Celebrate Nice Moments

©2024 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Life is too short not to celebrate nice moments!" – Jurgen Klopp 

Create a Space of Your Own to Thrive in the Global Arena

©iStock/crissy2tay

Small and medium-sized businesses can compete with multinational corporations in the global space by leveraging, rather than minimizing, their size. This very difference gives small and medium-sized businesses the exact edge they need toward creating a space of their own to thrive.

Take, for example, the meteoric rise of Crumbl Cookies, which can be attributed to its agility.

The company's unique approach involves rotating its menu weekly and creating excitement among customers through platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Its limited-time cookie options and social media presence have turned Crumbl Cookies into a viral sensation, with fans posting mouthwatering photos and videos, further amplifying brand awareness. If Crumbl Cookies only sold the same six cookie flavors at all times, as larger companies typically do, it would not have found such success.

Read the entire article, here, covering how small and medium-sized businesses can compete with multinationals in the global arena.

Bitcoin or Gold? What's Your Preference?

©iStock/bodnarchuk

Interest in “gold isn’t based off the supply and demand of jewelry,” billionaire investor Mark Cuban said last week during an interview with Wired. “People see it as an option in the event of the economy going down or something bad happening.”

Though bitcoin is among the newest forms of currency, he goes on to say that many investors treat it like one of the oldest: gold.

What's your preference?  Bitcoin or gold?  Read on to learn how bitcoin and gold can work as stores of value.

No More Third-Party Fact-Checking Organizations for Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg

©iStock/zimmytws

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced today, 1/7/25 that the social media company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, would stop working with third-party fact-checking organizations.  Repeating talking points long used by President-elect Donald Trump and his allies, in a video Zuckerberg said the company's content moderation approach resulted too often in "censorship".

Well we can kiss censorship goodbye folks.  Anything goes now.  We are prioritizing free speech - any speech.  

Rieva Lesonsky: 7 Leaders Predict Small Business Trends for 2025

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How do you keep up in this fast-paced world? To help you stay ahead of the curve, my esteemed colleague, long-time small business journalist and small business advocate Rieva Lesonsky (https://smallbusinesscurrents.com/) tapped into the expertise of seasoned small business experts and leaders [I, Laurel Delaney, am lucky to be one of them] and created a series of articles to share the vital trends and actionable insights that will empower you to thrive in this ever-changing entrepreneurial world. 

I am also glad to see geopolitical risk and due diligence business expert Candice Tal, founder and CEO of Infortal Worldwide included.  No one knows risk intelligence business better than Candice.  That's why so many law firms and big financial institutions use her services.

Read the entire article here at Forbes (or at AllBusiness.com).  

To learn more about staying ahead of the curve on global trade trends, register for Laurel's free of charge Global Trade Trends Report 2025 wegginar® 1/8/25 at 11 AM CT.

Today in Global Small Business: Laurel Delaney's Global Trade Trends Report 2025 (wegginar® 1/8/25)

©Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

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

• 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).  Register here.
• 2025:  A year of logistics volatility.
• Quote of the week: “One thing we have lost, that we had in the past, is a sense of progress, that things are getting better. There is a sense of volatility, but not of progress." – Daniel Kahneman
• Top 5 risks for 2025: U.S. uncertainty, global trade war, digital attacks.
• BRICS+ and the redefinition of global trade in 2025.
• Redefining global trade and economic growth in 2025. 

We Triple-Dog-Dare You

©2024 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

The statement "We triple-dog-dare you to find a better depiction of the holidays" appears to be a reference to the famous movie "A Christmas Story" and its iconic "triple dog dare" scene.

The author of "A Christmas Story," Jean Shepherd (along with Bob Clark and Leigh Brown), was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 26, 1921, but he grew up in Hammond, Indiana.

Photo credit:  @2024 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.  Taken in Indiana 1/3/25.

Tariffs: Burdening Even Tiny Businesses With Expensive, Arduous Compliance

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Mark Cuban has warned that Trump's plan to impose sweeping tariffs on US imports would burden even tiny businesses with expensive, arduous compliance.

"I think one major point the discussion of tariffs is missing is the time and cost to businesses, even the smallest single person company," the tech billionaire said in an X post on Monday.

He goes on to say, "It's a lot of work. It's a lot of bureaucracy. It almost always required hiring a broker to deal with all of it. And of course there is the ongoing record keeping that each business is responsible for."

Why (Global) Small Business Owners Are Optimistic about 2025

Happy 2025 from the Global Small Business Blog!

©iStock/Maksim Prasolenko

"Be bold, persevere, set achievable goals, and expand globally.  When small businesses thrive, the world thrives.  Happy New Year!" – Laurel J. Delaney, creator of the Global Small Business Blog