Are You a Superpower Negotiator or More of a Power Broker?

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In the article below, two books are referenced that will keep you at your best while negotiating international business deals.  But I wonder:  Are you a superpower negotiator or more of a power broker?  Find out by reading the entire article.

Communicating Across Cultures
by Laurel Delaney

Women Are Reshaping the World of Business

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Nearly 1 billion women will enter the global economy for the first time in the coming decade alone, fundamentally shifting how the world works.

Read:  How one billion women will shake the business world.

International Trade Promotes Growth and Development

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In a speech, “Charting a Course for Trade in an Uncertain Future," given by Director-General of the World Trade Organization Pascal Lamy at the Brookings Dialogue in Washington, D.C. earlier this month, he said:

Trade as a share of global GDP has risen from roughly 40% in 1980 to around 60% today. In the United States, a country long considered less dependent on trade than many others, the share has risen from 10% to 25% over the same period of time.  US exports of goods and services in the last 10 years have more than doubled to over $2 trillion. One reason for this dramatic expansion is that US exporters have entered new markets in a big way. When China entered the WTO in 2001, US exports to the Middle Kingdom were $20 billion. By 2011 they had increased more than five-fold to over $100 billion. 

Read the entire speech here.

Linda Lightman Sells Globally

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Linda Lightman, CEO of Linda's Stuff, sells globally.  She turned a hobby into a successful business, now employing over sixty workers in multiple departments.

Linda, a former attorney who left her career to build a successful business selling clothing and jewelry on eBay, is now one of eBay’s top fashion sellers.  The venture began as a hobby, selling her son’s video games on eBay over ten years ago, and after learning the ropes, she started selling her own designer clothes. Other people started asking Linda to sell their unwanted garments and jewelry, and the venture developed into an entrepreneurship and a highly successful business.

Somehow Linda knew when it was right to begin selling globally and did her homework so she could handle it without losing her designer shirt.  You can too.

Visit Linda's site here.

Most Entrepreneurial Country in the World?

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Which country is the most entrepreneurial?

According to OECD, the U.S. does produce proportionately more large start-ups than its peer nations and new businesses have a much better than average chance of surviving at least two years.

But which other countries shine in the quest for entrepreneurship?  Jordan Weissmann, author of "Think We're the Most Entrepreneurial Country in the World?  Not so Fast," says the United States has:

a Start-up Rate Lower than Sweden's (and Israel's, and Italy's ...)

Find out more here.  There are enough graphs in the article to keep you busy and scratching your head.

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

King of Exports: Texas

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First it was California as the leader in exports back in the 90s.  Now it's Texas.

Since 1998, the state has increased its total exports by 217 percent, compared to 139 percent for the country as a whole.

Find out why Texas -- a low-cost state to do business -- is considered king of exports here.  Hint:  a lot has to do with the rise of free trade, the decline of domestic manufacturing, and our transformation into the world's oil refiner.