Small Business

©iStock/JackyLeung Technology allows us the opportunity to connect with anyone, anywhere in the world -- unlocking an enormous opportunity for business owners worldwide to grow like never before. We have a new level of power that's just waiting to be leveraged.  It's the power of the cloud, and once fully utilized, will change how global small businesses operate. Entrepreneurs and small businesses will be able to monitor the locations and activity of every physical asset, from the parcels shipped by a boutique craft seller to the widgets installed by tradies. But it’s not simply going to be about location and whether the device is working or not. Read more:   Here's how the next wave of tech advances will transform small business in Australia from The Global Small Business Blog http://ift.tt/2dcPuWN The Cloud: Changing How Global Small Businesses Operate-Small Business

©iStock/chombosan Let's face it.  The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will boost exports, help us shape the rules of the global economy, and create jobs.  Then why are we stalling on passing TPP and why are both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton against it? According to Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, leaders from several TPP trading partners have made it clear that a U.S. failure to ratify the deal before President Obama leaves office “will require them to hedge their bets and consider closer relations with others in the region” like China. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said small- to medium-sized businesses are the “biggest beneficiaries” of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement and that failing to ratify the deal would broadly hurt the U.S.'s reputation in the rapidly growing Pacific region. Fact:  98% of U.S. exporters are small businesses and they account for more than 1/3 of U.S. exports. Read more:   Pacific deal will boost exports for

from The Global Small Business Blog http://ift.tt/2deTAtN Think Harder About Why You Procrastinate-Small Business

©iStock/wildpixel According to a survey commissioned by FedEx Corp. and conducted by research firm Morning Consult LLC: About 65 percent of small businesses that engage in international trade report increases in revenue, compared with 46 percent of small businesses that do not trade, according to the survey. Small businesses that trade are also 20 percent more likely to say they are hiring more employees. So why aren't more small businesses engaged in international trade? Read more:   New FedEx survey finds small, mid-sized firms bullish on trade from The Global Small Business Blog http://ift.tt/2d6fIIh Who's Bullish on International Trade?-Small Business

©iStock/Rawpixel Ltd. What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners: Why you can't do global deals all alone. Two import tips that go under the radar for most business owners yet can impact a transaction in a big way. Five key factors you should keep top of mind when you expand your business globally. Learn what UK small businesses are fearful of when it comes to exporting (see whether you have the same anxiety). Hangzhou, home to China's largest e-commerce companies , where many benefit from the Internet. Coming up:  The world's biggest and best Global Small Business Forum held in Chicago 10/21/16. from The Global Small Business Blog http://ift.tt/2dlwJA1 Today in Global Small Business: Why You Can't Do Global Deals All Alone-Small Business

Since 1989, the coolest of cool stores in Chicago.  Worth a visit:   http://ift.tt/1JvSjHW Photo credit:  ©Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.  Taken Friday, September 23, 2016 at 26 E. Madison Street, Chicago, IL. from The Global Small Business Blog http://ift.tt/2cQ1073 Reckless Records in Chicago: New and Used Vinyls, Cassettes, CD's and DVD's-Small Business

©iStock/AlexeyWork The two main candidates for USA president both have it wrong.  Trade is good for us.  I'm pro-trade.  Even Nobel-prize winning economist Milton Friedman said: "The social and moral issues are all on the side of free trade. And it is you, and people like you [a union official that challenged him on his bid to eliminate all tariffs over five years], who introduce protection who are the ones who are violating fundamental moral and social issues ." It's worthy of a look at Milton Friedman's Morals .  And see what else a bad trade deal can do to our global economy. from The Global Small Business Blog http://ift.tt/2d2X1lh Free to Choose Global Trade-Small Business