Stop Restricting Imports

Severely imposed international trade restrictions worsen a struggling economy.  It may not impact global trade now but it could in the long run.  Here's why:

Keeping Protectionism at Bay
NYTimes.com (Editorial)

What's your opinion?

Illustration credit here.

Becoming a Global Force

How do you become a global force?  Be around for more than three decades and make a product that everybody around the world loves.  Find out which company we are talking about here.

Big hint.

Illustration credit here.

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Why Free-Trade Agreements Are Critical

According to South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com, Rep. Allen West (a Republican congressman from Florida's 22nd District, pictured), free-trade agreements are critical.

U.S. exports are at an all-time high, and our small businesses deserve a lot of the credit. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, small businesses account for nearly 97 percent of all U.S. exporters in 2007 and support nearly 4 million U.S. jobs. I urge President Obama and those in the Senate to work with the House to pass these free-trade agreements and continue this positive trend.

Read:

Free trade: Obama should make pending pacts a priority

Go Global: I Wish I'd Done It Sooner

That's what Fifth Ring co-founder Ian Ord said about the impact that being a globally operating business has had over the last decade. This was ahead of speaking at the forthcoming Go Global International Expansion Conference, which is being hosted by MiNetwork in Manchester in June.

Ord also said:

“We decided to go global in 2003 and took our first step into the Middle East in 2004. We started to plan our expansion into North America in 2006 and opened the office there in 2008. Given the success that particular office has achieved, I genuinely wish we had done it sooner but there were both resource and commercial constraints on our business. Expansion into Asia Pacific in 2011 was the next logical step in our international expansion and we were able to apply what we had learned from the move into the Middle East and North America.”

Read the entire article here.

Illustration credit:  fifthring

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

How To Travel Safe When You Travel Internationally

Here are some practical tips and resources to check well in advance of your next international business trip to ensure a safe journey.

International Travel Alerts:  By Country
by Laurel Delaney, About.com Import and Export Guide

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Photo credit:  ©Laurel Delaney 2011.  All rights reserved.

Doha: Dead or Alive?

The Doha round has stalled for what seems like forever.  At this point, do you think it's dead or alive?

Read:

If Doha goes down, what goes with it?
by David Bosco for Foreign Policy

And let us know what you think.  We welcome hearing from you.

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

World, Are You Listening? Exporting Sound.

An article from NPR talking about exporting sound to the world.

"I'm fortunate because I exported my business," says Carl Craig, one of techno's biggest ambassadors. "If I kept it in the U.S., we would have failed a long time ago."

 What are you doing right now locally that could be taken globally?