Small Business

©iStock/redstallion What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners: Learn how to protect your intellectual property at your business ( no charge WEGG webinar ). Nielsen looks to fill the e-commerce data void by working directly with retailers. Expressing how you feel goes global. Before you decide a home import/export office, consider these drawbacks . The Peterson Institute releases a new study on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Why small businesses are growing .

©2016 Laurel J. Delaney .  All rights reserved. "Simplicity is the glory of expression." -- Walt Whitman

©iStock/Rasulovs Ever hear of Instagram?  Thought so.  But have you heard it defined as the "look book' for brands people love and the shop window for small businesses on mobile?  That's according to The Drum's, " Instagram attracts over 200,000 advertisers following global expansion ." James Quarles, global head of business and brand development at Instagram said the site was "proving a valuable place for discovering businesses around the world." According to Instagram (owned by Facebook), some 75 percent of the app's active advertisers looking to appeal to Instagram's 400-million strong user base are located outside of the US. Read more here .

©iStock/Evgeny Sergeev The Internet of Things (IoT) continues its march into the world of small business because everything seems to be connected these days.  And one of the key issues or threats are the latest security gaps.  In the article below, security experts discuss the most current crop of threats that small business owners need to pay attention to in 2016.  Here are five. Read:   Small Business Security Trends You Need to Know

©iStock/Pongsakorn1 Is the U.S. headed for another recession?  We are seeing China slowdown, a glut in oil and commodity prices, too many ships and not enough cargoes.  Yet despite all that, small businesses seem to be humming along. While no one disputes that all businesses face formidable growth challenges for the rest of 2016, small businesses in the U.S. may be insulated for some time from the growing number of negative developments in the U.S. and abroad . Reality is, there still may be some rough waters ahead. Read more:   Why Small Businesses Are Growing (When Big Companies Aren't)

©iStock/ChrisGorgio What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners: How to shake off complacency and create a sense of urgency. Company to watch:   Ally Commerce . How going global has improved Netflix's personal recommendations. Why you should not ignore tax when going global. Why France's biggest startup accelerator is going global with Cisco. Leaders discuss the ins and outs of doing business internationally .

"I grew up in Chicago, and there was always snow. In Los Angeles there never was, so we would always import snow!" -- David Hasselhoff Photos courtesy:  ©2016 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved. Taken in Chicago.

©iStock/Sean Pavone There is a huge untapped global market for a state's goods and services.  In this case, Connecticut is making an effort to increase the $16 billion in goods Connecticut already exports overseas each year. Secretary of the State Denise Merrill recently promoted Connecticut Export Week from March 14 to 18 and the variety of instructional seminars and webinars scheduled during the five-day period, the first export week hosted by the state. Merrill says. “If smaller companies grow, then everyone benefits." Read more:   State pushing for growth in exports

©iStock/7Michael The Hawaii State Trade and Export Promotion — Export Readiness Program is designed to help small businesses go global.  Hawaii recently received the largest export grant award in the nation ! “A lot of companies, they produce…for the local market,” said DBEDT [Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism] branch chief Mark Ritchie. “(They) think “Oh, could I actually start selling outside of Hawaii?” and that’s what the whole program is about.” Read more:   Export program helps businesses understand international markets

Find out how communication is critical to global success in business and life.

©iStock/Michaeljung The 7th Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2016 , taking place June 23-24, 2016 in Silicon Valley, California, aims to showcase inspiring African entrepreneurs and investors from around the world, creating new opportunities for investment, partnership, and collaboration. The summit was previously hosted by the US, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Malaysia and Morocco, and now returns to the US in a move the organisers say highlights Obama’s commitment to building bridges to tackle global challenges together. Lean more:   African startups invited to apply for 7th Global Entrepreneurship Summit Participate here  (applications accepted only until 2/18/16).

©iStock/Raghu Ramaswamy What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners: Maersk warns about problems facing global trade  (ouch). Create professional videos that promote you and your business. Why the new drone proposal could make businesses very happy. What happens when Twitter alters its timeline feature . Why small businesses hold key to warding off a recession . Get a glimpse of how one business owner builds the best workplace in the world .

  I had the wonderful opportunity to watch the HBO documentary on 76-year old Chicagoan Mavis Staples that recently premiered in Chicago at the DuSable Museum of African American History and listen to her perform live afterwards.  Her new album, " Living on a High Note " comes out next week.  The documentary airs on HBO February 29th. Photos courtesy:  ©2016 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

©iStock/Rawpixel Ltd. How do you finance an international business?  Let me count the ways but this webinar, delivered by the famous Dr. Kati Suominen, covers nearly all your options and it's free.  Yes, you read that right.  Here's what you will learn: Export credit insurance: Getting paid from a foreign buyer Export working capital: Getting money to fulfill international orders Factoring: Getting advance payment for your foreign A/R Buyer finance: Finding money for your foreign buyer to buy from you Growth capital: Getting long-term debt or equity to scale production and international sales Go here to view the webinar . You can also access Kati’s accompanying PowerPoint here .

©iStock/LDProd With more than a third of global online transactions now mobile, three key trends will become explosive growth drivers in 2016. Here they are. 3 Global Mobile Trends to Watch in 2016

©iStock/WinsLiu Because China's 2015 trade volume decreased by 7 percent from the previous year, its first drop in five years, boosting foreign trade has become a top priority for the country.  Here's why. Exporters trying to sell to the lucrative Chinese market, with or without a physical presence in the country, will inevitably have heard of its booming cross-border e-commerce industry, which grew over 30 percent in 2015 despite the slowing international trade. It is predicted that trade via cross-border e-commerce alone will exceed RMB 6.5 trillion in 2016, accounting for 20 percent of total trade volume. Learn more, especially about China’s cross-border e-commerce industry, and the common sales approaches used by foreign merchants engaged in the industry:   Exporting to China:  Import Tax Slashed in Cross-Border E-Commerce Zones

©iStock/dashadima Small business owners always face challenges -- from raising capital, to retaining talented employees, to finding time to work on the business as opposed to in the business.  But who knew that marketing remains one of the biggest challenges that threaten local entrepreneurs as well as global small business owners. In the article below, the author at the Global Dispatch talks about three specific marketing challenges that entrepreneurs face: Not enough online presence. Adapting to mobile (check out three global mobile trends to watch in 2016 ). Increasing local awareness. Read more:   The Biggest Marketing Challenges That Threaten Small Business Owners

Photo courtesy:   Apress What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners: How Hannover Messe offers manufacturers an entry into global markets (great resources mentioned here that are offered by the U.S. Commercial Service). Why small businesses win with LNG exports provision . Why a global slowdown won't stop U.S. businesses . Discover how the Global Entrepreneurs in Residence (GEIR) Program brings a trifecta of international entrepreneurial expertise to the University of Colorado Boulder. How to stop customers from returning products online. How the almighty book " Exporting:  The Definitive Guide to Selling Abroad Profitably " is being updated by Laurel Delaney.

Say hello to the Artisan Cellar (AC) , a gourmet market featuring a wide variety of wines and beer plus a delicious deli takeout, not to mention a great place to hang when you have time to kill at The Merchandise Mart , Chicago.  (Note:  AC has free wine tastings Fridays 4:00-6:00 p.m. Central Time.)   Twitter handle here . Photos courtesy:  ©Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

©iStock/Eneng24 People talk about the importance of having the right mindset, the right people, the right products or services and the right processes in place before you take a business global.  But what happens when you try for equity crowdfunding? Take Linda Bulk who is general manager and director of Waikato, New Zealand-based Aeronavics .  Her company is a drone manufacturer that raised $1.5 million through an equity crowdfunding campaign last February, with 213 investors taking a total 15 percent stake in the company. How did she prepare her aerial solution business for equity crowdfunding? Business owners do have to understand that accountancy requirements change as the amount of shareholders increases, so that is something to be considered. For us this hasn't meant a lot of change though as we're in preparation for global growth and have already adopted these standards . Read more:   Small Business:  Equity crowd funding - Linda Bulk, Aeronavics

©iStock/EtoileArk There's a tremendous global opportunity for London-based small businesses to scale-up and expand internationally.  But how do you become a globally-recognized brand and business ? The Mayor's International Business Programme [led by London & Partners , the Mayor's official promotional company and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund] is the first programme of its kind, using peer-to-peer mentoring and private sector backing, to help London-based companies to scale up and internationalize. There's an answer to the question above but you must read the article below because it is designed to maximize the international business potential of London-based SMEs. Read more:   Boris Johnson looks to scale SME success & take London tech global

©Women Entrepreneurs GROW Global.  All rights reserved. What payment and financing issues do you need to consider when exporting?  What are key financial instruments you ought to know of?  Where do you go to secure these instruments?  And what are other special considerations for fueling your international growth with growth capital?   WEGG has got your back. Join the webinar on Wednesday, February 3rd at 10:00 a.m. Central time to hear Kati Suominen , who just returned from Davos, address these questions and more with her presentation, " Financing Your International Business:  Plan Early and Smart ."  The WEGG webinar is no charge but registration is required.  I'll be on the webinar.   See you there.   Register here.

©iStock/andrewgenn What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners: Discover how to finance your international business activities (webinar on 2/3 at 10:00 a.m. Central time - requires registration ; no charge). Find out why embracing change is no longer an option in our global marketplace. How a small Miami-based company has a global reach . Learn how crowd funding has become so hot that big players like GE want a piece of the action. Who is winning in the global e-commerce game ? What's driving global economic growth in 2016?   PwC has some CEO survey insights .