Developing a Global Brand for a Small Business

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We’ve all heard the saying, "first impressions matter," and it rings true for small businesses looking to expand into the global marketplace. Creating a global branding campaign for your small business doesn’t have to be a costly endeavor. But it’s something that’s vitally important to the global success of your business.

To develop a brand as global as Mickey Mouse, what do you do?

Read:  Global Branding For Small Businesses

Expanding Internationally Is Your Choice

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Here are some tips, advice and a short story on preparing for the age of the pure global small business.

4. A story: Goodbye to the local small business and hello to the emerging global small business the world over.

The impact of globalization can be found as nearby as your local dry cleaner, shoe repair shop or hairdresser. For example, a visitor from Japan walks into a North American shoe repair shop to get her shoes shined. Speaking very good English, she gets into a conversation about the shoe business, what part of Japan she ...

Read the entire article:  Borderless Business

No. 1 in Global Small Business: Please Vote

Please vote ... and thanks to your readership and support, last year we made the list:

Hello Global Small Business Owners: Join a Twitter Chat Today

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Ref:  Heroes love company

In celebration of Small Business Week, two of my favorite small business experts, Rieva Lesonsky and Steve Strauss, invite you to join a live one-hour Twitter chat today, May 24th, from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. EST.

During the chat, Rieva and Steve will discuss a breadth of issues facing small business owners every day including, but not limited to, revenue growth, talent management and retention, economic concerns, business challenges and personal sacrifices small business owners worldwide like you make to run their business.

The chat will be driven by findings from the inaugural Bank of America Small Business Owner Report.

Rieva and Steve will be available to answer your questions and provide insight on any specific pressing issues you may be dealing with.

To participate, check out @Rieva and @SteveStrauss Twitter accounts today (5/24), from 2:00 p.m. -  3:00 p.m. EST and join the conversation by using the hashtag #smallbizreport.

See you there!

Laurel Delaney on Scribd: 300,000+ Global Readers

We want to remind you to visit from time to time Scribd (Laurel Delaney) where more than 300,000 people have read Laurel's work on global small business and entrepreneurship.  Are you one of them?

Here's a sampling of some of the articles you'll find:

• Tip Sheet on How to Go Global (UPS)
• Trade Routes to China (WSJ)
• Go Global Now (Success Magazine)!
• How the Mighty Succeed Globally
• And more!

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

What It's Like to Run a Global Small Business in the Czech Republic

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A day in the life of a Czech Republic global small business owner:

Czechs are quite technologically advanced. Almost everybody has internet access, and smart phones are widely popular. Also we are one of the few countries in the world where the local search engine is stronger than Google. It´s no wonder that most small business owners bet on internet marketing.

Is marketing a global small business in the Czech Republic done differently than any other part of the world?

Find out here.

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Tip for Global Small Businesses?

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It's our monthly e-newsletter, Borderbuster!  You probably already know about it but just in case, go here to subscribe.

Tips for Small Businesses Going Global

And see what the Federation of International Trade Associations (FITA) says about Borderbuster.  They must like it because they featured it to more than 70,000 readers of their own newsletter!  They also mention The Global Small Business Blog and the About.com Import and Export site.

We are grateful and thank FITA for their support.  Our social media platforms are buzzing!

A Profit Lesson for Global Small Businesses

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Wal-Mart appears to be experiencing international growing pains.  Their strategy for driving global growth is working from a sales stand point but not necessarily from a profit or ease of doing business aspect.

... there’s a big problem with that growth strategy: operating margins are significantly worse internationally then they are in the U.S. In this quarter, U.S. operating margins came in at 7.42%, versus 3.93% for international operating margins. And after taking out currency effects, international operating income fell 3.3% year over year.

The lesson for global small businesses:  Monitor your operating margins country to country.   You may not be the size of Wal-Mart yet this is a common problem for any sized business operating internationally.  Keep your profits strong and healthy worldwide.
 
Read more here.

How to Run a Global Small Business on a Shoestring

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Running a small business that takes on the world does not have to be costly.  Learn how Neil Payne set up his business on a laptop in a studio flat in 2004 and now oversees a company with offices in the UK, USA, Argentina, South Africa, Germany and the UAE.

Read tips on how he did it here.

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

The Most Powerful Force in Business Today: The New Logistics

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UPS is sponsoring an international business series over at Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing and Small Business Trends.

Be sure to check out both places for articles on global small business.

Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing:
Hidden Challenges Lurking in Global Business

Small Business Trends:
Become a Micro-Multinational Small Business in 5 Steps

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

Will the USA Small Business Owner Exporting Civilian Aircraft Please Claim Their Prize?

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Census Bureau's Global Reach blog says:

Last month (June 2010) saw a $7.9 billion increase in the deficit despite a 3.3% drop in petroleum imports. This month, the trade deficit improved despite petroleum imports holding steady at $26.8 billion. A drop of $0.7 billion in crude oil was offset by increases in fuel oil and other petroleum products.

And, they go on further to say:

The increase in exports was driven by civilian aircraft, up $1.4 billion to $3.6 billion in July.

If you are a small business owner (with less 500 employees) exporting civilian aircraft as noted above, please let us know so you can claim your prize.

We wish to honor you here with a special feature story and will definitely let the Obama administration know that their National Export Initiative, which encourages small businesses to export, is working!

Posted by: Laurel Delaney, The Global Small Business Blog

And the Growth Through Global Trade Award Goes To ...

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Get ready, get set and go after the Growth Through Global Trade Award! Now's your chance to celebrate your global trade successes and be recognized for your export effort.

UPS, in collaboration with World Trade 100 Magazine, opened nominations for its Growth through Global Trade Award, a national award aimed to recognize a U.S. small- or medium-sized business that is effectively exporting to global markets. Is that your business?

Criteria

The award is designed for U.S. small- and medium-sized businesses with fewer than 500 employees that are already exporting to international markets. Anyone can nominate a deserving business for the Growth through Global Trade Award.

Nominees must have a principal place of business in the United States and must currently export to at least one international market. Interested parties can submit a concise online nomination form featuring a series of six questions and a 200-word essay. Nominations can be submitted online here: http://international.ups.com/globaltradeaward/nominate/index.html.

Nominations will be accepted now through November 12, 2010. The winner will be announced in January 2011.

The entries will be judged by a multi-member panel of small business and global trade experts from within and outside UPS (full disclosure: I will be one of the judges). The judges will evaluate all entries against a pre-determined set of criteria, including how exporting has helped the company better compete in today’s global business environment, grow international sales and business operations, and connect with new customers.

Don't stop short here. If you can't think of anyone to nominate yet you pre-qualify -- go for it. This is not a time to be shy. This is a time to toot your global small business horn big time.

I look forward to reviewing your applications.

And the Growth Through Global Trade Award goes to ...

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

Localization Intelligence Across Borders

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What predominant color should your billboard be in Argentina? How many units should you pack in a gift box for Japan? Can your site communicate effectively across borders?

There's a company that claims to translate global business (right up our alley :-).

Learn more about it here.

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

What's Your Cultural Intelligence?

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As more of us take our business global, we need the best understanding possible of how to interact with people from difficult cultures. It's not just a case of learning a different language and showing a little respect. It's about digging deep to grapple with the nuances and complexities of cross-cultural experiences.

The book, "Leading With Cultural Intelligence" by David Livermore, Ph.D., is a terrific primer that will help you to stop feeling anxious and awkward when you travel overseas and enable you to get your global cultural groove in gear -- all while ensuring you don't wind up saying or doing something wrong.

Get your CQ (Cultural Intelligence) here. By the way, these skills and sensitivities can be learned and developed to liberate you to achieve global small business success.

We wrote about this topic October 27, 2009: Do You Have Cultural Intelligence? And here's David's comment on that post:

And I so appreciate the way you highlighted that cultural competence means so much more than just treating people with respect -- thought that's a great place for all of us to begin. Like you, I'm increasingly observing how communication, negotiation, marketing, and lots more are impacted by culture. This challenge/opportunity is only going to increase in the months ahead.

The Global Small Business World in 2010

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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:

10 Predictions, Forecasts
and Trends That Will Shape Our
Global Small Business
World in 2010

Free, Free ... Free At Last: Dig and Learn

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A couple of resources that might come in handy for you as you kick your business up a notch in 2010:

DimDim.com
(http://www.dimdim.com)

Allows you to deliver live presentations, whiteboards and Web pages while sharing your voice and video. No downloads required.

HearMe.com
(http://www.hearme.com)

Small business owners can conduct an online business meeting with clients and contacts in an affordable manner. Educators can use HearMe's web meeting services to teach students around the globe.

paltalk.com
(http://www.paltalk.com)

Lets you explore your online world of chat sites with community chat rooms, lots of people and cool webcam technology that lets you see and be seen. Use for voice and video chat. All for FREE.

Gutenberg.org
(http://www.Gutenberg.org)

Project Gutenberg is the place where you (in the U.S.A.) can download over 30,000 free ebooks to read on your PC, Kindle, Sony Reader, iPhone or other device.

Lifelong FREE e-Learning

In this tough global economy, online education -- especially when it's top caliber and free -- is worth a serious consideration. It can never hurt to take a refresher course that might very well strengthen your competitive position in the world marketplace.

OpenCulture.com
(http://www.openculture.com)

The best free cultural and educational media on the web. This place is terrific. Take the time to dig and learn!

11-Year Old's Idea is Exported Around The World

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If an eleven-year old boy from Minnesota can come up with an idea and have it shipped worldwide, so can you. Learn in this case what the secret to global small business success is here.

And love this quote within it:

Even if some funding remains in question, Michael Howard of the U.S. Export-Import Bank had good news for businesses: "There is plenty of money out there." Federal loan guarantees are available for many export businesses.

The United States of Small Businesses

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America's 5th Annual Small Business Summit is underway this week and already we learned that one of the breakout sessions focused on how to do business internationally. Interestingly enough, the moderator for that session, Leslie Schweitzer, is a friend and colleague of mine. She serves as one of our many talented contributors on Women Entrepreneurs GROW Global (WEGG) which The Global Small Business Blog sponsors. Additionally, she was a panelist in Chicago a couple of years ago when I moderated a discussion on the very same subject of going global.

Great quote from Leslie:

One of the misconceptions of trade is that the only beneficiaries of trade are large companies, and that's not true. 97% of international traders are small businesses.

Read more about what went on during the international business session here.

Waiting For The Fed To Boost Global Small Business

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The Fed's long-awaited program to revive consumer and small business lending, the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF), got off to a slow start.

Learn more with the appropriate title of: Global Markets: Dollar rebounds as markets see-saw on the Fed move.

More on small business boosts here.

Globalization Matters

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Technology and globalization
have changed our economy forever. ~ Carly Fiorina

Carly Fiorina, former chief executive of Hewlett Packard, told some 2,300 members of the International Franchise Association yesterday in her keynote address at their annual convention being held in San Diego, that businesses, which she says have created two-thirds of jobs in the country, will lead the way to restore America’s faith in how business operates.

“If we’re going to get our economy working again, we have to pay attention on how to get people and small businesses to perform and prosper ... I think you are vital to the restoration of growth in our economy ... It is innovation and entrepreneurship that will lead us out of this economic crisis. Not big government, not big business, not big labor.”

Way back when in his "The World Is Flat" book, Thomas Friedman wrote about how technology and globalization have changed our lives forever.

Read more about her Carly's talk here.