Driving the Chevrolet 2012 Equinox FWD LTZ

Published on May 7, 2012 by fastlanepublishing

 

The 2012 Chevrolet Equinox FWD LTZ has a striking design lines from every angle. From the sporty grill to the power rear lift-gates captivating rear-view. Even the chrome exhaust tips set off this fantastic vehicles good looks. On the power headed mirrors. Their are mounted luggage rack side rails that compliment the entire vehicles exterior chrome package. From the power outside The 18 inch chrome clad aluminum sport wheels set-off this Equinox. Good looking Halogen projector beam head lamps set-off with front fog lamps.

2012 Chevrolet Equinox FWD LTZ features: Perforated leather-appointed seating with heated front seats - Power-programmable lift-gate - Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist - Memory settings for driver seat and exterior mirrors - Chrome door handles - outside power-adjustable mirrors - roof rack side rails with bright chrome inserts and bright fascia lowers.

182-hp ECOTEC 2.4L 4-cylinder 264-hp 3.0L V6 Engine(5) for added performance and towing capability.
Six-Speed Automatic Transmission helps deliver smooth acceleration.
Towing (Min/Max)(6)
StabiliTrak Electronic Stability Control System with Traction Control and Rollover Mitigation and Electronic Trailer Sway Control. Helps the vehicle respond to your steering commands.
Variable-Assist Power Steering Enhances your drive handling and parking.
Tire Pressure Monitor(7) Warns you when the tire pressure drops.
Traction Control.
Power-Programmable Liftgate.
Hill Start Assist Prevents roll-back on an incline until vehicle begins moving forward.
Four-Wheel Antilock Disc Brakes with Electronic Brake Force Distribution
Designed to help reduce wheel lockup and help maintain steering control during hard braking.
Six Air Bags(8) For enhanced occupant protection.
OnStar® with Directions & Connections®(3), including Automatic Crash Response(9) for the first six months
Built-in vehicle sensors can request emergency help, even if you can't.
LATCH System for Child Safety Seats - Easier for you to install child seats.
SiriusXM Satellite Radio(10) with three trial months. Tune into SiriusXM Satellite Radio for digital-quality sound from coast to coast.
Pioneer® 250-watt Premium Sound System Provides rich, clear sound through eight speakers.
Rear Vision Camera Helps you see more of what's behind you in the 7" diagonal color display.
Rear Parking Assist when traveling in reverse at low speeds, sensors in the bumper audio alert you when you are approaching certain stationary objects.
MultiFlex™ Sliding Rear Seat
Slides nearly eight inches for great legroom with 60/40 split-folding seatbacks.
Color Touch Radio with Navigation
USB Port(11) Enables you to plug in your MP3 player or music-loaded flash drive and control it through the audio system.
Perforated Leather-Appointed Seats
Relax in sumptuous leather-appointed seating and stay warm year-round. Heated Driver and Front Passenger Seats. Projector beam headlamps. Premium interior lighting package including illuminated front door handles and foot-wells.

Special thanks  to Brandon Lane of Brando Lights!

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Moms Rule the World: Happy Day!

"Mother - that was the bank where we deposited all our hurts and worries."  ~ T. DeWitt Talmage

Photo courtesy:  ©Laurel Delaney 2012, "Woman and Child Adventure." 

Riding The 2012 GMC Acadia Denali

 It was a week of automotive wonder riding and driving the 2012 GMC Acadia Denali. This vehicle does everything that you ask it to and more. There may not be a more comfortable ride on the planet.

The moment you seat yourself behind the wheel you instantly feel just how well designed the cabin of this Acadia Denali is. Rich Leather seating surfaces let you know right away that this is a class act. The driver and front passenger were heated and cooled. The fact that was ample room to seat seven passengers was a big plus. The leather wrapped steering wheel with its wood accents was telescopic and tilting. It was also nice to have all the necessary controls available to your fingertips.

What about the audio? Bose Premium rocks this 2012 Acadia Denali within an AM/FM CD Player with axillary input jack. Also this Acadia Denali is equipped with Universal Home Remote and rear seat audio controls and headphone jacks.

You have the option for XM Radio + Service Subscription.

The Acadia Denali sports a Touch-Screen Navigation with a Rear-View Camera Display and a DVD Entertainment System

Not only loaded on the interior but equally impressive on the exterior with design lines to kill for.

Highlights	Denali
StabiliTrak	Standard
CD/MP3 and navigation system	Available
Rear-seat entertainment system	Available
SiriusXM Satellite Radio	Standard
OnStar®, 6 months of Directions & Connections® plan	Standard
Remote Keyless Entry	Standard
Rear cargo area storage system	Standard
Steering wheel, leather-wrapped	Standard
Head-Up Display	Standard
Heated and cooled front seats	Standard
Insulation, Acoustic Package, Denali specific	Standard
Floor mats, premium, carpeted front, second and third row, Denali specific	Standard
Dual SkyScape 2-panel power sunroof	Standard
20" chrome-clad aluminum wheels	Standard
Daytime Running Lamps	Standard
High-Intensity Discharge headlamps	Standard
Sill plate, illuminated, Denali specific We also put OnStar to the test and a requested a maintenance printout of the 2012 Buick Enclave AWD that we were driving. 2012 Buick Enclave OnStar Vehicle Report A Special Thanks To Brandon Lane of Brando Lights

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Think An Overseas Assignment Moves You Up in the Corporate World?

International assignments are good but what you really need is broad international experience -- the more the better!

As the process of bringing products to market involves an increasingly global web of commerce, managers gunning for the C-suite should be ready to complete multiple stints abroad. Such double- and triple-dipping workers are in high demand, because time spent overseas develops their ability to manage complex, interconnected operations—skills that just can't be developed back at headquarters or in one brief foreign assignment, recruiters and human-resources executives say.

Read the entire article here.

Worldwide: Dealing With People Who Are Different From You

World Trade Month the World Over

President Obama declared the third full week in May as World Trade Week yet May in its entirety is declared World Trade Month.  Organizations, individuals, aspiring global entrepreneurs and other stakeholders gather together to meet, network, work global deals and learn more about international trade.

New York goes all out on this!  Visit World Trade Week New York City 14-25 May 2012 here.  Calendar of May events here.

All of this speaks to the importance of international trade in our global economy. 

Statement from U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson on World Trade Month 2012:

In addition to World Trade Month events and activities across the country, this month the Commerce Department will present the 50th Annual President’s “E” Award that will recognize dozens of U.S. companies for the significant contributions they have made in increasing American exports and creating jobs. Other activities will include the implementation of the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, which goes into effect on May 15, and local World Trade Week (May 20-26) celebrations from New York to Los Angeles.  ~ More info:  http://www.trade.gov/ 

For additional help, revisit:

The Global Small Business Blog

Women Entrepreneurs GROW Global

About.com Import and Export Site

There is no better time than now to find your opportunities in the global marketplace! 

Changing the World One Idea At a Time

Photo courtesy:  ©Laurel Delaney 2012 "Time cover"

As the article below highlights, the global economy is being remade before our eyes. Here's what's on the horizon.

10 Ideas Changing the World 

Right Now

Here's one:  Rent-A-Country

English the Language of Choice in Dubai?

Erin Burnett shares experience in visiting the American University in Dubai:  Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Communication.

According to Burnett, English is fast becoming the only language of a new generation of educated Arabs.

Literacy in the Gulf States is 98%, according to Unesco. But that literacy is increasingly in English, not Arabic.

Read the entire article here.

Illustration credit:  AUD

Make a Splash

Photo credit:  ©Laurel Delaney 2012, "Splash"

"The pressure to compete, the fear somebody else will make the splash first, creates a frenzied environment in which a blizzard of information is presented and serious questions may not be raised." ~ Carl Bernstein

Photo credit: ©Laurel Delaney 2012, "Splash"

Ideas For Staying Ahead of the Global Curve

Find out how a small bondage business competes in a global economy.

One quick comment from the CEO of Kink Engineering Matt Olmstead:

We have our designs pirated and mass produced by competitors in China (and constantly have to design ahead of the curve or seek markets that want custom/artisanal work).

Visit:  Kink Engineering (as illustrated)

Art in Norway

Try: NoPlace Museum, Oslo Norway.  Here's exactly where they are located.

Samples:

Good Cinema

Platou's cave

Haldepunkter

Sign

FunSaver

NO COMMENT

This bird has flown

Frenzy

N

Robert Johnson where you at?

Borders and Shading - Alignment and Spacing

Immediate Thereafter

The New Regime

Calma Maria Magdalena

Now you've been someplace in Norway.

Photo credit:  NoPlace Museum

Countries With Promising Advantages

Author and Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer poses the question:  Which countries are best positioned to pivot deftly in this emerging world order?

We have entered what I like to call a "G-Zero" world: one in which no single nation (not even the U.S.) or alliance of governments (certainly not the G-7 or G-20) possesses the political and economic muscle to drive an international agenda. In this new decentralized global order, growth isn't enough. A country also must have resilience—the power to pivot.

Ian Bremmer

Find out here.  In terms of promising advantages, country size does not matter.

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Inspiring School Design: Fuji Kindergarten in Japan

If you are a designer or architect, you can take your brilliant ideas global. In this case, Fuji Kindergarten (completed in 2007) provides a learning environment that fosters the individual development and expression of all its pupils in Japan.

This ethos has been created through a building that doubles as a huge piece of play equipment. The Montessori pedagogy on which the design is based creates a building with no walls. Classroom spaces, play areas, and support facilities merge into one, offering a landscape for children to explore and adapt to suit their needs.

Project facts here.

The architects (courtesy photo above) behind the project can be found here. 

Fuji Kindergarten website here.

Well What Do You Know: Small Businesses Go Global

According to "Small Businesses Go Global," exporting has never been easier:

Much of Gladden’s business is in the United States and Canada, but an increasing amount has popped up in places like Australia, the Caribbean and across Europe, prompting him to move forward on opening an office in the United Kingdom. As a small business diving head first into the export market, Gladden Sales represents the kind of trend economic development officials would like to see more of in Louisiana.

Read the entire article here.

Illustration credit:  Gladtags (as mentioned in article)

World: How Not To Hear a Phone Ring

Photo courtesy:  ©Laurel Delaney 2012

"That's the great thing about a tractor. You can't really hear the phone ring." ~ Jeff Foxworthy

Photo credit:  ©Laurel Delaney 2012 "Tractor on a Beach, Chicago"

Global Crossroads: Chicago NATO Summit 2012

A guide to the world leaders who will be visiting Chicago May 20th - 21st.

Chicago NATO Summit 2012
The Official Host Committee Site

What is NATO?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, is a political-military alliance made up of 28 member countries, including the United States. Formed in 1949, NATO has played a unique and essential role in maintaining security and stability throughout the past six decades. It has grown and adapted to changing political environments and security challenges and, with enlargements, partnerships, and peacekeeping missions, has proven itself to be an effective Alliance.

Illustration credit here.

How to Work With an International Distributor

What does an international distributor do?  What do you need to know before appointing one?  I've got it covered.

Read:  A Guide to Working With an International Distributor

Based on your experience, what am I missing?  Please share.  Thanks!

e-Book Use By Country

According to Bowker Market Research’s Global eBook Monitor, Australia, India, the U.K. and the U.S. are leading the world in e-book adoption rates.

The study tracks consumer attitudes to and purchasing of e-books in major world markets.

Learn more here.

Illustration source:  Bowker Market Research

American Crossroads: Operation Hot Mic

Bankrupt “Green Energy” Company Acquired by Russian Oligarch with Ties to Putin

WASHINGTON – Following on the heels of President Barack Hussein Obama’s claim that he would have “more flexibility” on foreign policy deals with Russia after winning re-election, Russian oligarch Boris Zingarevich, who once employed now-Russian President Medvedev, has acquired full control of bankrupt stimulus recipient and “green energy” failure Ener1.
Once heralded by the Obama Administration as one of the “Top 100 Recovery Act Projects Changing America,” Ener1 filed for bankruptcy in January, and was purchased by Zingarevich on March 30. The company was promised $118.5 million of stimulus money, half of which has already been paid, and the remainder of which may still be given away even after Russian control has been taken.
Vice President Biden ironically (or prophetically?) said at the Ener1 manufacturing facility about this technology, “This is about the future.  And the question is which nation is going to seize the future.  Some nation is going to grab it by the throat.”  Russia has answered Biden’s challenge in true Putin style.
“This acquisition is yet another example of the failure of the President to steward taxpayer dollars wisely, and now taxpayer-funded technology is in the hands of one of Vladimir Putin’s cronies,” said American Crossroads President and CEO Steven Law.  “America can’t afford to give President Obama another term with flexibility to continue putting our country at risk.”
Ener1’s bankruptcy and acquisition by Russia is not only an economic failure for President Obama, but a national security failure as well, representing the latest attempt by Putin’s regime to seize American technology.

We have a golden opportunity to CHANGE lanes on this tragic road that we are traveling down. As American Motorist our numbers are great! But time is passing fast! We must act now for to delay will be tragic! Our Opportunity is NOW! "Our Numbers=Our Power!"  Join:  www.americanmotoristvote.com

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Changing Higher Global Learning Forever

Free online Stanford courses, enabling students (and individuals) to learn worldwide.  Go here to explore.

Read the full length article in Wired Magazine here.

Visit MITx, MIT's new online learning initiative here.

Photo credit:  Laurel Delaney out of Wired magazine.

Infrastructure Entrepreneurs in India

India's infrastructure sector is going global.

In India, Andhra Pradesh-based firms span irrigation projects, roads, airports and power, having outbid established players and outpaced them in growth. In fact, India's four best airports — Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi — are all managed by AP entrepreneurs. 

Learn more:  After making it big in India, AP infra entrepreneurs go global

Related information:

Department of Industries

Tell The World About Your Automotive Product On Car Concerns Radio USA!

 

At Car Concerns Radio USA we can showcase your automotive product to the auto consumers of the World. Let Harry do an interview with you "LIVE" on nationally syndicated Car Concerns Radio USA!

Automobile manufactures like BMW, Chrysler, General Motors, Infinity, Nissan, and others know that on Car Concerns USA, Harry is talking with the retail auto consumer on a mass scale each weekday.

If you want to do an interview like Auto-Finder (www.auto-finder.com) choose to do then contact Car Concerns Radio USA! Today!   1-855-Car-Concerns (1-855-227-2662) or harry@carconcerns.com

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Skyscraper to the World: The Trump Tower in Chicago

Photo:  ©Laurel Delaney

Trump International Hotel and Tower, Chicago.

Photo credit:  ©Laurel Delaney 2012, "The Trump Tower Chicago"

Pizza in Sanlitun: A Story

I am not sure who authored the article below or perhaps by the time it is published a name will be attached to it, but it's about cab experiences in Beijing, giving a good dose of daily interactions in China.

Read:  Going Global

Sanlitun (pictured) the expatriate district of Beijing.

United States Is the Largest Services Trading Country in the World

Photo courtesy:  ©Laurel Delaney 2012, "United States Flag"

According to Ron Kirk's article Rethinking 'Made in America,' the U.S. service sector currently accounts for four out of five American jobs.

The U.S. is the largest services trading country in the world, with $1 trillion in two-way trade in 2011 and a services trade surplus last year of $179 billion (up 23% from 2010). In what economist Bradford Jensen defines as the fastest-growing services sectors, Bureau of Economic Analysis data show that the U.S. in 2010 had a trade surplus of $57 billion with the Asia-Pacific region, of $44 billion with the European Union, of $35 billion with the countries covered by the North American Free Trade Agreement (Canada and Mexico), and of $25 billion with the rest of Latin America. America's robust services exports reduced its overall trade deficit by 24% in 2010. 

Read the entire fabulous article by Ron Kirk:  Rethinking 'Made in America'

Photo courtesy:  ©Laurel Delaney 2012, "United States Flag"

Thanks to the Internet, Everyone Can Be Global

Why just look.

These days though, indie recordings are the new currency, unsigned bands are the new mainstream, and no one needs to look to major music labels to get a shot at fame. Sure, you still get your Lady Gagas and your Madonnas and your Black Eyed Peas. But the buzz about indie artists is that they get just as much fan fervour as major label artists. 

Find out how:  Starting Local, Going Global

Photo credit:  Suzanne Vega homepage

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Establishing Salespeople Overseas

How do you setup salespeople abroad, especially when they are located more than 12,000 miles away?

Here are some tips.

Revisit:  Finding Top Salespeople Abroad

Building Peace: Unesco

See all the cool global knowledge shared at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) where the mission is to build peace in the minds of men and women.

Explore UNESCO.

Illustration credit:  UNESCO

For the World to Enjoy: Tulips

Photo courtesy:  ©Laurel Delaney 2012

"If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere." ~Vincent Van Gogh

Photo courtesy: ©Laurel Delaney 2012, "Tulips Downtown Chicago"

Cozy Global Relationships: The Benefits

Cozy relationships with government can influence many things.

Talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement, which the U.S. is negotiating with Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, are continuing this week (April 9-13) in Santiago, Chile in the form of an “intersessional meeting” on intellectual property (IP).

See what's brewing here.

Borderless Business

"In the future, there will be two kinds of enterprises:  those that go global and those that die." ~ Laurel Delaney (May 2006)

Thanks to the Internet, small businesses have the ability to conduct business with just about anyone in the world.

So find out how no boundaries for small businesses can be a boost to growth here.

Illustration credit here.

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Retail Transformed By Globalization

7-Eleven Japan

According to Sandeep Mathrani, CEO of General Growth Properties, retail real estate is being profoundly transformed by the process of globalization.

Retailers are increasingly crossing borders and competing on the international stage. Developers too are diversifying portfolios and increasingly becoming international operators, forging relationships with tenants that cross the globe.

To learn more about this, visit here.

Also, pay a visit to 2012 Retail Real Estate World Summit

Are You Ready to Import and Export?

Is your business in the right state to import or export?  There's only one way to find out.

Go here to explore.

New TV Series Goes Global

The new TV show Touch, starring Kiefer Sutherland, is going global.

But the universal language of numbers and a rainbow coalition of characters aren’t the only things that give “Touch’’ its global scope. The cosmic unity of “Touch’’ is also demonstrated in how it’s being launched: all at once around the world.

Learn more here.

A World As Free As a Bird

©Laurel Delaney 2012, "Free As a Bird"

“Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see a bird that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses.” ~ Dale Carnegie

Photo courtesy:  ©Laurel Delaney 2012, "Free As a Bird"

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

SUPPORT THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE NOW!

President Obama:
The Keystone XL pipeline would create thousands of good jobs. It would make America more energy independent and secure. It is such a common sense project that even former president Bill Clinton supports it.
Why are you using your perch as the President of the United States to block the Keystone XL pipeline from being built? The people need you to fight for us, not for your Presidential Campaign.

Stop playing politics with jobs and our country. Change your position. Support new jobs. Support a better tomorrow. Support the Keystone XL pipeline. And do it now.  From the millions of voting American Motorist

CAR CONCERNS ROCKS IN THE USA EVERY WEEK-DAY MORNING CALL HARRY MONDAY THUR FRIDAY...9:00 TO 11:00 A.M. (EST). BORDER-TO-BORDER...COAST-TO-COAST... USA TOLL-FREE: 1-888-454-3378 HEARD ON THE CAR CONCERNS RADIO NETWORK: Boston 1460 WXBR Greenwich WGCH 1490  Las Vegas 970 KNUU Pittsburgh 1550 WLFP Guam 560 KGUM Orlando/Winter Springs IPR Radio Seattle/Bothell Big R Radio Internet Streamed @ www.lifestyletalkradio.com EMAIL: harry@carconcerns.com

Canada Exports a Lot Worldwide

Canada is shipping a whole lot to the rest of the world -- especially to the United States.

The value of U.S.-bound exports grew by more than 10 per cent last year to $330.1-billion, led by sharply higher crude oil sales, according to Statistics Canada’s annual review of Canadian merchandise trade released Wednesday.

Learn more about Canada's imports and exports worldwide here.

Illustration credit here (click on image to enlarge).

Highlights of the National Export Initiative (2 Years In)

Ding Dong, Coty Calling

Coty offers to buy world's largest cosmetics direct seller Avon Products Inc. for U.S. $10 billion. Avon rejected the offer saying ...

it "substantially undervalues" the company and said a new CEO will create a "greater opportunity" to increase Avon's value beyond what Coty was offering.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Avon was recognized widely by its "Ding Dong, Avon Calling" advertisements.

Read the entire article here. 

Photo courtesy:  Avon (lipstick)

How Do You Make the World Your Marketplace?

President of World Trade Center Miami and a director of the World Trade Centers Association, Charlotte Gallogly (pictured) gives some advice on going global.

Q. What’s the best preparation for someone who wants to make the world their marketplace?

Determine your business (product/market interests) and then travel to trade fairs in those countries to determine the viability and the market interest in your products. Also, work in the industries to gain experience to ease your transition to becoming an entrepreneur.

Read the entire article here.

Note:  World Trade Center Miami

The World Trade Center Miami (worldtrade.org), a member of the World Trade Centers Association and Florida’s oldest international organization, fosters international business opportunities for member companies.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/11/2688205/business-leader-offers-advice.html#storylink=cpy

Photo credit: MiamiHerald.com

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Swing Away World

“Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas.” ~ Henry Ford

Photo credit:  ©Laurel Delaney 2012, "Swing Away" (Disneyland, Anaheim, CA)

The Value Of a Face-To-Face International Business Meeting

Yes -- you can start and solidify a business relationship via telephone, Skype or email, but nothing cements it better than an in-person (face-to-face) visit with your international customer.  It's essential.

Find out why here.

U.S. Export Funding Help

Will Ex-Im Bank's loans, loan guarantees, and insurance to American exporters and foreign buyers dry up at the end of May?

Fred Hochberg, Ex-Im’s chairman, says that 87 percent of the bank’s transactions and 20 percent of its financing dollars go to small businesses. 

Find out more here.  And another viewpoint here.

J. Crew Scouts Global Opportunity

J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler will start selling online orders to 107 countries, spanning 41 currencies.  This is an about face for a CEO who at one time called overseas expansion a "distraction from domestic operations.”

There's a trick (I call it 'deep strategic thinking') to going global that fast.  Find out what it is here.

Illustration credit:  J. Crew homepage

Related article:

J. Crew Spreads Its Global Wings (2/27/10) -- looks like it has taken them two years to get this new international initiative off the ground.

FIRDAWS In Dubai Goes Global

Learn more here. 

Best Option in a Challenging World Economy: Self-Employment

At last, a site on everything you wanted to know about self-employment and then some. 

World:  Go live your dream!

The Self Employed

Your Job Just Got Easier

Illustration credit:  The Self Employed website

Spring Fever in Chicago!

©Laurel Delaney 2012

"It's spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!" ~ Mark Twain

Photo credit:  ©Laurel Delaney 2012, "Spring Has Sprung in Chicago."

Grow Small Business, Grow Through Exports

Air Tractor, with 270 employees, is the largest employer in rural Olney -- population 3,000.  They manufacture agricultural and forestry firefighting aircraft.

For more than 15 years, they have been increasing their exports with the assistance of Export-Import Bank of the United States.  

But this overseas business and these new jobs could disappear if Congress fails to reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank before it expires at the end of May, ending the financing that makes these exports possible.

Learn more here.

Illustration credit:  Air Tractor

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/03/20/3824000/ickert-growing-small-business.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/03/20/3824000/ickert-growing-small-business.html#storylink=cpy

Look Who's Entering Global Markets!

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, more than 70 percent of the world's purchasing power is outside of the United States.

So, what are you waiting for?  Small Business:  Getting Into Global Markets says, "if your business isn't taking advantage of global markets, you could be missing out on some big opportunities."

Read the entire article here (and we are delighted to be quoted).  Hat tip to author Jamie Herzlich.

The Perfect Global Growth Plan

To achieve success running a global small business, you must prepare!  To start, put a plan in place for the future.  Think of it as a global road map.

Try this on for size.  See if it fits or works for your business.

6 Ways to Execute a Perfect Global Growth Plan For Your Business

Done Deal: UPS Buys TNT

"We love logistics!"

"Sure we can!"

UPS just boosted its logistics power.  It bought TNT for 5.2 billion euros (U.S. $6.85 billion).

Learn more here.

A marriage made on this planet.

Embracing Going Global

According to "Expanding Internationally:  How to Go Global," even small businesses can take advantage of e-commerce platforms, including global fulfillment solutions and transaction processing capabilities that are designed to enable rapid online expansion outside of the domestic market.  

Review the guide for getting started.  And you might revisit this article as well.

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Have Yourself the Sweetest St. Patty's Day Ever

©Laurel Delaney 2012, "St. Patty's Day Cookies"

My favorite day of the year:  St. Patrick's Day.  Even if you are not Irish, pretend you are.  No one will know the difference and you will be all the more happy for the stretch!  Wish I could say I made these sweets.  Didn't.  Photographed them though.

Enjoy and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Past Irish posts here ...

Photo credit:  ©Laurel Delaney 2012, "St. Patty's Day Cookies"

SBA's International Trade Loan Program

As a small business owner, do you plan to bring your production to the United States? Then the U.S. Small Business Administration’s International Trade Loan (ITL) program can provide you with capital to finance your fixed assets, including real estate, and working capital needs.

The program offers private lenders a 90% guarantee on loans as an incentive to encourage lending to growing small businesses.

You can use the ITL program two ways:

1. On-shore to strengthen exports.
2. On-shore to counter import competition.

Learn more here.