Most women typically believe globalization does not concern the small businessperson, but only huge multi-national corporations such as IBM or Wal-Mart, that are seeking to lower their labor and manufacturing costs. Large businesses are not the only ones that can take advantage of the global marketplace! These massive changes today affect businesses of all sizes. If you don't want to be left behind, then you must learn how to take advantage of this as well.

The bottom line is that no matter how large or small your business is, you cannot afford to ignore that the world has opened up and that borders have begun to disappear in myriad ways. Your business needs to compete, and it is the savvy businessperson who knows it! If you try to resist that fact, you will just be fighting a losing battle. Most importantly, you will not remain competitive. Learn how to take advantage of these changes before your competition does.

When talking about competing on a global scale, you need to think about it in two different ways. First: use resources worldwide to help build you business better, faster, and more economically. Second: grow your target audience – not just people in your own back yard, region, or country; sell your product or service to the whole world! Believe it or not, this is possible for almost every business out there. Start thinking differently and start connecting!

The new learning curve for the new world:

Yes there is a new learning curve in deciding how to work with people located around the world and how this will be a direct help to you. What you may not want to acknowledge is that competitors from every corner of the world are after your business. They will work just as hard - if not harder, and for a fraction of the cost - because their living costs allow them to do so. Some people want to ignore this because it's “hurting” jobs at home. If you ignore these changes then it will be you who suffers the consequences. It is our responsibility – workers and owners alike – to become educated about where our world is headed. We all need to learn which jobs can and can't be outsourced. There are great discussions and books on this subject that everyone should read (see below for book recommendations). If you are not educated on this, you will be the one who may be in trouble because you will still be in the “old world” way of doing things. People who are succeeding are learning how to work in this new world. They see how these changes can directly help them now instead of being blindsided in the future and then are forced to catch up.

Running your company the new way:

The whole idea of globalization is truly remarkable because it allows you to do things in your business you have never been able to before. Within the last 6-8 years (and since the Internet revolution), even the most remote areas of the world have become wired. This has opened up opportunities for millions and millions of workers to offer their services on-line. It has truly never been easier to take advantage of starting or running your company at considerably lower costs! For example, you can have products made for your business in China, conduct accounting processes in India, and oversee a website design in Estonia. This is possible because the Internet can connect the world in a way we have never seen before. This is truly amazing, because with a quick e-mail you can easily discuss your project needs with someone halfway around the world. You can use Skype to call people at no charge (if they have Skype; if not, it's a small charge) and you can use Paypal to easily pay for services rendered.

How can you benefit? Begin by looking at resources online - look in ways you may not have thought of before. Dissect your current business model or new business idea and ask yourself, “How can I can do this differently, and take advantage of globalization?” Start searching for ways to outsource areas that fit your business model. You will be shocked at the number of companies and individuals willing to cater to your every need. Online resources will enable you to locate just about any service or product that will assist you – at much lower costs because you are searching in a much larger pool.

Globalization is a remarkable change to the way we have done business in the past, and not something we can ignore. It's happening – much faster than you think. Companies large and small are exploring ways in which they can do things better, faster, and cheaper worldwide – and so can you! Get online – start making those global connections and find the ways you can make your company better.

Book Recommendations:

A Whole New Mind
By Daniel H. Pink

The World Is Flat
By Thomas L. Friedman