy and confident about their future business performance.

While SMEs are optimistic about the economy and their own business, they also recognize areas for concern. Nearly half (47%) rank economic uncertainty as the greatest external threat to their business. SMEs also identify political uncertainty (31%) and changes to domestic policies, laws or regulations as a key threat (24%).

What is the challenge SMEs will work hardest to address over the next three years?  Developing and implementing innovations.  A surprising fact that came out of the survey is this:  Fewer believe expanding into new international markets will be a contributor to financial performance (27%).  Amex is betting big on India because of its huge growth potential.

Read more ...

Today in Global Small Business: The Apple WOW Factor

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

• What to watch for at Apple's cool Worldwide Developers Conference (will a smart speaker be divulged?)
• How to source, price, and market a product around the world (learn how at a free WEGGinar™ 6/7).
• How a company generated 30 million in sales for selling everything but the house and now has a worldwide audience.
• See how even a startup can be multinational.
• Dublin City University pioneers a new program for SMEs called Go Global 4 Growth.
• Despite challenging conditions, SMEs are on the rise.

Be Out There By Yourself

©2017 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"For me, a writer should be more like a lighthouse keeper, just out there by himself. He shouldn't get his ideas from other people all around him." -- Robert M. Pirsig

We Need More Luckys

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Lucky D. Aria has a small business, Matoa Indonesia, which transforms discarded wood into beautiful wooden watches.

In 2016 he started using the internet to find new customers overseas — and has now started selling to customers in Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. His exports to the United States already make up about 30% of his income. 

We need more Luckys.  Read more ...

The Story of How Indiegogo Was Launched and Went International

Co-founder of Indiegogo, Danae Ringelmann, the daughter of small-business owners, witnessed how hard it was to get a loan. Her site provides a democratic approach to fund raising.  The company was launched in 2008 and by 2014, Danae and her partners had raised more than $40 million of venture capital to grow the platform and expand internationally.