Make It Happen For Yourself

©2022 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"You can't just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream. You've got to get out there and make it happen for yourself." – Diana Ross 

Women-Focused Investment Is Essential to Economic Development

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Despite the relative sophistication of its economy and business environment, South Africa’s record in regards to its promotion of women in the business environment is poor.

If women are to take their place as equal citizens in South Africa, this must include their ability to run and to grow businesses.  Funders should be taking note.  After all, funding women-led start-ups is the key to economic development.

Alibaba Goes From a 1 Million Goal to 2,000 Small U.S. Businesses Per Year

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Alibaba is going through a major transformation – transformation these days means cutting budgets, firing people and running a much leaner ship.  Also with the transformation comes a more realistic goal on their future performance.

History:  Alibaba launched its B2B eCommerce site, Alibaba.com, in the U.S. three years ago and set a goal of adding 1 million local businesses and global reach, but the company has fallen short of those targets in the ensuing years, the report said, citing three people familiar with the operations.

The majority of U.S. sellers cancel their subscriptions after a year, past and current employees said in the report. One person said Alibaba.com is now looking to sign up 2,000 small U.S. businesses per year rather than the 1 million goal.

Read on to see how the efforts of Alibaba to rival Amazon are falling a bit short.

How to Bet On People Who Are Originals (video)

Luxury Brand Dior Faces Heat from China's Internet

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Luxury brand Dior faces heat from China's internet—this time for basing the design of a pleated skirt that closely resembles a traditional garment – a Chinese horse face skirt (e.g., off of Etsy) dating to the Song and the Ming dynasty.

The skirt in question made its debut on the runways of Seoul in April this year. In the post-show notes, artistic director of Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri, said the collection was inspired by school uniforms and aimed to pay tribute to Catherine, Christian Dior’s sister. “Maria Grazia Chiuri became interested in school outfits and, above all, in the way students dust off, revamp and update the tropes of these garments, personalizing them with distinctive details, verging on punk overtones, before venturing through urban landscapes in search of spaces of freedom,” an excerpt from the show notes read.

It is what it is.  Is anything ever really new anymore except for Apple's innovations :-).

Today in Global Small Business: Indiana, the New Startup Capital

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

• Indiana, the land of startups.  Yes, you read that right.
• Tech workers want to stay home, especially in San Francisco.
• Governments of the United States of America and the 17 partner economies on the occasion of the Supply Chain Ministerial Forum says, "The shocks to global supply chains from pandemics, wars and conflicts, extreme climate impacts, and natural disasters have put in stark relief the urgent need to further strengthen supply chains, to work to reduce and end near-term disruptions, and to build long-term resilience.  This is a global challenge we intend to approach resolutely and cooperatively."
• Quote of the week:  "My father… removed from Kentucky to… Indiana, in my eighth year… It was a wild region, with many bears and other wild animals still in the woods. There I grew up… Of course when I came of age, I did not know much. Still somehow, I could read, write, and cipher… but that was all." – Abraham Lincoln
• A world that needs trade and aid.
• How SMEs can implement sustainability measures.

True Elegance

©2022 Laurel J, Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"True elegance for me is the manifestation of an independent mind." – Isabella Rossellini

Oh a Timeout For Some Good Old 70's Soul Music: Turn It On and Up!

Global Small Businesses Should Become Future Ready

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Olivier M. Schwab, Managing Director, World Economic Forum says:

SMEs - small- and medium-sized enterprises- represent about 90% of all firms globally and about 70% of employment and of GDP, according to some estimates. So at an aggregate level, these businesses play a significant role in enabling and shaping the nature of growth, innovation and sustainability of our global, regional and local economies. It's therefore essential that small businesses and medium-sized businesses are future-ready. In other words, they simultaneously are able to achieve high levels of growth, but also positive social impact.

Read more to learn what others have to say about China's household services industry, remote work, the Metaverse, digital world, nature financing, protecting biodiversity, nature, interconnected challenges, rebuilding resiliency, global supply chains, globalization, innovation for impact, learning from the past, equitable access to healthcare, technology in healthcare, global food crisis, China's dairy industry, sustainable development of energy, reducing emissions, renewal energy, China's economic outlook and investment opportunities.

Fortune Will Favor the Brave Tech Companies

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Building a presence abroad offers numerous benefits, even during times of economic difficulty. 

Opening new offices abroad can be hugely beneficial in helping companies get closer to their international customers. Having staff on the ground in the US or Latin America, for example, means US customers can deal with someone operating in the same or similar time zone to them, with the relatively short geographic distance also allowing for face-to-face meetings whenever they are needed.

When choosing where to open an international base, businesses need to be prepared to put in the work to find a location that offers a consistent supply of technical talent.

Read on to learn how fortune will favor the brave tech companies.

Create for Yourself

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"I never got a job I didn't create for myself." – Anonymous

Today in Global Small Business: Own the Next Era of Global Growth

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

• Own the next era of global growth by becoming a great leader.
• America's railroads are incredibly chaotic right now.
• A new World Business Angel Investor Forum (WBAF) ID card.  Check it out.
• Quote of the week:  "Globalization presumes sustained economic growth. Otherwise, the process loses its economic benefits and political support." – Paul Samuelson
• Exceptionally uncertain global outlook.
• G-20 finance chiefs urged focus on global recovery goals.

Study the Clouds

©2022 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Summer is the annual permission slip to be lazy. To do nothing and have it count for something. To lie in the grass and count the stars. To sit on a branch and study the clouds." – Regina Brett

Strengthening Global Small Businesses

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A total of $1 million in grant funds was awarded by the Strive Community to enterprises developing innovative, scalable solutions to strengthen small businesses' digital capabilities. 

The eight awardees are from across the globe.  Learn who they are here. 

THE Most Successful Women Entrepreneurs In the World: The Winners Are ...

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The write-up below shares the 10 Most Successful Women Entrepreneurs in the World. These businesswomen have broken multiple barriers to achieve the height they are at.

Nothing is more empowering than global women entrepreneurs. They rule the world!

Freight Rates Decline, But Not By Much

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Yes, you read that right.  Freight rates decline as demand wavers.  Shippers are trying to reset contract agreements to cut expenses, but costs remain several times higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The reduction in transportation costs is good news for manufacturers and retailers after two years of rapidly rising expenses. It also suggests the contribution of the freight sector to inflation is at least leveling off. But shippers note they are still paying several times more than they did before the Covid-19 pandemic snarled supply chains world-wide.

As one person said:  "We need to be looking at probably less than $10,000 per container to get anywhere close to the levels we were before and be competitive."

Connecting Culture Through Fashion wegginar® with LaShawn Kenley on July 13th

©2022 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®  All rights reserved.

How does she do it – go global?  Find out at our upcoming wegginar® Wednesday, July 13, 2022 at 11AM CT (free of charge thanks to our sponsors as noted in the beautiful graphic).  Listen to the great and mighty LaShawn Kenley, CEO and founder of Sun Gods LLC when she talks about "Connecting Culture Through Fashion."

Below are her expected takeaways. Have you been thinking about any or all of these things and been feeling stuck? Well get unstuck when you listen to LaShawn Kenley's journey, which includes a ton of experience in globalization.  She'll cover:

1. Learn what Bohemian Afro-Chic is.
2. How to start an e-commerce fashion business.
3. How to source fabric (domestic and international).
4. How to build an authentic brand/create a niche.
5. How to use social/digital media to create a global appearance.

To learn more and to register (free of charge), visit: https://bit.ly/3NLMXyy

See you there!

Today in Global Small Business: Is Globalization Fading?

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

• Is globalization fading and causing inflation to rage?
• Globalization could lead to protectionism, worsening inflation, and a global economic slowdown.
• A new globalization calculus.
• Quote of the week:  "Globalization is going to bring us closer and closer together across nations and technology you can't stop." – John P. Kotter
• The plateauing of globalization.
• And there's more on globalization!

Safety and Security

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"At the end of the day, the goals are simple: safety and security." – Jodi Rell

Towering Global Statesman Shinzo Abe Dies

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Former Prime Minister of Japan Abe Shinzo was shot while giving a campaign speech in the city of Nara Friday morning (Japan time).  He was rushed to the hospital, but pronounced dead later Friday.  He was 67.

World leaders expressed shock and sadness over the killing of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — a man they described as a "towering global statesman" whose legacy is one of "global impact."

Read more of this very sad and tragic moment from what leaders said around the world.  Our condolences to Abe's wife and other family members.  Abe was always working on behalf of the Japanese people for peace and stability.

Nearly 50 Years of International Dispute

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For 49 years, both Denmark and Canada have claimed ownership over a 1.3 square kilometre lump – a barren and uninhabited rock off the north-western coast of Greenland, Hans Island, which is not much to look at.

Recently, the two countries agreed to divide the tiny island between them. It’s unclear who gets to keep the half-dozen bottles of Danish schnapps and Canadian brandy that visitors left behind.

Read on to learn more about this uninhabited island and why it has caused nearly 50 years of international dispute. 

Bain Offers a Sampling of Their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Efforts

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Sustained progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) means taking a fresh look at every aspect of how Bain runs their organization. They have devoted significant resources to a wide range of local, regional, and global efforts and are testing and learning from multiple ideas, interventions, and new ways of working designed to ensure that all Bainies thrive.

The sections below offer a sample of their efforts.

• Leadership Responsibility
• Talent Pathways
• Support to Thrive
• Inclusive Leadership
• Building Community
• Agents of Change

How are you progressing in this area?   Read Bain's full report here.

USA Grieves the Tragic Event at a Parade in Highland Park, Illinois on 7/4/22

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In my [Laurel Delaney's] home state, Illinois, seven people were killed and more than two-dozen injured in the mass shooting by one individual at the Highland Park, Illinois Independence Day Parade (7/4/22).  Highland Park is known as a quaint, affluent suburb, roughly 30 miles North of Chicago.

The suspect, identified as 21-year-old Robert "Bobby" Crimo III, was taken into custody Monday night, several hours after the shooting. Investigators believe the suspect fired more than 70 rounds from the roof of a building overlooking the parade route.

There are no words to express the pain.

Global Tech Takes On the World

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Attractive startup ecosystems for top tech talent are blossoming across the globe. In the last year alone, AngelList Talent has had nearly 500K international candidates look for jobs on their platform.

If an up-and-coming ecosystem sounds like the place you want to be, check out their recommendations for hot places to work in tech in 2022.

Today in Global Small Business: Happy 4th of July to All Americans

©2022 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

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

• Happy 4th of July to all Americans.
• What does the growing opposition portend for the future of globalization?  Listen to the Harvard University podcast.
• Economic globalization after Ukraine.
• Globalization is alive, well, and changing.
• Quote of the week:  "Freedom lies in being bold." – Robert Frost
• Globalization and its cons.

Rays of Lights

©2022 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"This is my vision – what I imagine I'll pass through on my way to the light. The blue sky, the clouds, the rays of lights" – Julie Anne Peters

Use Feedback to Drive You Further

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Co-founder, Screwball Whiskey, Brittany Merrill Peng says, “Each person faces unique challenges as an entrepreneur. I have heard comments that could have gotten me down, but instead I try to use them to drive me further,” said Merrill Yeng. “I may not be able to change the world but hopefully I can change the minds of some of the people I interact with."

Female alumni, such as Merrill Yeng, have used their time at UC San Diego to inform their careers, start their own businesses and chart their own paths to success.