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Small Business CEO

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The BEST of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Bloggers

The following bloggers offer excellent tips, practical information and handy resources in the small business and entrepreneurial sector. When you have time, check them out and subscribe:



• Small Business Advisor

• The Entrepreneurial Mind

• The Startup Garden

• re:invention, inc. (focus on women)

• Escape From Corporate America! (focus on women)

• The Small Business Blog

• Small Business Trends

• Small Business CEO

• wantrepreneur (focus on marketing)

• Fresh Inc. (Inc.)

• seth godin's BLOG (creativity)

• A Penny For ... (random ideas)

• Duct Tape Marketing (small business marketing advice)

Small Businesses Drive Global Economy

In Globeinvestor.com (Canada): The Globe and Mail



A couple of key Canadian data points mentioned in article:



• Small and medium enterprises, or SMEs, such as Mr. Reiss's have been growing at a remarkable rate, managing to outpace the economy by a full percentage point in 2002 and demonstrating remarkable resiliency in 2003 despite the devastating impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome, mad-cow disease, the softwood lumber dispute and the blackout.



• Experts agree that SMEs are poised to outpace the rest of the economy in 2004 but say they will need to stay on their toes in order to take advantage of low interest rates, a burgeoning service industry driven by increased consumer spending and a growing global economy.



• Despite this optimistic outlook for entrepreneurs, TD Bank warned in a report that in order to keep pace with the growing global economy, Canadian SMEs will also need to boost productivity in order to thrive in the increasingly competitive global market.



• Small businesses make up 85 per cent of all Canadian exporters, and 44 per cent of goods and services shipped abroad.



-> "The reason why companies fail in the international market is because they don't invest enough time or resources into it," said Metro Sportswear's Mr. Reiss.



To read the entire article, visit: Small Business Poised For Strong Growth

Going Global: Taking Your Good Brand International

In Darwin



Here is how the BIG guys grow a global brand: Five Keys To Global Marketing Success



Here is how small businesses build a living global brand: Tame the Beast by Laurel Delaney and it involves a six-step process.

"You can be sure we're going to define ourselves as a global company,'' says Staples CEO.

In Boston Herald Business



Staples CEO knows no boundaries: Deals opening new markets within China, Eastern Europe



Here's why this article is relevant to small businesses going global:



• Staples retail stores had ``a booming quarter,'' driven by an emphasis on its copy-center business, as well as private label brands, CEO Sargent said. Small businesses were also driving demand. ``Small business is kind of leading us out of this recession,'' Sargent said. ``The small and medium segments are buying more than they were a year ago. Only the largest (business) segment seems to buying just a little less.''



Small businesses are empowering Staples to go global:



• "You can be sure we're going to define ourselves as a global company,'' he said. Yesterday, Staples took a step in that direction by unveiling a joint venture with OA365, a Chinese Internet and catalog delivery business that will give the company a beachhead in China's $25 billion office products market. Staples said China is the world's fastest-growing office supply market. Sargent said China's office products market is highly fragmented, with thousands of small delivery and retail companies. OA365 is one of China's largest suppliers.



• Staples also said it will make its first foray into Eastern Europe by purchasing Pressel Versand International GmbH, based in Vienna, Austria, as well as the office products division of Denmark's Malling Beck A/S. The acquisitions will give Staples a presence in Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic as well as in Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland.



To read the entire article, visit: Staples CEO Knows No Boundaries

Localize Your Presentation for a Global Audience: 5 Key Areas To Think About

In MarketingProfs.com



Dr. Joseph Sommerville presents some good tips on how to give an effective presentation to an international audience. If you are expanding internationally, the five keys areas he focuses on could make or break your next overseas deal.



To read the entire article, visit: Localize Your Presentation for a Global Audience

Singaporean companies give us a lesson on going global

In The Straits Times -- Best in Newspaper Design in Asia



Singapore's reputation for quality and honesty has been a springboard for homegrown firms entering world markets.



A sun-lover soaks it up at Banyan Tree Resort in the Maldives; in downtown Sydney, a design student heads to RafflesLaSalle Institute; at London's Ascott Mayfair, an executive sends a fax from his serviced apartment; in New York, a US housewife snacks on Camel brand nibbles as she watches a television soap-opera. At all points of the compass, Singaporean companies are quietly making their mark.



Read the comprehensive article here:

Local Brand, Global Reach

Abridged "Borderbuster" 8/5/04

Snippets from today's edition:



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Subscribe FREE!

Subscribe to the Unabridged Version of Borderbuster Here!



CONTENTS



1. Welcome from the Publisher

2. Feedback From Our Readers

3. Website for Entrepreneurs*

4. Business Cultural Tips: Have Some Fun!*

5. Ten Truths About Trade*

6. How I Went Global: Ongoing Series // Export Development Canada*

7. A Reader Asks: Q&A*

8. Everybody Loves a Freebie -- repeat: FREE OFFER*

9. Global Service For Shippers*

10. Textile Firms Weave Global Ambitions*

11. Strengthening Values Centered Leadership*

12. Small Firms Don’t Look Abroad for Business*

13. Watch for Laurel’s New e-Book: “Godzilla Global Marketing”*

14. Take A Walk On The Wild Side (TAWOTWS)*

15. Wind Behind Your Sail*

16. Miscellany*

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5. TEN TRUTHS ABOUT TRADE

*Subscriber Exclusive*



Is globalization sending the best American jobs overseas? If you get your news from CNN’s Lou Dobbs, the answer is "of course" and the only real issue is how many trade restrictions should be applied to stem the bleeding.



To read the full, interesting article, visit reasononline:

Ten Truths About Trade



9. GLOBAL SERVICE FOR SHIPPERS

*Subscriber Exclusive*



Global regulations and restrictions have always created difficulties for those sending shipments, particularly when it comes to calculating landed cost. While a number of niche software vendors popped up to address this pain in the past few years, global shipper DHL has recently thrown its hat into the fray. The company now offers a comprehensive trade automation service for shippers, illustrating how the spread of e-business is prompting traditional companies to develop their own software solutions for customers.



For more information, visit Line56:

Global Service For Shippers



14. TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE (TAWOTWS)

*Subscriber Exclusive*



If you can think wild thoughts, then you can most certainly go global.



People who go on vacations typically travel by car, train or plane. Have you ever considered traveling by horse? Well, not the entire trip but once you arrive at your destination? If so, then this is the place for you: Discover The World On Horseback. Hint: Don’t even think Smarty Jones on this adventure.



(Remember, inaction is the worst kind of failure.)



*** We welcome suggestions for our Take a Walk On The Wild Side. Early responses have the best chance of being published. Please include your title, company affiliation, location and email address. We reserve the right to solicit and edit suggestions.***



"Borderbuster" is published the 5th of every month (unless it falls on a legal U.S.A. holiday, then it is published the day after).

If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, have a perspective on opportunities and resources globally.

In Harvard Business School's Working Knowledge.



Whether delivering pizza or building gizmos for cell phones, the companies that get launched outside the United States bring unique issues to the table, says HBS professor Walter Kuemmerle.



What do pizza delivery, unarmed guards, and metallization on compact discs have in common? They all represent businesses founded outside the U.S. that illustrate some of the enduring realities each international entrepreneur grapples with every day, according to Harvard Business School professor Walter Kuemmerle. These realities include the importance of local context and the need to adhere to a global perspective on opportunities and access to resources.



“Taken comprehensively, the argument here is that if you want to be successful as an entrepreneur, it is important to have a detailed understanding of the local context, but also to have a perspective on opportunities and resources globally,” Kuemmerle said.



To read the entire article, visit: The World of Entrepreneurial Ventures