Resolve to Be Happy

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Your success and happiness lies in you.  Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties." – Helen Keller 

Global Market Entry Strategies for 2024

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Earlier this year, Elon Musk’s Starlink expanded operations into Nigeria – Africa’s largest country. In 1990, McDonald’s explored Russia and opened its first outlet in Moscow. In 2006, Vodafone – a UK-based company – launched in Italy.  Why?

Find out here to discover how you too can enter international markets.

Splashy AI-Powered Wearable

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Humane recently announced that the AI Pin, its splashy AI-powered wearable, will start shipping in March 2024. People who placed priority orders will get their devices first, and Humane says it will ship orders based on the date of purchase, according to a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The device can pick from different AI services to respond to your queries — all without forcing you to look at a screen.

Cool but not cheap.

Female Founders: A Missed Opportunity That The World Needs to Wakeup On

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Investing in women entrepreneurs and founders is a huge opportunity that both financial and ESG strategies have historically missed. Women-led companies yield better returns on investment (ROI), generating 78 cents for every dollar of funding; male-founded startups generate just 31 cents, according to research by BCG and MassChallenge.

Women entrepreneurs are also more likely to create innovative solutions to address social needs. These impact-driven businesses grow faster [especially if they expand internationally] and make more money while solving real-world problems, a win-win on all accounts.

Women leaders, on average, hire more women, and retain talent by supporting the people on their teams and checking in on their overall well-being. At their best, women foster a culture of good intentions, empathy, acceptance, inclusiveness, and non-judgment.

Holiday Destinations the World Over

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Tokyo, India and the Caribbean are among the best places to go at Christmas — but there are plenty of destinations closer to home too.  Whatever you are looking for, you will find it here.

Merry Christmas To All!

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"May the spirit of Christmas bring you comfort, peace, love, and happiness." – Laurel J. Delaney

Peace on Earth and Goodwill To All

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  Chicago, 12/22/23.  All rights reserved.

"Season's greetings and happy holidays to all!" – Laurel J. Delaney

Love, Peace and Joy This Holiday Season

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Wishing you love, peace and joy this holiday season." – Laurel J. Delaney

How Food Globalization Serves Up the World on Your Plate

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When people hear the word “globalization” they probably think of giant container ships, wonky economic terms like “offshoring” and “trade deficit,” or geopolitical tensions and agreements. 

And, to be sure, Cato’s Defending Globalization project covers all of that stuff and more. Yet, as Cato explains in a new essay for the project, there may be no better symbol of real globalization—and its many benefits—than the restaurant down the street. 

How to Make the Biggest Impact Based on Cultural Norms

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Adeola Adewusi credits his “cultural dexterity” to living and working on five continents. 

The senior HR director, Americas at Stanley Black & Decker told HR Brew it has served him well as a people professional because he “can understand the dynamic of a particular culture and what’s important to them.” 

With Stanley Black & Decker, Adewusi oversees about 2,500 employees along the supply chain in nearly a dozen countries. All of Adewusi’s work on HR policies and programs and how he leads is informed by his cultural competencies, and it’s important to him that HR professionals don’t forget the human connections that make the function so special.

Oh the Power of Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® (video)

Today in Global Small Business: Top Books 2023 From Foreign Affairs' Reviewers

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

• The best of books 2023 from Foreign Affairs' reviewers.
• NFL's global expansion plan.
• Thai-based Minor Hotels made a global splash in 2018 and it plans to keep growing in whatever way it can.
• Quote of the week: "Today a reader, tomorrow a leader." – Margaret Fuller
• Solutions for avoiding freight congestion at the U.S.-Mexico border.
• Priorities for an early stage AI strategy.

Oh! Like a Wreath

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Oh! like a wreath, let Christmas mirth To-day encircle all the earth, And bind the nations with the love That Jesus brought from heaven above." – Maud Lindsay

Best Classical Music 2023

Outlook for Worldwide eCommerce Sales in 2023 and Beyond

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What is the outlook for worldwide and country-by-country retail and ecommerce sales in 2023 and beyond?

Worldwide retail and ecommerce sales will see a decent rebound for digital sales and a slow deceleration for overall retail this year. Most national markets are also returning to normalcy, but a great deal of country-by-country variance remains.

What's next?

What Role Does Digitization Play in Global Expansion?

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Apurva Palnitkar, Senior Director Marketing, GoDaddy India says that in today's technology-driven world, the adoption of digital tools and strategies has become paramount for small businesses seeking to thrive and expand their presence beyond local boundaries.

SMEs are successfully integrating digital tools into their operations in order to gain competitive edge, improve efficiency, reach a wider customer base, and most importantly in order to go global more effectively. 

Discover the few advantages of going digital as a global SME and make sure to assess your needs, budget, and resources when selecting and implementing digital tools to ensure they align with your business goals. 

Who Are the Top eCommerce Companies in USA?

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The US is considered the world's most developed market for online shopping and is a global standard for eCommerce. The eCommerce segment accounts for over $1 trillion in annual retail sales in the US, or 13% of the total retail industry and $5 trillion globally.

Here's a list of the top eCommerce companies in the US in terms of web sales. 

Today in Global Small Business: The New ChatGPT Challenger

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

• The new ChatGPT challenger.
• Meta launches new AI tools for Facebook.
• The future of AI through the lens of the recent OpenAI debacle.
• Quote of the week:  "No one technology [OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard] has ever surpassed everything else."– iRobot co-founder Rodney Brooks
• The promise and potential pitfalls of increasingly powerful AI tools.
• The North star for the future of AI (requires subscription).

Hope for the World

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"[Christmas] means not just hope for the world, despite all its unending problems, but hope for you and me, despite all our unending failings.” ― Tim Keller

Christmas Playlist To Put You In the Mood for the Holidays

Moving From the 'Take-Make-Use-Waste' Model to an Efficient Circular Economy

©iStock/Chavapong Prateep Na Thalang

The circular economy is pivotal for achieving climate and sustainable development goals and must be included in the COP28 outcomes. 

With this paper, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), on behalf of the global business community, underscores the importance to move from the 'take-make-use-waste' model to a sustainable, resource-efficient circular economy.

A Recalculation of Globalization

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The current interconnected global economic system just isn't working, some economists say. They are calling for a recalculation of globalization, and what it means to be wealthy, independent, and secure.

Globalization has had a rough time lately. Worldwide, just-in-time supply chains suffered under stiff tariffs. COVID-19 shutdowns and travel restrictions caused further distress. Now, the war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russian companies are making matters even worse. Inflation and price increases have made energy and food more expensive. Ordinary customers, especially the poor, are suffering.

Does Germany in particular have to rethink globalization?

Gnara: Innovative Solutions to Apparel Problems For Active Women (wegginar® 12/6)

©2023 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

Pee zipper?  What's that?  Find out 12/6 at 11 AM CT at the next wegginar®, "Building and Scaling a Global IP-Protected Brand," with co-founders of Gnara, Georgia Grace Edwards and Charlotte Massey.

Let's discuss the cool factor about each of the co-founders.

Georgia Grace (GG) Edwards is the CEO and Co-Founder of Gnara, a venture capital-backed, Colorado-based startup whose mission is to help everyone answer nature’s call – quite literally. GG got the idea for the GoFly – Gnara’s internationally patented zipper technology – while working as a glacier guide in Alaska. Prototyped from her college dorm room, the GoFly can now be found in Gnara apparel on the floors of the largest retailers in North America, including Moosejaw Mountaineering, Title Nine, and REI. GG grew up in the Appalachian Mountains and brings experience as a Fulbright Fellow, Wild Gift Fellow, Futurist Project Fellow, economic consultant, and TEDxTalk speaker. 

Charlotte Massey is the Co-Founder and COO of Gnara Inc, an award-winning apparel and zipper technology brand making the outdoors more accessible through internationally patented pee zipper designs. Gnara won the 2022 and 2023 Outdoor Retailer Innovation Awards, $100,000 MassChallenge Diamond Award, and Women’s Health Fitness Awards. Charlotte is a Tory Burch Fellow and Thomas J Watson Fellow with a professional background in digital marketing and community organizing. Charlotte grew up mountaineering in Washington and has been part of expeditions to high peaks around the world, including Argentina’s Acongaua. She was named 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 Local Seattle.

Beyond learning what a pee zipper is, here's what else you will discover during the wegginar:

• How to decide if IP is right for you
• Navigation of global trademarks and patents through the IP process
• How to go from granted to garnering licensing interest

Join the wegg® team and GG and Charlotte on Wednesday, December 6th at 11 AM to stay in the know about Gnara and what it takes to build and scale a global IP-protected brand.  Free of charge I might add!  Yes! 

To learn more and to register, visit here.

Today in Global Small Business: Navigating Global Divergencies

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

• Navigating global divergencies.
• Global growth to slow in 2024.
• Banks predict slower growth for global economy in 2024.
• Quote of the week:  "Only those who will risk going too far can find out how far one can go." – T.S. Eliot
  
• Prepare for stalling or divergent global growth in 2024.
• Finding pockets of growth in fashion as uncertainty reigns.

Weather in Ireland

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"We may have bad weather in Ireland, but the sun shines in the hearts of the people and that keeps us all warm.” – Marianne Williamson

Innovation Capability Has a Positive Impact on International Expansion for Global SMEs

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According to the research paper, "Pace of innovation and speed of small and medium-sized enterprise international expansion, there is compelling evidence that innovation capability has a positive impact on the international expansion of SMEs.

Unsurprisingly, the relevant literature displays an increasing interest in SME innovation activities and how they influence a firm’s international activities. Hitherto, research has focused on the earliness of entry into a foreign market. For example, the literature on born globals argues that SMEs with innovative products internationalize soon after their inception to benefit from opportunities emerging before competitors enter the same markets.

The authors go on to say that SMEs with a greater propensity to innovate by introducing new products and processes tend to internationalize in a wider range of foreign markets. This extensive internationalization in turn, allows these firms to gain new insights from diverse foreign markets, in turn improving their technological learning and innovation capabilities.

Read the entire research paper:  "Pace of innovation and speed of small and medium-sized enterprise international expansion."

Don't Even Think About Abandoning Globalization (Podcast)

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Discover what the world risks if it abandons globalization.  A conversation with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala over at Foreign Affairs.

Songs For the Holidays (Music Video)

Big Global Ambitions: TikTok, Temu and Shein

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China has been “the world’s factory” for decades, with made-in-China goods reaching global consumers through foreign brands, shops, or sites like Amazon. And the country has had a vibrant domestic e-commerce sector, with companies like Alibaba and JD.com growing into juggernauts.

Now see how Chinese e-commerce platforms like Shein, Temu, and TikTok Shop are causing a stir and going global with big ambitions. 

Today in Global Small Business: Betting on a Lifestyle Brand to Go Global

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

• The Italian Made in Italy apparel and accessory brand Vicario Cinque is ready to further expand globally through a series of strategies in-keeping with its own identity, expertise, love for the environment, quality, savoir-faire.  It's a bet on a lifestyle brand.
• A triple-shot reinvention strategy with multiple paths for long-term [global] growth.
• Full-blown gym Everlast plans for global expansion.
• Quote of the week:  "My guiding principle is that prosperity can be shared. We can create wealth together. The global economy is not a zero-sum game." – Julia Gillard
  
• Global economic growth will slow in 2024, say banks.
• A different perspective than from above says that the global economy will perform better than many expect in 2024.

Speak Your Mind

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Speak your mind even if your voice shakes." –  Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Lessons Learned About Gratitude

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This is the perfect time of year to practice gratitude.  Jessica Stallman, contributor for Inc.com, looks back at surveys, studies, and personal anecdotes she's dug through, and questions what she has learned about gratitude and how it impacts our brains, our emotions, and our teams. 

Are some forms of gratitude more effective than others, for instance?  What are the big, headline takeaways about gratitude she wishes everyone understood post Thanksgiving? 

Read on to discover Jessica's insights.

On a related note, thank you all for your readership.  Grateful.

From Our House to Yours, Happy Thanksgiving

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Why Ireland Matters for Security Reasons

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Against the background of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and changes in the global security environment, Ireland is undertaking a much-needed national debate on security policy.

Ireland has real maritime and cyber vulnerabilities that could have important impacts beyond the country. The EU, NATO, and other European states need to work with Ireland in addressing these threats.

Find out why Ireland matters for European security.

AI Translation Software and Tools

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Before diving into AI translation software and tools, it’s important to define machine translation. The automated conversion of one language to another, machine translation works by converting text from a source language and producing the equivalent in the target language.

Many translation services combine machine translations with human support to ensure the translation is specific to the target location. This also allows the content to use specific expressions, social references, and more. 

Here are some AI translation software and tools on the market.  

Today in Global Small Business: China, the New Globalization and Its Ongoing Transition

 

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

• China, the new globalization and its ongoing transition.
• Is the U.S. trying try to shape a “new economic world order” around protecting workers?
• What is the Global South?
• Quote of the week:  “Globalisation has made us more vulnerable. It creates a world without borders, and makes us painfully aware of the limitations of our present instruments, and of politics, to meet its challenges." – Anna Lindh
• What comes after globalization?
• A look at re-globalization for a secure, inclusive and sustainable future.

A Chance to Chill

©2023 Laurel Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"A holiday is an opportunity to journey within. It is also a chance to chill, to relax. It is when I switch on my rest mode." –  Prabhas 

Small Global Companies Are Hidden Champions

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Smaller technology companies are Europe’s “hidden champions” that need to be connected to develop alternative solutions to the big tech companies, Secretary General of the European DIGITAL SME Alliance Sebastiano Toffaletti told Euractiv.

For Toffaletti, there is a misconception that everything is owned and invented by Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and other Big Tech companies. But “the reality is that, if not all but many of the innovations do not come from those companies.  

Read on to learn how Europe has thousands of hidden champions, smaller companies, which are at the top of innovation in their small niches.  Something you can achieve too whether you are located in Europe, USA or Latin America. for example.

Build a Reputation Beyond Your Local Market

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Labels that get their start outside of major fashion hubs are leveraging their local identities and a strategic approach to wholesale to gain international followings.

Key insights:

• Brands outside of cities like Paris and New York often struggle to build a reputation beyond their local markets.
• Post-pandemic digitalisation, including the proliferation of Zoom and online shopping, has made it easier for designers to reach buyers, VIP clients and other tastemakers.
• Other effective strategies include targeting influential wholesale accounts and building a strong social media presence.

Learn how regional brands go global (full article requires payment).

Own the Change

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Business leaders know that it’s one thing to have an idea that works and can produce results, and quite another matter to get that idea adopted at a scale so that it can create impact. 

By empowering people to achieve their own goals, leaders can overcome great skepticism—and achieve great results. What worked for cookstoves in Guatemala can work for corporate cloud adoption.

Want people to embrace transformation?  Allow them to own the change.

Globalization Puts The World On Your Plate

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Want an example of how globalization puts the world on your plate?

When people hear the word “globalization” they probably think of giant container ships, wonky economic terms like “offshoring” and “trade deficit,” or geopolitical tensions and agreements. And, to be sure, Cato’s Defending Globalization project covers all of that stuff and more. Yet, as we explain in a new essay for the project, there may be no better symbol of real globalization—and its many benefits—than the restaurant down the street.

Access the essay here.

Today in Global Small Business: Changing How We See The World

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

• Changing how we see the world in all its beauty and bizarreness.
• Kylie Jenner:  from successful global beauty empire to soon to be fashion empire.
• Globalization is a funny thing, and McDonald’s today is a many-tentacled entity that morphs to fit the politics of the moment and the regions that franchises operate in.
• Quote of the week:  “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." – Archimedes
• Birkenstock has gotta get the growth after its IPO so China it is.
• Tory Burch has redefined American preppy with a global point of view, so it makes sense that her eponymous brand is now focused on expanding its global footprint.

The Bird Is Powered By Its Own Life

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"The bird is powered by its own life and by its motivation." –  A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

SMBs Level Up with AI

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November 2022 marked a mainstream shift in the release and adoption of various generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools and products. ChatGPT became the buzzword in the world’s boardrooms, on social media and at dinner parties, ushering in an AI divide, where a segment of the population fully embraced this technology, another was wary, and everyone else unsure.

As Sasan Goodarzi, president and CEO of Intuit, puts it, “AI presents the next tectonic shift in technology and will be the greatest driver of innovation since electricity and the internet—and generative AI is transforming the way humans interact with computers.” 

GenAI has democratized access to this information, and by using this technology, small businesses now have a resource that provides them with precise information collected from vast amounts of data that they can use to propel their business forward.

Global small business is the lifeblood of most economies, and as technology evolves, SMB’s need to become more competitive in order to drive growth in a digitally enabled landscape.  AI might just take them there.

Magical Morning To You (Jazz Music)

Collaboration Across Borders (Online Course)

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Gain the tools to set your global virtual teams up for success as you work through the weekly modules of this free online program offered by Yale School of Management (SOM) Executive Education. 

Guided by Program Convener Amy Wrzesniewski, an expert in how people experience work and make meaning of their work in challenging contexts, you’ll focus on the opportunities and challenges that global, virtual teams present. 

Here's the curriculum:

1. Orientation
2. Welcome to your Online Campus 
3. Designing teams and processes for virtual work 
4. Decision-making in virtual contexts 
5. Collaboration across borders
6. Power dynamics in global virtual teams
7. Creating connection and working sustainably
8. Working as a global virtual team

To register and learn more, visit here.

To Achieve Positive Export and Import Growth, We Must Remain Vigilant

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Economic impacts on global trade date back a few years, suggests Anthony Landry, a Wharton adjunct full professor of finance and deputy vice dean of the Wharton MBA program. “Until COVID, I would say that global trade was an efficient way in which companies, especially multinationals, were expanding,” says Landry, who specializes in macroeconomics and has worked as a senior economist and economic policy advisor. 

While the current trade slowdown may threaten the living standards of people around the world, a rebound is expected. Said WTO chief economist Ralph Ossa: “Positive export and import volume growth should resume in 2024, but we must remain vigilant.” 

Read more here.

Today in Global Small Business: Is Globalization In Decline?

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

• Is globalization in decline?
• Are you an American solipsist, blaming U.S. leaders for everything bad that happens in the world, denying foreigners any agency?
• Israeli-hostage families fear abandonment.
• Quote of the week:  “It is true that we have won all our wars, but we have paid for them.” – Golda Meir
• Why Israel must fight on (requires subscription).
• Bernie Sanders rejects calls to cease fire in Gaza.

Polish Independence Day Race in Chicago 10/29/23

The U.S. Economy's Vulnerabilities

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America’s smallest companies tell us a lot about the economy’s vulnerabilities. So far, they have been resilient in the face of rising borrowing costs.

Recession watchers should be careful about jumping to conclusions over the rise in small-business bankruptcy activity. 

Smaller firms' exposure to variable-rate debt may well make them a leading indicator for the American economy, but so far they're mostly sending a message of resilience. And that may well mean that the US economy can continue to stay afloat as well.

Read the entire article here.

The Beatles – Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song (Short Film)

IP Assets Are the Heart of a Tech Company's Competitive Advantage

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It goes without saying that intellectual property assets are the heart of a tech company's competitive advantage. So, you have to value them accurately to make informed decisions during global expansion.

Before scaling, you need to conduct a thorough IP audit first. By assessing the strength, uniqueness, and market potential of your IP assets, you can determine your value in a global marketplace. This should include, for example, new product designs, manufacturing equipment, and process recipes for making your new products.

The bottom line in any such analysis is to determine the financial benefits that your IP assets are expected to deliver to a new venture that you may license or otherwise partner with. 

As young tech companies set their sights on global expansion, the wisdom and guidance of an experienced IP investor can make all the difference.

Some Like It Hot and So Does wegg® at Its Next wegginar® 11/1/23

©2023 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

We 🧡 Stacy Moritz, the owner of the Secret Aardvark Trading Company because she has a great sense of humor and knows a ton about exporting.  And her products are hot, too (they kick you in the mouth as her company claims)!  

We can't wait to hear her wegginar presentation on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 at 11 AM CT on: "Exporting: Is It Just a Way to Get Free Travel?" – https://bit.ly/45cTavP.

In her wegginar, you will learn whether exporting is just a way to get free travel 😉 and ...

• How to do your research for global exporting
• The importance of running and embracing the numbers – metrics matter!
• How to be agile in an ever-changing market 

Please join us! To learn more, connect with others, and grow your business to the next level via global expansion, register here:  https://bit.ly/45cTavP

See you there!

Powered by: Associated Bank, FedEx, Bluedog Design, 1706 Advisors, and Union Pacific 

Today in Global Small Business: The History of Halloween 2023

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

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

• The history of Halloween.
• Spooky Halloween traditions around the world.
• Halloween is gathering popularity around the world.
• Quote of the week:  "It's Halloween; everyone's entitled to one good scare." – Brackett, Halloween
• There's so much to talk about regarding Halloween.
• Halloween 2023:  unique traditions from around the world.

Really Takes Center Stage

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"One element of Madonna's career that really takes center stage is how many times she's reinvented herself. It's easier to stay in one look, one comfort zone, one musical style. It's inspiring to see someone whose only predictable quality is being unpredictable." – Taylor Swift

Defending Globalization

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The Cato Institute has published three new essays for Cato’s Defending Globalization project:

1. Globalization and Growing Global Equality
2. The Reality of American “Deindustrialization”
3. Globalization Has Propelled India to Prosperity

To access them all, visit here.

The Breakout Year for Generative AI

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On the current state of AI, the latest annual McKinsey Global Survey confirms the explosive growth of generative AI (gen AI) tools. Less than a year after many of these tools debuted, one-third of their survey respondents say their organizations are using gen AI regularly in at least one business function. 

The expected business disruption from gen AI is significant, and respondents predict meaningful changes to their workforces.