A Santa All Year Round and All Around the World?

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Is it possible to have a Santa all year round, all around the world, and one who generates business?  In Finland, they're trying to do something exactly like this.

Read the entire article:  Finnish Santa Claus wants to go global, all year round  

To SMEs in China, The Whole World Can Be Your Market

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After China became a member of the World Trade Organization, twelve years ago, China claims "it’s fulfilled its commitments and made great strides in exporting its "Made in China" brand."

China promised to open the market by bringing down tariffs. The ensuing flood of giant multinationals put tremendous pressure on the country’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Yet, Li Mingliang, who runs a private fish processing company says:

"Today my products can not only be sold in China, but are exported to neighboring countries like Japan and South Korea. The whole world can be my potential market. We are all connected. A decade ago, that was unimaginable."

Read the entire article:  China makes great strides in exporting "Made in China" brand

The Purrfect Pet Food Store

©2013 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

This playful photo was taken at Urbanimal Chicago, the all natural pet food store owned by Daniel Irizarry where:

... [We] believe it's not enough for our furry children to simply survive. Instead we seek to educate and provide products and services that will allow them to thrive.

Pay a visit to Urbanimal to meet the biggest cat of all - and dressed up for the holidays!

Where Did Your Bacon and Eggs Come From This Morning?

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According to Joel Backaler, a contributor to Forbes, Chinese companies go global because of government encouragement as well as business necessity.  He goes on to say, "However, it takes more than international ambitions alone to succeed in developed markets."

The article, the first in a six-part series, begins with:

What did you eat for breakfast this morning? You may be surprised to learn which country it came from…or at least who owns the company that made it. If you had bacon and eggs and live in the U.S., you likely ate Smithfield Foods’ bacon—now owned by China’s Shuanghui International after its $4.7 billion acquisition of the Virginia-based pork producer in September 2013. If you live in the U.K., perhaps you ate a bowl of Weetabix cereal, which was acquired in May 2012 by China’s Bright Food for £1.2 billion (approximately $1.9 billion).

Read the entire article:  Why Do Companies Want to Go West?

Exports Thrive in a New Facility for Madagascar Chocolate Company

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The African island nation Madagascar had some of the best chocolate in the world, but didn’t export any of it.  That's about to change.  Two Peace Corps volunteers Tim McCollum and Brett Beach are on a mission to import and sell both chocolate and vanilla products that are entirely made in Madagascar.

Their company can be found by visiting:  Madécasse

Read the entire article:  Former Pfizer factory trades medicine for chocolate

Facebook For Business Goes Global

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Facebook for Business goes global; it will be made available in 11 more languages, as well as looking to publish regular content including case studies, tips and trends.

The site will be available in Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese, Chinese, simplified Chinese, UK English, German, French, European Spanish, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Latin American Spanish.

Read the entire article:  Facebook For Business set to go global following launch in 11 new languages

Exporting: The Definitive Guide to Selling Abroad Profitably Is Available for Sale Now!

Photo courtesy:  Apress

It's official -- my new book, "Exporting:  The Definitive Guide to Selling Abroad Profitably" is ready to order as of December 17, 2013!  Order the book here:  ExportingGuide.com.

Some pre-press news:

What Entrepreneurs Should Know About Exporting Now

Authors Publish (the latest)

The Definitive Book on Exporting Has Arrived!

I hope you like it!

News release (added 12/17/13 at 11:00 a.m. CST):

Enter the International Marketplace with "Exporting" by Laurel Delaney - Released by Apress Media