The Covid Resilience Ranking: The Best and Worst Countries to Be

©iStock/ismagilov

The Covid Resilience Ranking is a monthly snapshot of where the virus is being handled the most effectively with the least social and economic upheaval. 

Compiled using 12 data indicators that span virus containment, the quality of healthcare, vaccination coverage, overall mortality and progress toward restarting travel and easing border curbs, the Ranking captures which of the world’s biggest 53 economies are responding best—and worst—to the same once-in-a-generation threat.

Discover more:  The Best and Worst Places to Be as We Learn to Live With Delta

Without Standard Shipping Containers, the Global Supply Chain Would Not Exist

©iStock/pigphoto

Anna Nagurney for Fast Company writes, "Today, an estimated 90% of the world’s goods are transported by sea, with 60% of that—including virtually all of your imported fruits, gadgets, and appliances—packed in large steel containers."  She goes on to say, "In short, without the standardized container, the global supply chain that society depends upon—and that I study—would not exist."

In fact, the average size of a container ship has doubled in the past 20 years alone. The largest ships sailing today are capable of hauling 24,000 containers—that’s a carrying capacity equivalent to how much a freight train 44 miles long could hold. Put another way, a ship named the Globe with a capacity of 19,100 20-foot containers could haul 156 million pairs of shoes, 300 million tablet computers, or 900 million cans of baked beans—in case you’re feeling hungry.

Read Anna's full length thought-provoking and thorough article: The $14 trillion reason you should care about the shipping container shortage.

Google Has Begun Beta Testing Live Caption Translations

©iStock/fizkes

Starting now, Google Workspace users can beta test the new live caption translations, which takes Google's accessibility feature to the next level with auto-translation across languages.  Google Meet could improve meetings for teams that collaborate globally.

The beta is relatively limited and will only translate English meetings in Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German.  It may not have the highest translation quality.  

Read on:  Google Meet tests live translated captions for more inclusive collaboration.

Today in Global Small Business: Trade Rules Key to Global Small Business Gains

©iStock/Kavuto

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

• Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say Washington has a key role to play in helping small businesses by encouraging innovation and improving the rules for competition in a global economy.
• Etsy, the global online marketplace for making, selling and buying unique items, has announced the launch of a new Planet-Friendly Packaging initiative.
• Through robust verifications and business monitoring, you can better manage your company’s supply chain risk and help small businesses survive the next global disruption and thrive. 
• Quote of the week:  "Innovation is the unrelenting drive to break the status quo and develop anew where few have dared to go." – Steven Jeffes
• A review of the biggest news over the past week – global marketing monitor.
• Create a winning social media strategy that takes the world by storm (by Laurel J. Delaney).

Life Starts All Over Again

©2021 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." – F. Scott Fitzgerald

New Jersey Awarded $1.5M in Funding to Expand Small Business Exporting

©iStock/Ultima_Gaina

Are you a business owner located in New Jersey who aspires to take your business global?  The timing could not be better.

The New Jersey Business Action Center (NJBAC), received $1.5M in funding for the New Jersey STEP (NJSTEP) program to provide financial awards on a first come, first served competitive basis to New Jersey eligible small businesses that are new to export, as well as those businesses who currently sell their goods and services to other countries. The program is funded in part through a grant with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

Learn more here and go for global!

Together, We Can Fix Climate Change (Video)

A Hackathon to Develop Solutions That Can Help SMBs

©iStock/Bohdan Skrypnyk

The Good Ideas Exchange, which will take place in October, will bring owners of SMBs together with leaders from companies including American Express, Facebook, Indeed, UPS and Vimeo to take part in a hackathon to develop solutions that can help SMBs respond to the challenges they are facing, and those that are green-lit will be revealed early next year. 

Read more.

The United States to Lift Pandemic Travel Restrictions in November

©iStock/Phoenix0013

USA President Biden kept the restrictions on travelers from the European Union, Britain, India and other places, despite pleas from business leaders in need of profits from tourism, foreign workers who traveled overseas to renew visas to work in the United States only to be left stranded, and citizens left separated from their partners abroad.  That will soon change.

The Biden administration will lift travel restrictions starting in November for foreigners who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, reopening the country to thousands of people, including those who have been separated from family in the United States during the pandemic, and easing a major source of tension with Europe.

This could help rejuvenate a U.S. tourism industry that has been crippled by the pandemic.

Today in Global Small Business: Unique Outdoor Stays to Find Yourself

©iStock/Alexlukin

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

• A comprehensive resource for unique outdoor stays (timely during a pandemic) – Hipcamp.
• Speaking of traveling, how about fly now and pay later?
• What do people think of globalization and trade? 
• Quote of the week:  “Travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world." – Gustave Flaubert
• A five-step plan for businesses to scale globally, which includes remembering to speak the language.
• What's it like to launch a big global marketing campaign?

Never Stop Trying

©2021 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Never stop trying.  Never stop believing.  Never give up.  Your day will come." – Mandy Hale

Life Is Not Easy. Doing What You Love, That's What Makes Life

©iStock/gorodenkoff

“Life is not easy,” says Mexican pastries and bread business, Clementina’s Sweets founder Esmeralda Jimenez. “Doing what you love, that’s what makes life.”

The pandemic has disproportionately affected women, with significant numbers laid off, leaving their jobs or reducing work hours to care for children being schooled at home or other family members.

So if you are dreaming of becoming your own boss, these women made it happen during COVID-19.

Paris is a Moveable Feast; So is Tianducheng

©iStock/DashaMuller

"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast," sys Ernest Hemingway posthumously in his published memoirs A Moveable Feast (1964).

It appears one town in China has taken the Nobel laureate's words to heart, quite literally. 

Located in eastern China, Tianducheng would be like any other unassuming suburban sprawl in the country were it not for its uncanny resemblance to the French capital. 

Discover more because you won't believe how much this Chinese City looks like Paris – from the Eiffel Tower to minute details such as street lamps and urban furniture.

Why Millions of People Started a Business During the Pandemic

©iStock/scyther5

One new small-business owner said, "When you're not sure what's going on, you make the best of it that you can."  That about sums things up.

During the pandemic, entrepreneurs opened their own businesses at more than twice the rate seen in pre-pandemic times, thanks to government support programs and improved remote technology that weren't available during other economic downturns such as the Great Recession.

Read on to discover how entrepreneurship becomes a power booster during economic uncertainty.

Michigan Receives $2,000,000 State Trade Expansion Program STEP Grant

©iStock/PapaBear

Michigan received $2 million in federal grant funds to help Michigan small businesses grow in the state through increased access to global markets. The amount is the maximum awarded by the SBA and a $650,000 increase from 2021.  

Managed by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s International Trade program, the Michigan STEP grant initiative (MI-STEP) aims to promote job creation by empowering Michigan small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to export their products, supplying financial assistance awards for eligible export development-related expenses.

The funds are expected to assist more than 350 Michigan companies in increasing international sales.

Read on to learn more.

Today in Global Small Business: The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)

©iStock/BenGoode

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

• The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
• Additive manufacturing can make a huge impact.  Take a look at America's first 3-D printed homes for sale. 
• Wonder Brands to build a portfolio of e-commerce brands that operate in the Mercado Libre and Amazon ecosystems. 
• Quote of the week:  “It's not a faith in technology.  It's faith in people.” – Steve Jobs, Co-founder of Apple
• Coderhouse is a digital training platform with offices in San Francisco and Buenos Aires.
• Cloud platform WalkMe made headlines earlier this year adding a transgender executive to its board.

Cause a Little Bit of Summer

©2021 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Cause a little bit of summer is what the whole year is about." – John Mayer

The Digital Transformation Will Continue to Happen

©iStock/Funtap

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO said small businesses will keep choosing the internet to reach their customers even after the pandemic subsides and brick-and-mortar advertising options become more useful.

With an interview with Bloomberg News she said “That digital transformation will continue to happen.  It might happen at a slightly slower rate but I think that the transformation and people moving to be online is going to continue to happen.”

Nevertheless, it's a challenging time yet the online revolution will continue.

World Trade Center Utah Receives $1,050,000 State Trade Expansion Program STEP Grant

©iStock/mj0007

SBA announced that World Trade Center Utah (WTC Utah) will receive a State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) Grant of $1,050,000 on behalf of the State of Utah.  

Utah’s export growth rate has been the highest in the nation for the past two years. Eighty-five percent of Utah’s exporters are small businesses, and international sales add $5 billion across the state in additional revenue for these small business exporters.

Exporting is an important tool for small businesses to grow revenue and boost local economies. STEP is designed to assist states with increasing the number of small businesses that export and the value of those exports.  

Read on to learn more about how Utah received a STEP grant to accelerate global growth of businesses.

Setting Your Sight on a Sustainable Future

©iStock/metamorworks

According to Xero, building a fast-growing but sustainable business means consciously managing our environmental impact, helping to build thriving communities, and cultivating an engaged workforce.

That’s why Xero introduced an environmental sustainability program called Net Zero @ Xero and since 2019 has been committed to carbon neutrality, offsetting 100% of their global organization’s scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions across owned and operated businesses in Australia and internationally, including New Zealand, the United States, Canada, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Asia.

Learn more how a global small business platform has its sight set on a sustainable future.

Pandemic's Summer Resurgence Is Slowing the Global Economic Recovery

©iStock/Jira Pilankharom

Data over the past week captured a worldwide weakening as infections from a Delta surge hit travel and spending and worsen supply bottlenecks that are dampening manufacturing and trade.

Instead of entering the final months of 2021 confident that the acute phase of the pandemic is over, it’s becoming clear that booster shots may be needed for fading vaccines, workplace re-openings will be delayed and border closures remain.

“The spread of the delta variant is slowing the reopening process and has caused us to mark down growth globally,” said Robin Brooks, chief economist of the Institute of International Finance in Washington, referring to its revised 5.7% forecast for this year, from 6.2%.

Read on to learn more.

Today in Global Small Business: Business Schools Are Becoming More Globalized

©iStock/NattapoomV

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

• Business schools are becoming more globalized.
• Deciding on which Chicago-based school to attend:  Kellogg or Booth?
• MBAs still matter.
• Quote of the week:  “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." – Benjamin Franklin
• 4 USA MBA programs designed to produce tomorrow’s entrepreneurs.
• World university rankings 2022.
• Labor Day (9/6/21) is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday is to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.

Catch Excellence

©2021 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." – Vince Lombardi

Find a Forest That Brings Beauty to Your World

©iStock/vichie81

Find a forest – from Japan to USA to Canada – that brings you calm and beauty.  Even plant a tree if you feel so inclined.

Women Entrepreneurs in County Donegal, Ireland Are Dreaming Big, Are You?

©iStock/audioworm

The Ambition for 2021 program through the Local Enterprise Office Donegal provides women entrepreneurs with a clear pathway to start a globally focused business.  The program is open to female founders and co-founders, entrepreneurs, or those with a strong start-up idea, who have links to Donegal. 

Many of these women are dreaming big, with projects designed to make a real impact on business, social and cultural landscapes.  Sixty percent have accessed Local Enterprise Office supports since completing the program, and 54% are revenue generating and exporting internationally.

To attend the Open Evening introducing the program, apply, or learn more, visit:  http://www.localenterprise.ie/Donegal/

Estée Lauder: The Global Leader in Prestige Beauty

©iStock/Galeanu Mihai

Estée Lauder is considered the global leader in prestige beauty – offering high quality products and experiences, inspiring consumers to express their individual beauty.

We [Estée Lauder] are the only company focused solely on prestige makeup, skin care, fragrance and hair care. We have a diverse portfolio of more than 25 brands, and our products are sold in approximately 150 countries and territories. Infused throughout our organization is a passion for creativity and innovation—a desire to push the boundaries and invent the unexpected as we continue the bold work of our founder, Estée Lauder.

Read their latest report:  The Estée Lauder Companies’ citizenship and sustainability activities and performance for the period of July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020.