Take It Global and Unleash Your Full Business Potential

©2024 Laurel Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"If you have the courage and mindset to go global, and you are ready, I ask you to throw out your local playbook and expand your business outside your local market.  The world is wide open.  Make it your market, look outward, and you will unleash your full potential." – Laurel J. Delaney, founder and president of Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.

What Are Your Rules of Thumb?

Alan Webber is the founder of the technology business magazine Fast Company and has gone on to become Mayor of the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Many years ago I interviewed him after he wrote, “Rules of Thumb:  52 Truths For Winning At Business Without Losing Your Self."

I still love this book for all the rich insights that are straightforward and moving.  Alan was always so ahead of his time and continues to be.

Some of the answers he gave during our interview are more than ever relevant to our times.

For example, when I asked him what the gist of "Rules of Thumb" was about:

I suppose the gist of it is that we all need to pay attention to the new rules of work and life; that the world is changing and we are all responsible for how it changes — and to guide our own lives, our companies, our families, and our communities in a direction that makes sense, that works, that has positive results, and that is sustainable.

Perfect response.  But that's so Alan.  Read the entire interview here.

Entrepreneurial Obsession by Laurel Delaney

©2021 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Here are 13 ways to create a brighter future for your business.

Turning Limes to Limeade

Here are a few lessons you can learn from 5 global entrepreneurial icons who changed the face of American culture. Despite their early challenges, they managed to make their own way in life. We can learn from their endeavors and find opportunities in the unlikeliest places.  This is an article I [Laurel Delaney] wrote for American Express several years ago yet I still find in inspiring to read.  Hope you do, too.

In going after a dream, exercise unbridled enthusiasm until you achieve it.   So do something unusual to manifest your own latent entrepreneurial capabilities:  start a juice stand, backpack to India or sell a sketch to a neighbor.  

You never know where it will lead.  

10 Questions to Ask (and Answer) to Achieve Bold Innovation

I have always felt that growth and profits come from some form of calculated risk.  You, too?

The essence of making revolutionary changes is taking risks. Bold risks produce bold innovation; they launch new products, services, and companies; they improve workplace conditions for employees; and they may even end up changing the world.

Here are 10 questions to ask (and answer) to help guide you and your organization to achieve bold innovation.  This is an article I [Laurel Delaney] wrote for American Express more than a decade ago and it still applies to today's world.

Don’t reinforce the old ways of doing things.  Continuing to take risks is an important part of achieving bold innovation.  

March To Your Own Drum and Beat It With All Your Might

Innovation is such a personal, creative endeavor, but the influence of others plays a big role in helping us succeed. Here I share insights from some of those who’ve inspired me when it comes to developing innovative practices in my business. Perhaps they will have the same effect on you. If nothing else, this article will encourage you to take time out to reflect and work a little magic on the innovation front.

Oh, and at the end of each passage, there’s a lesson learned along with a big question to get a conversation going.

Spice Things Up a Bit

While running your business through the global pandemic, how many times have you been told, "It's not working."  Really.  Think about it. 

Here are a couple of specific examples: You created a whole new way to pitch clients but haven't landed one new piece of business. You launched a new line of shoes and no one is buying them. You developed a brilliant method of allowing everyone in the world who has access to the Internet to connect on a platform to change the world, and only eleven people signed up.

Sound familiar?  Here are five signs that serve as early detectors of total business decay.  This is an article I [Laurel Delaney] wrote more than a decade ago yet it is still relevant to our times.

Bottom line:  Spice things up a bit and make some big bets.

Call to Action: Profiling Successful Women Entrepreneurs and Business Owners. Is That You?

Here's an opportunity you won't want to miss!  I will be profiling successful women entrepreneurs and business owners on GoDaddy's blog starting this month through early 2020. Think of this as a marketing agency representing you for a one-off moment.

GoDaddy doesn’t just have hundreds or thousands of readers at their blog — they have millions. So this is a very good opportunity for a business owner to get great media coverage and increase their SEO rank at the same time.

If you or someone else you know would like to be profiled on the GoDaddy Garage site (https://www.godaddy.com/garage/) -- send me an email.  This opportunity is on a first-come, first-serve basis on who gets featured and there is a nominal charge involved. No competing firms will be featured under my pen. The first profile is due November 25th and that has already been filled. Take a look at some of my past articles for GoDaddy. My approach will be to have these profiles be similar to the one you see on Lifeway Foods CEO Julie Smolyansky.

Look forward to hearing from you with your interest.

Join Laurel Delaney in New York 7/18 to Learn How to Export Successfully in the Digital Age

The first in New York-based NEXCO's 2019 seminar series on what you need to know to sell your products in markets worldwide, this is where to start building your export sales strategy.

Lead presenter, Chicagoan Laurel Delaney, will discuss how to use the digital tools that level the field for small and mid-size businesses, launch and scale-up export sales, and avoid the 6 mistakes new exporters most often make.

Plan on joining in on the after-seminar reception for wine-tasting and networking with the NY metro exporting community.

To learn more and to register, visit here.

Tips, Tools and Resources from the Escape From Corporate America Blog

We feature a ton of resources, articles and opportunities here on our Escape From Corporate America blog to help women entrepreneurs grow but I want to make sure that on occasion, you check out the actual site on the right sidebar to see many of the amazing articles we feature.  Here's a sampling of six:

1. How to Market Your Business Lady Gaga Style
2. 5 Signs of Loosy-Goosy Management
3. From Cupcakes to Moneycakes:  3 Ways to Increase Sales and Profitability
4. Making the Most Out of Failure
5. Turning Limes to Limeade:  Entrepreneurship Can Surface in Many Places
6. 5 Actions for Double-Digit Business Growth

For more, visit Escape From Corporate America!

Keep Up With Trends in 2018

I trust you are off to a great start in the New Year!  May it be your best year yet.

I am presenting a WEGGinar™ on Wednesday, January 10 at 11:00 a.m. Central time on "Laurel Delaney's Global Trade Trends Report 2018."  I would love for you to participate and my gift to you is that it is FREE!  All you have to do is register and even if you get busy, you can listen to it later, at your convenience.

I"ll cover artificial intelligence, micro-learning, wearables, quantum computing and more -- technology advancements that we need to know about to run our businesses successfully.

Register here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1940601026277957634  Connect then!

I Wanted You to be the First To Know: I Am Launching an E-Commerce Site

Like you, I've been contemplating whether to start a new business, this one e-commerce.  I hosted an amazing Global Small Business Forum in Chicago in October and the theme was e-commerce.  I was so inspired by the stories business owners shared about running successful e-commerce businesses that I decided to start one myself.

So, again like you, I must take it one step at a time, minimize risks and only focus on upside potential.  First, I had to come up with a name that makes sense for what I am about to do, and second, I had to reserve a domain name.  I've done both today (11/18/17).

I figure if Tory Burch and Rebecca Minkoff can do it.  So can I!

I'll keep you posted on developments because I want you to be the first to see the site when it's all done.  Wish me luck!

Leverage Social Media to Grow Your Business

I use LinkedIn to strategically connect with people who can help me grow my business and I write articles every once in a while about importing and exporting.  I use Twitter to post events, articles and helpful tips about anything to do with taking a business global (oh, and on the weekend, when I run, I post pictures of areas I run by).  On Facebook, it depends on my mood, but I typically post fabulous Chicago pictures, Like a lot of other friend's Pages and post an occasional article or event I am hosting on international trade.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.  My goal when I post on social media, is to create value for people in the global trade space.  See what other social media platforms I leverage to become a savvy global marketer.  I even share a few tools for monitoring your competitors.

Here you go ... access a few tools and tips for savvy global marketers.

Best Beach Reads to Build Your Business

I am not a big beach reader but I love to squirrel away in my home and knock down a business book or two each week.  Everyone has to find their special place to recharge.  Inc. Magazine has put together a wonderful list of great reads for the summer.  One I'm sure to buy is Adam Grant's "Originals."  It looks fabulous.

Read:  Top 23 Business Books You Should Read This Summer

P.S.  I also just finished updating my best-selling Exporting book and the 2nd edition will be ready in early fall.  Watch for more on that coming soon!  Have a great 4th of July holiday weekend!  Oh, one more thing ...

P.P.S.  Escape From Corporate America is 12 years old on July 7th.  We launched EFCA on July 7, 2004. Yay to you for your interest and yay to us for keeping on, keeping on.  To the future!  And thank you for your readership.

Take Your Business Global in 2016

For those eager to start out the new year with a global footprint, join me [Laurel] on a webinar I am giving Wednesday, January 6th at 11:00 a.m. Central (FREE) on Getting Started in Exporting -- Ready Your Business For Growth:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6551786751409319169

Here's a sampling of what you will learn:

• What you need to do to get your business export ready
• How to craft a back-of-the napkin export business plan
• How to create a social media and networking presence
• How to market your business worldwide

See you there on Wednesday, January 6th at 11:00 a.m. Central! Let's get ready to take our businesses to the next level through exports.

Ladies, Let's Take On the World in 2015

Reporter Sandra Guy at the Chicago Sun-Times interviews me about my business and books.  In our discussions, I emphasize one of the big initiatives we have planned this year, which is helping women business owners expand their businesses internationally.

The Sitdown:  Laurel Delaney sees plenty of sparkle for Chicago exports

Happy 2015!

I Enjoy Being a Girl (Entrepreneur)

Remember the show tune "I Enjoy Being a Girl," from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Flower Drum Song?  I am taking it to a new dimension with "I Enjoy Being a Girl Entrepreneur!"  Why?  Let me count the ways - #1 is I love what I do! - but Carolyn Gregoire sums it up quite nicely with her reasons in The Advantage of Being a Female Entrepreneur.

According to recent data published by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, entrepreneurs in the U.S., both men and women alike, feel a greater sense of purpose than the average worker, which contributes to greater fulfillment from their work and lives.

Separately, the study found that female entrepreneurs are also more likely to report greater physical well-being than male entrepreneurs and male and female non-entrepreneurial workers, the study found.

Read the entire article: The Advantage of Being a Female Entrepreneur

Screenshot credit:  Flower Drum Song

Getting Started in Exporting With Laurel Delaney (Webinar 9/18/14)

Are you looking for new avenues of growth for your business?  Then you should consider exporting.  Please join me at a webinar I am presenting - Getting Started in Exporting.  Are You Ready? - this Thursday, September 18th at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT (plan on about an hour for the webinar).  Here are the six things I will cover:

1.  Why this is the best and easiest time ever to export!
2.  What you need to do to get your business export ready
3.  How to craft a back-of-the napkin export business plan
4.  How to create a social media and networking presence
5.  How to market your business worldwide
6.  How to use e-commerce sites as stepping-stones to export success

To learn more and to register, visit:  Export NOW 110:  Getting Started in Exporting.  Are You Ready? - Women Impacting Public Policy
(http://www.wipp.org/events/event_details.asp?id=454554)

I look forward to connecting with you on Thursday!  Please share with anyone you think might benefit from the webinar - thanks!

Photo Credit: Digimist

More On Entrepreneur Barbie (Doll)

Creative Entrepreneur Barbie?

We challenged Mattel about its Barbie becoming an entrepreneur back in 2009, and now it is a reality (2014).

[Gina] Rudan pointed out that Entrepreneur Barbie comes at a time when women -- particularly women of color -- are increasingly starting their own businesses due to barriers in the workplace. She said there’s an estimated 10 million small business owners in the United States who are women and a third of those business owners are Hispanic female business owners.

Entrepreneur Barbie:  Latina Author, Leadership Coach Gina Rudan Touts Mattel Doll's Latest Profession.

I still question why it took Mattel so long to do this.  If you want to catch a different perspective on the new Barbie, read:  Problem with Entrepreneur Barbie (From an Entrepreneur's Perspective).

Photo Credit: partymonstrrrr 

100 Best Sites for Women

Forbes has published its fourth annual list:

The 100 Best Websites for Women, 2013

From Forbes:  As is always the method to our madness, the above list is the culmination of a year’s worth of Internetting, asking around and getting lost down the rabbit hole of the best (and sometimes weirdest) of the Web ...

Oh, maybe we'll make the list next year!