2022 Will Bring Us More Passion, Confidence and Courage to Create the Life We Desire Most

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Discover major 2022 astrology predictions for the US and the world.  Spoiler alert:

2022 will bring you a surge of entrepreneurship and a greater focus on leadership

[The planet] Jupiter will be especially busy in 2022, as he will dance into Aries from May 10, 2022 until Oct. 28, 2022. In Aries, Jupiter will bring us more passion, confidence and courage to create the life we desire most. Whatever it is that you wish for — whether it’s personal or professional or a dearly held dream — you can more easily see it manifest when you step into your power, take the lead and initiate action.

It appears the universe will reward us for our perseverance.

All Bets Are On For Going Global in 2022

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Love this because I feel it applies to everyone who is reading this blog!  Yes, all bets are on for going global in 2022 and for the Irish-bred filly, Going Global, to keep winning in 2022!

Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Is Your Brand Leading the Way to a Zero-Carbon Future?

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What on earth are you waiting for?

For decades, we've known about the threats of climate change. Now we're seeing the effects first-hand.  Faced with the greatest environmental crisis ever, we're not doing enough.

Learn more by visiting:  Climate Neutral

Build Your Global Small Business On Social Media Platforms

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“I built my business on social media; it’s where my fans go first to look for what’s next from Kylie Cosmetics,” say Kylie Jenner.

For college students who want to try their hand at launching a business, they have a ready-made customer base and marketing platform at their fingertips.

Social media platforms – Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok – recognize that potential and have been rolling out commerce tools.

Learn how these popular platforms are giving global small businesses the opportunity to reach millions — and in some cases billions — of users. This has been a game-changer for start-ups.

Today in Global Small Business: Orlinski's World

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

• Turning you on to Richard Orlinski's magnificent work (France).
• How to build brand love.  
• How corporations organize global production is becoming increasingly unsustainable.
• Quote of the week: "Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in." – Amy Lowell
• 10 potential New Year resolutions for global small businesses.
• Here are some ways to ensure your global small business grows in 2022, and how to keep and build your client base.

Merry Christmas!

©2021 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Wishing you a joyous Christmas! – Laurel J. Delaney, creator of The Global Small Business Blog

How to Get In the Christmas Spirit! (Music With a Fireplace Video)

Does Amazon Want to Eat Your Global Small Business For Lunch?

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Amazon claims "they are making things cheaper and easier so consumers should be content."  But while Amazon’s prices are cheap, the way it siphons and uses information from its sellers is not.

The article below purports:

“If you sell on Amazon, you’ll be handing over the fate of your business, your livelihood, to your biggest most aggressive enemy — an enemy that has every intention of eating your lunch.”

Join the debate:  Is Amazon good for global small business?

Love These Books for Altering Your State of Mind in 2022

©2021 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Love, love, love these books.  I hope you take the time to read them during your holiday break.

1. How to Change – find out what's standing between you and success.
2. Chatter – how to harness the hidden power of our inner voice to combat anxiety and deepen our relationships with others.
3. Think Again (my fav) – build the intellectual and emotional muscle to unlearn and relearn, which requires choosing courage over comfort.

The Challenges of Global Growth are Varied and Difficult But Through Perseverance, Rewards Are Worth the Struggle

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Phil Hall is Chief Growth Officer at LXT, an emerging leader in global AI training data with executives on three continents.  He's helped grow one particular global business from a startup to a worldwide success with more than $1 billion in annual revenue.

The challenges to global growth are varied and difficult, but for the companies that persevere and reach that level, the rewards are very much worth the struggle, both in the ability to serve a highly discerning customer base with limited options at that scale, as well as in the experience it brings to the entire workforce along the way.

Learn more from Phil on a few of his key insights.  For example, how flexibility is key where high growth meets global business.

Today in Global Small Business: Get Beyond Collaboration Overload

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

• McKinsey Global Publishing’s Tom Fleming talks with Rob Cross, the Edward A. Madden Professor of Global Leadership at Babson College and the cofounder and director of the Connected Commons consortium. In the book Beyond Collaboration Overload: How to Work Smarter, Get Ahead, and Restore Your Well-Being (Harvard Business Review Press, 2021), Cross reveals how high performers collaborate in ways that enable them to be 18 to 24 percent more efficient than their peers while simultaneously improving their well-being. 
• Making global business work in 2021.  
• Global merchandise trade exceeds pre-COVID-19 level, but services recovery falls short.
• Quote of the week: "Life is not a solo act. It's a huge collaboration, and we all need to assemble around us the people who care about us and support us in times of strife." – Tim Gunn
• Global expansion isn’t easy, but if done correctly, a brand can reap great rewards.  Here are 4 ways to overcome your global expansion hesitations.

The Sunbeam of the Heart

©2021 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"The wild-flower wreath of feeling, the sunbeam of the heart." – Fitz-Greene Halleck

Global Small Business Owners Wear Many Hats

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Patsy Ramirez-Arroyo, owner and founder of Homera, located in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico says:

A business owner of a small company has to wear many hats and needs to be able to adjust on the fly. Many do not have an HR, IT, or accounting department, so our time focusing on the core aspects of the business can be limited compared to a large corporation. It is also extremely challenging working with other companies and people who do not hold to the same professional standards.

See what else she has to say about starting, running and growing an entrepreneurial journey in consulting.

Going Global Is Worth It

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Dialpad Founder and CEO Craig Walker talks about his first step toward going global.  "Back in February 2016, I flew across the Pacific Ocean to open my company's first international office. It was in the heart of Tokyo. At the end of our street was the Imperial Palace, home to the emperor of Japan. A couple of blocks to the south, high-speed bullet trains blasted out of Tokyo Station, headed for Kyoto.  To this day, our Tokyo office remains a huge part of our identity, culture and success."

Discover the valuable lessons Craig learned and what he recommends to keep in mind if you're thinking of expanding your business internationally as well.

Spoiler alert:  Going global may not be easy but it is worth it.

Support Black-Owned Businesses and Black Entrepreneurs

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COVID-19 cases are on the rise again — with new concerns surrounding the Omicron variant as well as the Delta variant, which remains the dominant strain — and continued use of PPE is more important than ever.

Here are 9 Black-owned businesses and Black entrepreneurs that you can support to keep yourself safe — and fashionable. 

Creative Ways to Stay Afloat As a Global Small Business

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A recent survey from Adobe of 3,500 small business owners in five global markets found that an overwhelming 87% had to get creative with their business to survive the pandemic, and 63% plan to keep the changes they made moving forward.

Here are five ways global small business owners can reignite their creative spark to boost their business in 2022. 

Today in Global Small Business: A Learning Ecosystem For Global Citizens

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

• The NEOM culture is about learning by doing, combining knowledge, creativity, and critical thinking with the latest technology and a digital mindset; to solve the problems of tomorrow. At NEOM, we live and breath this culture by developing a bespoke learning ecosystem for all of its citizens.
• Detecting anything that has a smell.  Japan-based Aroma Bit has it covered.  
• The aspects that make entrepreneurs most creative may also be their biggest risk.
• Quote of the week: "I'd like to help repair the earth's ecosystems, and to fully live until I'm fully dead." – Martha Beck
• NYC-based GoCoach helps companies educate and upskill employees with its coaching platform.
• The future of white-glove delivery.  Onward.

Real Spirit of Christmas

©2021 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas." – Calvin Coolidge

December Tips for Peppy Content Marketing

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Content marketing for December 2021 should be useful, informative, or entertaining, and it should help a business attract, engage, and retain an audience of customers and prospects.

Here are a couple of ideas – from industry forecasts, holiday how-to articles, to New Year’s resolutions.

Why Aren't More Women Exporting?

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As I [Laurel Delaney] wrote for Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®, women hold up half the sky and according to the latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Women’s Entrepreneurship report, they also are involved in a whole heck of a lot of startups – to the tune of more than 274 million women worldwide.  Yet according to the GEM report:

Women entrepreneurs are much less likely than men to report exports to over 25% of their customers in every country in this region, with the exception of Indonesia, where women are 2.7 times more likely than men to report high levels of export activity.

Learn more here.

The New Yorker: Looking Back on 2021 Through Images

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From a daytime-talk-show legend, to a remarkably expressive cat, to the lawless rage that would come to define January 6th, here's a look at The Year in New Yorker Photography 2021.  

Global Small Businesses Are Feeling the Squeeze With the Global Supply Chain Crisis

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The timing couldn’t be worse. With the winter holiday in full swing, late shipments and bare shelves could be disastrous for the busiest sales season of the year for global small businesses.

The outcome could be even more grim for companies that were counting on this period to help them rebound from COVID-19 closures and even stave off bankruptcy.

Read on to learn how small businesses are feeling the squeeze left by the global supply chain crisis.

Today in Global Small Business: What You Need to Know About Social Commerce

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

• Happy Holidays!  Comcast RISE grants returns!
• Why ecommerce is so important to Indonesia's small businesses.
• What you need to know about social commerce.
• Quote of the week: "Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius." – Pietro Aretino
• The 10 best podcasts in 2021, according to The New York Times.  Add one more:  How She Went Global®.
• How to practice self-care and manage the holiday blues.

Details

©2021 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"God is in the details." – Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Gentleman Givenchy from House of Givenchy

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Gentleman Givenchy is a the newest creation by Nathalie Lorson and Olivier Cresp from House of Givenchy; the eau de toilette is encompassed in woody floral aromatic notes, with bergamot, basil, and cardamom used to open up the fragrance. 

Scratch here to smell (wish we could make that happen!).  For now, click here to read more.

Why Did Sweden Need a New Prime Minister?

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Within a week, Sweden's parliament has voted Magdalena Andersson in as its first woman prime minister, watched her resign seven hours later amidst political turmoil and waved her back into the job after a second vote.

Why it all unfolded, and what could happen next, has highlighted the complexities of eight-party coalition politics in a divided nation.

Read:  How Magdalena Andersson became Sweden's first female PM twice

Buckle Up

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Economists around the world are closely watching a resurgence of coronavirus cases across Europe for signs of what may be to come this winter.

The global recovery from the pandemic remains intact. Consumer spending is still elevated as shoppers tap pent-up savings.

But more than 20 months into the pandemic, reading the direction of the economy remains a difficult task, making it essential to keep close watch on fresh numbers.

Read more to learn how the global economy buckles up for another uncertain winter.

Going Global: Best Practices For Reaching Key Stakeholders with Pamela Passman, APCO New York

©2021 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

How do you identify, align and prioritize the most critical issues—including business, regulatory and reputational opportunities and threats at your business?  How do you identify and prioritize the stakeholders, decision makers and influencers that have the power to affect those issues, and therefore influence your operations and growth?  And how do you develop and execute strategies to monitor, engage and manage priority stakeholders?  

Big, deep questions that we all wrestle with and Pamela Passman, Managing Director, APCO New York will be addressing these and more at her wegginar® tomorrow, December 1, 2021 at 11AM CT, "Going Global:  Best Practices For Reaching Key Stakeholders."

Bring your notepad, thoughts, and an open mind to this engaging and informative wegginar.  The event is free of charge thanks to wegg's generous sponsors (refer to graphic above).  

To learn more and to register, visit:  https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/2021/11/03/going-global-best-practices-for-reaching-key-stakeholders-with-pamela-passman/

Today in Global Small Business: Workers Tell It Like It Is on the Global Supply Chain Crisis

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

• Workers telling it like it is on the global supply chain crisis.  Worth of a read and an appreciation of what these folks are handling.
• So very sad to see that Chicago-based hair-care firm founder Chris-Tia Donaldson died November 13, 2021.  She was a fireball of talent.  Our condolences to her family on this heartbreaking time.
• Small Business Saturday keeps small businesses afloat.
• Quote of the week: "Companies “will have a new focus on resilience. That means having more options. Multishoring and higher inventories are two likely outcomes.” – Michael Zimmerman, partner at A.T. Kearney, as quoted in the WSJ
• Global supply chain woes impact small businesses.
• The top ten (10) nations enjoying the fastest growth in small businesses and why it matters.  Spoiler alert:  USA No. 2.

Radically Transform the World

©2022 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world.  And you have to do it all the time." – Angela Davis

Oh Those Black Friday Deals

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The USA Today folks have rounded up the best of the best Black Friday 2021 deals here.  Check back often—they'll be adding new deals and updating their list with the latest sales and savings through Cyber Monday. Happy shopping!  And of course anything you buy they might very well receive a commission :-).

Grateful to Our Global Small Business Blog Readers: Thank you For Your Engagement and Happy Thanksgiving

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"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." – Melody Beattie

Buy It On the Spot

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At first glance, you wouldn’t know the impact the global supply chain crisis has had on global small businesses.  They are facing delays and high supply chain costs. They’re going up, a lot, and invoices are coming with surprises.

Take a look at some of the experiences small businesses are sharing.  Their best advice to consumers?  "If you really want something, buy it on the spot."

Can't Stop Talking About It: Global Supply Chain Woes

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Global small business owners and chief executive officers of big companies can’t stop talking about supply chain, and for good reason — logistical challenges are threatening the very existence of some smaller companies that just got past the worst effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The soaring price of ocean freight has put pressure on most shippers of cargo, but especially on the smaller players that don’t have the cash on hand or scale to combat rapidly rising costs, counter delays or avoid transportation snafus.

Trouble lies ahead.  Make or break time for many.

Today in Global Small Business: Holiday eCommerce Strategies

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

• Utah small businesses suffer as global supply chain breaks down.
• Interesting twist:  Why shop local? ‘The work of local artists is not sitting on cargo ships.’
• Prep for the holidays with a few good ecommerce strategies.
• Quote of the week: "Remember, every ‘mistake’ your customer makes, it’s not because they’re stupid. It’s because your website sucks.” – Peep Laja, Founder of ConversionXL
• Have yourself some holiday email marketing trend examples.
• U.S. holiday retail sales outlook seems to bring good tidings according to this article.

Togetherness and Gratitude

©2021 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness and gratitude." – Nigel Hamilton

Music to Soothe Your Global Soul

Episode #9: How She Went Global® Podcast from Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®

©2021 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® released Episode #9 of its How She Went Global® (HSWG) podcast featuring Angie Yu, founder and president, Twin Rivers Fisheries.  This month's theme:  Exporting Is Just a Fishnet Away. 

©2021 Angie Yu.

Angie discusses her business of catching, selling and distributing carp globally; how she used SBA and Exim Bank to fuel her business growth; and where she sees the future of carp as an industry.

HSWG podcast is powered by Bluedog with support from Associated Bank.

About HSWG

Successful women entrepreneurs and business owners share stories about going global, and offer new ways to take on the world, stay inspired and have fun! 

You can find HSWG on Apple Podcast, Spotify and Podomatic. Tune in and subscribe.  

Are U.S. Global Small Businesses Slowest to Adopt Better Technology?

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According to Xero, simple changes in habits and process could prove more effective than costly educational campaigns in helping small businesses take advantage of digital technology’s benefits.

The One step study surveyed more than 4,200 small business owners in six countries (Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the US, Canada, and Singapore). Carried out in partnership with behavioural science consultancy, Decision Design, the report found that small businesses which readily adopt new technology enjoy on average 120 percent higher revenue. 

Read on to discover the true risks and rewards of technology adoption, allowing small business leaders to overcome confusion and uncertainty to make more rational decisions about the different options they may face.

Everyday Is Global Entrepreneurship Day For Us!

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At Global Entrepreneurship Week – 180 countries. 40,000 activities – the goal is to remove barriers and welcome all.  Their focus this year for the week is:  November 8-14, 2021.

Everyday is global entrepreneurship day for us.  But to celebrate with GEW2021, we offer all of our work:

• Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global, https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org
• How She Went Global® podcast, https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/programs/how-she-went-global/
• Exporting Guide, http://exportingguide.com
• The Balance, Import & Export Business, https://www.thebalancesmb.com/import-export-4161447
• wegginar®, https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/2021/10/06/bringing-fun-hawaii-rooted-footwear-to-the-world-with-kiani-wong/
• Global Small Business Forum, https://globalsmallbusinessforum.com

Tune in, learn and grow global together!  Happy GEW2021!  See our event for wegg® here.

Today in Global Small Business: The Family Experience Store Called Camp

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

• E-commerce site Camp calls itself a “family experience store” that uses AI to answer the question, “What should we do today?”
• Three tactics to build on the momentum of Global Entrepreneurship Week.
• Global small businesses are getting hammered from the global supply chain problems.
• Quote of the week: "When e-commerce companies build scale, cost comes down. Companies that can handle scale and reduce costs over time will win. Margins will come from reducing costs over time and not by increasing prices. Technology is the answer at large scale." – Sachin Bansal
• Hive helps teams move faster.
• Create builds companies from scratch.  

The Leaves Grow Old

©2021 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"How beautiful the leaves grow old.  How full of light and color are their last days." – John Burroughs

Bringing Global Small Businesses, Including Global Women Entrepreneurs, Into the Digital Economy

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Mastercard’s Digital Doors curriculum helps businesses get online and stay protected, ensuring they have the right tools to maximize their digital presence and integrate e-commerce seamlessly, including the free Small Business Digital Readiness Diagnostic. 

Most recently, Mastercard committed $25 million to help more than five million micro and SMBs digitize through the Strive initiative.

Learn more how supporting small business owners is a continued priority for Mastercard, which pledged to bring 50 million small businesses and 25 million women entrepreneurs into the digital economy by 2025.

Not Many Are Left Unscathed From Global Supply Chain Snags, Especially Global Small Businesses

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With much of the world’s supply chain still tied in knots due to lingering effects from the global pandemic, many small business owners are finding they can’t buy the products and supplies they need, period. For smaller retailers in particular, many of which rely on the holiday season for the bulk of their sales, months of worry could result in a bleak November and December.

According to the U.S. Census, last month 45 percent of all small businesses reported some level of supplier delays, a steady increase from just under 40 percent of what they had reported earlier this summer. Such disruptions are widespread, including almost two-thirds of manufacturers and more than half of companies in the food service and hospitality sectors. 

Not many are left unscathed from global supply chain snags, especially global small businesses.

How to Give Feedback When the Stakes Are High

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How do you think through and deliver a meaningful feedback message when the stakes are high or the message is hard?

The first thing you can do to improve the feedback you give is simply to prepare for the conversation. Ideally, preparation does two things: 

1. It helps you not respond in a reflexive or reactive way.
2. It helps you focus the content of your message on behavior.

Read on to learn how effective leaders give feedback.

Women Aged 50+ Who Are Shattering Age and Gender Norms Across USA

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Produced in partnership with Morning Joe cohost Mika Brzezinski and her Know Your Value initiative, the 50 Over 50 is a collection of women who reject the conventional wisdom that their best years are behind them. They’re leading a movement.

The 50 Over 50 is a list dedicated to highlighting women over the age of 50 who are shattering age and gender norms across all sectors of the American economy and culture.

The women are all wielding their influence in politics and social entrepreneurship, STEM and the arts, finance and beyond.  But now, it’s time – as we know through this blog – to go even bigger. It’s time to go global.

Learn more here.  When you read the inspiring stories, see if they ring a bell for you.  Nominate yourself or someone else you know. There are some specific nomination guides.  Be sure to review carefully.

Today in Global Small Business: An Embodied Internet

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

• Facebook plans to rebrand as a metaverse company, one that the CEO envisions as an embodied Internet.
• How to help Africans prove their identify online.  Smile Identity has the answer.
• Swiss startup Tide Ocean Material is working with a global network of fishers to upcycle ocean-bound plastic.
• Quote of the week: "Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant." – Mitch Kapor
• Wonder Brands raised $20M to build a portfolio of e-commerce brands that operate in the Mercado Libre and Amazon ecosystems.
• Dubai, The Bahamas, Sweden, and Nigeria have all launched their own digital currency, called “central bank digital currency” (CBDC). Now, 81 countries are exploring doing the same.

What Is Your Potential to Contribute to An Industry?

©2021 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"It's not about charisma and personality, it's about results and products and those very bedrock things that are why people at Apple and outside of Apple are getting more excited about the company and what Apple stands for and what its potential is to contribute to the industry." – Steve Jobs 

First Move on Climate Action By Businesses

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The World Economic Forum and US Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry launched the First Movers Coalition to take climate action.

Let's face it, our planet is in peril.

Rising temperatures and harsh weather patterns—once risks that were on the horizon—have arrived. Tragic flooding in Europe and Asia this summer, intense storms rolling across the Americas this fall, and record heatwaves in the Arctic this year all tell the same story: climate change is unfolding in real-time.

These are dark developments that need to be treated.  Read on to see what is next to create a sustainable future.

Pandemic Global Small-Business Boom

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The global pandemic has disrupted businesses around the world in vastly different ways, but particularly small and medium-sized businesses (SMB), which make up more than 90% of the total worldwide.  Many businesses closed their doors temporarily and others for good, while some saw unprecedented growth.

What's striking has been the innovation born from this worldwide disruption, as a host of new digitally native businesses were created to meet evolving needs, new market opportunities and a global shift to remote-work environments, which has enabled the entrepreneurial to thrive.

The latest insights from Mastercard’s Recovery Insights: Small Business Reset report corroborate this development, revealing a pandemic small-business boom.

Capacity Building For Women Exporters

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The Nigerian Export Promotion Council, through the Export Expansion Facility Program, has begun a capacity-building workshop to train 100 women-owned businesses on how to export their products.

The purpose of the training is to ensure improved packaging, branding standardized certifications and enhancing knowledge of relevant international trade agreements.

To learn more, visit here.  Part of educating female founders on export readiness is Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®'s work, too.  When women succeed, the world succeeds.