Auld Lang Syne by Mariah Carey (Goodbye 2024)

Today in Global Small Business: The New Year (2025) Edition

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

• Boost your productivity in 2025.
• Poise your global business for growth in 2025 by attending Laurel Delaney's Global Trade Trends Report 2025 wegginar® on 1/8/25 (free of charge and learn what's important as you navigate the new global landscape).
• Quote of the week: “I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past." – Thomas Jefferson 
• Ways to make 2025 a year of positive change.
• Why you don't need to reinvent yourself in the new year (for young creatives).
• Make 2025 the year you go BIG!

Sparkle

©2024 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Sparkle is the secret ingredient for a magical New Year." – Unknown source

From a $4K Investment into a Multimillion-Dollar Brand

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After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Cofounders Heather Aiu and Rachael Leinaʻala Soares launched Aloha Collection to produce Hawaii inspired waterproof bags with each contributing $2,000 of their own money.

The Kickstarter campaign helped them secure their first customers and distributors. Today, their company is a multimillion-dollar brand with retail stores in Hawaii, California, and at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Here’s how they turned that initial $4,000 investment into a business that lets them live a dream lifestyle. 

Great Minds Don't Think Alike

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Adam Grant believes that great minds don’t think alike—they challenge each other to think differently. His weekly show explores new thoughts and new ways of thinking – from revealing hidden potential, to the future of creativity, to understanding the pendulum swing of global power.  Check it out here. 

Merry Christmas From the Global Global Small Business Blog

©2024 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Laurel Delaney's Global Trade Trends Report 2025 (wegginar® 1/8/25)

©2024 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

Register now to listen to Laurel Delaney's Global Trade Trends Report 2025 LIVE on 1/8/25.  Free of charge thanks to wegg®'s generous sponsors:  FedEx, Associated Bank, Luxlined™, APCO, VISA, FLOMO, RBC Wealth Management and Global Care Clinical Trials.

Today in Global Small Business: The Holiday Edition

©2024 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

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

• Why churches should celebrate Christmas all year.
• Facts about Christmas.
• Quote of the week: “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” – Luke 2:10
• Christmas is magical.
• The need for joy and gratitude all year long.
• Christmas activities for that festive feeling in 2024.
• Merry Christmas and Happy 2025 to all!

Believe

©Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Christmas magic is silent. You don't hear it — you feel it, you know it, you believe it.” – A Charlie Brown Christmas

Serious Joy

©2024 Laurel J. Delaney photo.  All rights reserved.

A Knuckleball of Uncertainty in 2025

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Right now, the stock market is full of contradictions as investors navigate the final inning of what’s been a stellar year.  But things are getting weird.  Stocks are struggling.  Big tech's impressive gains explains the mixed messages.  The bond market joined the crazy party later.

Taken altogether, as Barron's says, the contradictions create a knuckleball of uncertainty in 2025.

Celebrating Successes and Happy Holidays at Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®

©2024 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

To learn more about Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® and the team behind wegg®, visit: https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/about/board-of-directors-and-team/.  

The De Minimis Rule is a Cornerstone of Small Business Success Globally

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The de minimis rule is a cornerstone of small-business success globally. It allows goods valued under $800 to enter the U.S. with minimal customs paperwork, no need for a broker and streamlined processing.

For small businesses, this simplified process is a lifeline. It makes global trade possible and helps businesses manage their supply chains without excessive regulation and cost. The potential removal de minimis will hurt small businesses and ultimately hurt customers.

The questions also becomes how does the de minimus rule help the SHEIN's and TEMU's of the world?

Read on because there are pros and cons.

Today in Global Small Business: Global Supply Chain Trends to Watch in 2025

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

• Global supply chain trends to watch in 2025.
• Tariff discussions in health care and life sciences industries stoke global supply chain concerns.
• Quote of the week: "What gets measured gets improved.” – Peter Drucker
• Suppliers adopt ‘power of two’ to combat global supply chain disruptions.
• Trump’s tariffs could spark price hikes, supply chain disruptions, experts say.
• Will AI reboot supply chains?

Turn Your Life Around

©2024 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.” Gerald Good

Global Trends in Government Innovation 2024 (Released 12/16/24)

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The report, Global Trends in Government Innovation 2024, analyzes nearly 800 case studies from 83 countries and identifies five critical trends in government innovation that are reshaping public services.

The report will be released December 16, 2024.  Check back here. Abstract available now here.

Boost Your Spirits: Oldies But Goodies Holiday Songs (Music Video)

Discover U.S. Trade By Product

©iStock/AmyLaughinghouse

Discover interactive dashboards and infographics providing data on U.S. goods trade at the national, state and metropolitan area levels.  In addition, see product-specific import and export trends and insights on U.S. by partner countries. 

Global Supply Chain Leader's Biggest Concerns in 2025

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Descartes Systems Group released findings from its 2024 Supply Chain Intelligence Report: Escalating Challenges for Global Supply Chain Leaders survey, which examined the most significant global trade challenges facing logistics and supply chain leaders today. The study showed that 48% of respondents identified rising tariffs and trade barriers as their top concern, closely followed by supply chain disruptions at 45% and geopolitical instability at 41%. 

Tariffs and trade barriers ranked as the priority issue regardless of company size.

Today in Global Small Business: What Do Most Extraordinary Global Business Leaders Have in Common?

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

• What do most extraordinary global business leaders have in common?
• Economic threats top global business leaders' risk concerns.
• Quote of the week: “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." – Steve Jobs
• Mastering cross-border regulatory compliance in global business.
• Will Trump's dollar diplomacy roil global trade?
• Global trade update (December 2024) – UNCTAD.

The Christmas Tree Goes Up

©2024 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"The Christmas tree goes up on December 1.  I love it." – Richard E. Grant

[Photo by Laurel J. Delaney, taken on 12/6/24, downtown Chicago.]

Is Canada Throwing Mexico Under the Bus?

©iStock/AlexLMX

Trump recently threatened he would impose a blanket 25% tariff on both Canada and Mexico when he takes office in January unless they secured their shared borders with the US. 

That said, Canada is being accused of throwing Mexico under the bus amid a tariff threat ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's second term in the White House.

Canadian officials were quick to distance their country's border issues from those of Mexico, arguing that drug smuggling and unlawful crossings at the southern border were much higher, and that Mexico was serving as a "back door" in North America for Chinese investment.

Those remarks have not gone unnoticed in Mexico.

Are You Business Ready Globally?

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The World Bank Group's Business Ready (B-READY) 2024 report introduces a rich dataset that benchmarks the business environment in 50 economies.

B-READY provides a comprehensive data set and description of the factors that strengthen the private sector, not only by advancing the interests of individual firms but also by elevating the interests of workers, consumers, potential new enterprises, and the natural environment.

This 2024 report introduces a new analytical framework that benchmarks economies based on three pillars: Regulatory Framework, Public Services, and Operational Efficiency.

To learn more, visit here and to download the report, visit here.

Threats Galore by Trump

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The new US Administration (Trump) has thrown out every imaginable threat to the world – from huge tariff increases, to enacting new trade barriers, to the latest BRICS (block of nine countries) tariffs.

I’ve [Laurel Delaney] curated 7 important updates for you.  Some are better than others.  Check them all out to stay ahead of the game.

AI For Impact with Anna Schiller, Director of Trilligent (wegginar® 12/4/24)

 

©2024 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

Want to make a serious impact leveraging AI?  Then this wegginar® is for you. wegg's expert presenter Anna Schiller, Director of Trilligent specializes in client relationships, new business and strategic development across Europe. She will be presenting a wegginar on, "AI For Impact: Elevate Your Brand and Drive Growth," on Wednesday, December 4th at 11 AM CT (https://bit.ly/3Cge5VX).

Here's what she will cover + more:

🌏  Leverage AI to increase brand awareness

🌎  Get yourself talked about

🌍  Stay on top of trends in your industry

🌏  Don’t be afraid to experiment Prompt engineering tips

About Anna:

Anna Schiller is Director for Trilligent Germany, based in Berlin. She specializes in client relationships, new business and strategic development across Europe.

She previously worked for S&P Global in London doing political risk analysis for DACH and the UK as well as advising on tech regulation. At Meta, she worked on trust and safety including elections integrity and the implementation of anti-hate speech regulation, as well as working with public policy and comms.

Before this, she ran press and PR at the Goethe-Institut in London.

Anna holds a master’s in International Relations from King’s College London and a BA in Psychology and International Relations.

Bring your questions (wegg will conduct a LIVE Q&A at the end of the presentation) and prepare to learn what it takes to elevate your brand and drive growth.

To learn more and to register (free of charge) thanks to wegg sponsors noted below, visit: https://bit.ly/3Cge5VX.

Brought to you by Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® and powered by APCO, Associated Bank, FedEx, FLOMO/Nygala Corp., LuxLined™, RBC Wealth Management and VISA.

Today in Global Small Business: The Global Impact of Tariffs

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

• The global impact of Trump tariffs.
• Global supply chain connectivity remains high, according to a Chinese report.
• Quote of the week: “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” – Mark Twain.
• Top concern of global supply chain leaders:  tariffs and trade barriers.
• Reshaping global supply chains, strategies for resilience.
• Graphic analysis of global supply chains.