Riding off yesterday's post, "The Importance of Small Businesses Exporting," and questioning U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke's example of Caterpillar Inc. as a successful small business exporter, you must read this article by Emilia Istrate for The New Republic:
Why do I feel like the whole world is catching up to us on the importance of entrepreneurs and small businesses taking their business global?
Take this special report on America's economy entitled, "Export or Die," published by The Economist (3/31/10). It drives home the point that with demand dwindling or in some instances totally disappearing on a local level, American firms are looking abroad to grow their business.
A quick snippet from the report:
More American companies will have to look abroad. They are the least likely to export out of 15 big economies, according to the National Association of Manufacturers, a trade group. Matthew Slaughter of Dartmouth College notes that only 4% of all American firms and 15% of American manufacturers do any exporting at all. And 80% of America’s total trade is conducted by just 1% of firms that export or import. This does not mean there is something wrong with American firms.Let me take you back in time (2004), when I wrote a manifesto for ChangeThis.com -- that has been read more than 16,000 times by folks interested in international trade -- called "Global Guru: Shaking Things Up. Making Things Happen." One of my key quotes within it was:
There's Doctors Without Borders, Teachers Without Borders and Scientists Without Borders, to name just a few of the many borderless initiatives that exist. Why there's even Mothers Without Borders! And of course, there's us: SMBs that operate without borders.
But did you know? There are lawyers that see a borderless world when it comes to offering free, or pro bono, work on global legal troubles. Guess what they are called? Lawyers Without Borders.
Read about this new twist here.
Photo credit: Peter Max "Without Borders" painting
Posted by: Global Small Business
On February 9th, I served as a panelist for the San Francisco-based SMB Summit, "How Businesses Can Capitalize on the Rebounding Economy," that was hosted by Verio and Inc. Magazine and for private-company CEOs, business owners, and Inc. 500|5000 alumni. It was a great experience to share insights with other leading experts in the SMB sphere, including:
Q: Let’s start by addressing the 800-pound gorilla in the room: Is the economy rebounding? Tell us if you’ve seen some glimmers of recovery; how are you reading the tea leaves?Read the entire piece here.
My response: Not really, although I find it hard to imagine it getting any worse. We are at rock bottom so the only way is up. Nothing, other than the “tech” industry, tells me there’s a rebound. What I mean by that is Cisco (Cisco Chairman and CEO John Chambers indicated, “This is one of the most robust positive turnarounds I’ve seen in my career”), Microsoft, IBM, Apple, NetSuite and Google all reported stunning profit results for the last quarter of 2009, which means SMB owners might be getting more tech savvy in preparation for a slow recovery. But let’s face it, money is not just tight. There is no money for growth unless you are running an established business with a wildly successful track record. That’s scary for people who have insanely great ideas and can’t get them funded. The good news for SMB owners who are tinkering with the notion of taking their business global is that our commerce secretary, Gary Locke, pledged $6 billion a year in export financing for USA small businesses through the Export-Import Bank of the United States.
Aside from all this, the only real sign I am seeing with SMB owners related to recovery is ...
I just returned from Lyon, France to participate in my first International Board of Advisors meeting for the World Entrepreneurship Forum. It was a productive gathering! At this time, I wish to report out on the many new initiatives launched by the three-year-old World Entrepreneurship Forum.
Let's start with identifying the "who's who" on the newly appointed IBOA and work our way through four other fabulous creations that are taking place within the Forum:
1. International Board of Advisors for the World Entrepreneurship Forum
Pictured above from left to right: Yves-Henri Robillard, Director of the World Entrepreneurship Forum; Harold Celms, Director of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia in France; Geneviève Morand, Founder, Rezonance, Switzerland ; Jack Sim, Founder, World Toilet Organization, Singapore; Jean-Luc Decornoy, Chairman of the Board of KPMG S.A., France; Patrick Molle, President of EMLYON Business School, France; Zoltan Acs, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Public Policy, George Mason University, USA; Laurel Delaney, Founder, GlobeTrade, U.S.A.; Agarwal Nikhil, Director, Europe Asia Business School (EABS), India; Steve Strauss, Founder, MrAllBiz, U.S.A.
Not pictured (Board members who were unable to attend meeting): Inderjit Singh, member of Parliament of Singapore, Nyokabi Njuguna, Founder & CEO, Marketing Strategies & Solutions, Kenya and Kah Walla, Founder & Director, Strategies, Cameroon.
2. New logo -- new identity for the World Entrepreneurship Forum
We are delighted to unveil our new look (as shown above) that reflects a contemporary, clean and crisp design -- in line with our international reputation.
Here's the back story on what the logo symbolizes: The two crossed rings, symbols of the two faces of the earth, illustrate the global reach and strong dualities that give soul to the World Entrepreneurship Forum: Wealth & Social justice, Economic & Social, Sharing & Meeting. The new identity will serve numerous purposes for the World Entrepreneurship Forum. Watch for the many different facets of the logo as we launch a plethora of new initiatives.
Note: If you click on the Board photo, you will see that we did a good job conveying our new logo with our pose -- all interconnected through our arms (linkage) and our hands!
3. Creation of the first "World Entrepreneurship Centres"
Argentina and Singapore are the first countries where regional chapters of the World Entrepreneurship Forum will be created. These chapters, directed locally by members of the think tank, will gather throughout the year with local entrepreneurs and decision-makers who will debate global issues relative to their vision and experience of the local reality. These centres will be identification branches, observe best practices and will feed the debates carried out on a global level.
4. Publication of White Paper, synthesis of the conclusions of the 2009 edition of the World Entrepreneurship Forum
This first White Paper, “How can governments support the development of the entrepreneurship?," is the official synthesis of the 2nd edition of the World Entrepreneurship Forum which was held in Lyon in November 2009 and gathered together 80 personalities of 40 different countries, selected for their entrepreneurial success and their contribution to the society. The White Paper will be distributed globally to entrepreneurs, governments, decision-makers and media in order to promote policies to support types of entrepreneurship that gave results in various countries.
To access the White Paper, please visit: http://www.world-entrepreneurship-forum.com
5. Five Junior Forums in 2010
The Junior Forums, organized from June 28-July 2, aim at preparing the exchanges of the World Entrepreneurship Forum. These Junior Forums are organized by and for students, the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. Five countries will organize Junior Forums in 2010: China (Shanghai), Singapore, India (Pune, the biggest student city in the country), Morocco, and France (Lyon). The organizing students will invite personalities from the field of entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, from governments and the academic world to exchange ideas on the topics of the World Entrepreneurship Forum, and share their own recommendations.
The third edition of the World Entrepreneurship Forum will be held in Lyon, France from November 3-6, 2010. Its main theme will be: “Creating and developing high growth companies." Watch for more information about this program coming soon here at our blog.
Note: Full disclosure, Laurel Delaney serves on the International Board of Advisors for the World Entrepreneurship Forum.
Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog
Disruptive innovators are everywhere. Are you one of them?
It takes technology to spread good ideas and make innovating easy. For ideas on how to get started, take a look at my latest contribution over at the American Express OPEN Forum, "Make a Date to Innovate."
If you want to be a fast innovator, don’t wait for it to happen, make it happen by making a date with innovation. That way, you can drive growth within your organization and continue inventing the future.TechTip2U Powered by: Verio
Happy St. Patrick's Day -- my favorite day of the year! We'll start with a little bit of history and add an Irish Blessing:
Step aside BEMs (big emerging markets), and instead, let's take a look at RDEs (rapidly developing economies) -- an important growth engine for many multinationals.
Is there a difference between BEMS and RDEs? In my due diligence for this post, I discovered BusinessWeek's article, "In Recession, Focus on Emerging Markets," and I'm still unclear as to which countries are identified as RDEs. Could RDEs really be BRIC countries under a new guise?
BCG (Boston Consulting Group), through its globalization arm, claims to know a thing or two about these RDEs (perhaps they will make the distinction for us):
BCG’s Global Advantage practice helps clients achieve global competitive advantage by capturing opportunities arising in and from the RDEs. We support both industry leaders from developed countries and fast-growing companies from the RDEs on a wide range of issues.Check out their ...
Since July 20, 2004, we have posted more than 1,000 times at The Global Small Business Blog (http://borderbuster.blogpost.com). We hope you will follow us for another 1,000 posts! Many thanks.
And here's an article indicating global data continues to reinforce the idea that the world business cycle has bottomed and that growth is starting to advance.
Illustration source: here.
May the Year of the Tiger bring you good health, much happiness and great prosperity.
Posted by: Laurel Delaney, The Global Small Business Blog
Technology is shrinking our world into a smaller, easier place to do business and is fundamentally reshaping our lives. Here are ten reasons why going global is advantageous to your company.
1. Increases sales and profits (especially if fixed costs are tied to domestic operations) = bigger chunk of growth gain.
2. Earns a greater return from a set of core competencies.
3. Generates economies of scale in production.
4. Enhances local competitiveness and paves the way to larger, more lucrative customers.
5. Create jobs, productivity growth, and wealth.
6. Enlarges the pie of potential investors.
7. Insulates seasonal domestic (local) sales by finding new foreign markets and selling excess production capacity.
8. Cuts costs through global outsourcing.
9. Reduces dependence on existing markets.
10. Capitalizes on tax advantages.
The knowledge you gain from learning the ropes of international business will make you open to new ideas, new approaches, new marketing techniques, new customers and new confidence to take on the world!
Posted by: Laurel Delaney, The Global Small Business Blog
Who wouldn’t want to sell to more than 1.7 billion people? According to Internet World Stats, that’s the current number of Internet users worldwide, up 200,000 since December! How can you prepare to capture this astounding audience and do business with the world? Above all else, you need customers, but before we cover that, here are other factors to consider.
Read more here.
Like what you see? Sign up to keep up with what's going on in the world of global small business.
Separately, Happy Australia Day!
Our Global Small Business World 2010 trend piece is ready for viewing over at our favorite trend hub: Small Business Trends!
Read every word here:
It's a most wonderful time of year! All of us worker-bees at GlobeTrade.com (www.globetrade.com) join in saying "Thank you" for your readership (and your comments). We wish you a Happy Holiday and a Successful New Year.
May 2010 be your year to take your business global!
Here's a look at Christmas in ten top cities in the world. Enjoy.
1. Sydney, Australia
2. Rome, Italy
3. Istanbul, Turkey
4. Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. (home of GlobeTrade.com)
5. Berlin, Germany
6. Barcelona, Spain
7. Paris, France
8. London, UK
9. New York City, New York, U.S.A.
10. Tokyo, Japan
Posted by Laurel Delaney from the Global Small Business Blog.
Every Friday at 2:00 p.m. Eastern and 11:00 a.m. Pacific Dr. Amy Vanderbilt does any amazing job conducting live interviews on her website about national and global trends that you can turn into your personal and professional advantage. I had the wonderful opportunity ("thank you Amy!") to be featured on her happening program last Friday (12/18) under the theme of "A World of Difference: Trends Affecting the Global Business Environment in 2010 and Beyond" and concentrated on global business challenges and opportunities in 2010.
Find it here. And follow Dr. Vanderbilt on Twitter here.
"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." ~ Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Photo credit: Laurel Delaney, The Global Small Business Blog, Chicago lake front
Irish America’s Annual The Business 100 is a celebration of Irish-American corporate success. The executives profiled here represent some of the most powerful corporations and in my case, global small businesses, in the world.
All of the Business 100 share one thing in common: pride in their Irish heritage. I can vouch for that. It is an honor to be highlighted as an honoree.
Read more on my entry here.
"As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December's bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same." ~ Donald E. Westlake
Posted by: Laurel Delaney, The Global Small Business Blog
Photo credit: Laurel Delaney, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
Growth opportunities for Canadian private companies don't always come from north of the border or sea to sea. Increasingly, foreign markets are the places to be if an organization is to achieve maximum growth in today's global economy. Indeed, Canada's future prosperity depends to a large extent on Canadian businesses' ability to compete globally by expanding successfully beyond the country's borders, thus taking full advantage of global markets and opportunities.The report documents the extent of private companies' foreign operations to date; sheds light on the benefits of global expansion for private companies, and the key challenges and risks of doing so; and provides information about local employee and supply resources in foreign markets.
Access report: Taking on the World
