News of Interest: Get Ready For the Next Big Gamechanger

Oftentimes it's the little things that sneak up on us while we run our businesses. Suddenly, out of nowhere, we find ourselves shaking our heads wondering how or why we fell behind, especially concerning the powerful capabilities of the Internet.

Take blogs, for example, remember when people questioned why in the world anyone would start a blog? Pause for a moment to appreciate the explosive growth in blogosphere. Blogs increased from 4,000 in 2004 to currently more than 133,000,000 (is anyone still counting?). Note: the Women Presidents' Organization launched its blog in 2006!

Then came Linked In, Facebook and Twitter. Many of us could not comprehend what these new media platforms meant for our businesses. Now we get it. As a result, we're racing ahead to catch up and leverage the digital revolution in a way that drives positive results for our businesses.

And now, along comes still another new magical and revolutionary device. It's called the iPad (a lightweight screen meant to move). Think it won't change the way we do things? Guess again.

The iPad has all the signs of a global gamechanger. Ready yourself and your business for it now (official release date is April 3). You want to win the race this time around.

Read: 13 of the Brightest Tech Minds Sound Off on the Rise of the Tablet

Photo credit: Apple

Breaking news: Well what do you know ... just in via online by the king of tech reviews, Walter S. Mossberg, WSJ (April 1, 2010):

Laptop Killer? Pretty Close
iPad Is a 'Game Changer' That Makes Browsing and Video a Pleasure; Challenge to the Mouse

News of Interest: Women Presidents' Organization Has a New Blog Look

The online paint has finally dried. The Women Presidents' Organization (WPO) headquarter office has a new look at their blog.

Pay a visit here.

If you've been following, be sure to change the RSS feed and sign up to receive notifications of blog posts via email.

Now you have WPO 360º!

Article of Interest: Reconsider Your Hiring Practices

USA Today columnist Rhonda Abrams challenges women business owners to change the way we think about hiring if we want to grow — really grow — our companies.

She highlights:

Here's a startling fact: nearly 7% of male-owned businesses gross more than a million dollars a year, but less than 3% of women-owned businesses do. In fact, there are only about 250,000 women-owned businesses that generate $1 million or more in sales a year. One reason: women's reluctance to hire.

Abrams also emphasizes it takes a confident women to be in charge of others.

Read the entire article here. Agree? Disagree? Weigh in with your comments. We always enjoy hearing from you.

Photo credit here.

News of Interest: U.S. $6 billion a Year in Export Financing for Small Businesses

For those already running a global small business or thinking about taking a business international, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke pledged U.S. $6 billion a year in export financing for U.S.A. small businesses through the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

What does this mean for you and your business? If you haven't looked overseas to build sales for your business, you should now.

The National Export Initiative is focused on three key areas:

1. A more robust effort by this administration to expand its trade advocacy in all its forms, especially for small- and medium-sized enterprises. This effort includes educating U.S. companies about opportunities overseas, directly connecting them with new customers and advocating more forcefully for their interests.

2. Improving access to credit with a focus on small- and medium-sized businesses that want to export.

3. Continuing the rigorous enforcement of international trade laws to help remove barriers that prevent U.S. companies from getting free and fair access to foreign markets.

As Commerce Secretary Gary Locke says:

“Increasing the export of American products and services to global markets can help revive the fortunes of U.S. companies, spur future economic growth and support jobs here at home."

Discover how you can put the world in your hands and use the power of the U.S. government to increase your export sales here.