3 unexpected cultural differences that required adapting my business tactics

Learning about other cultures before attempting a business relationship can make all the difference between success and failure in that venture, and help you avoid unexpected cultural differences.

Louei Ali, MBA, CITP|FIBP

Louei is the Director of Business Development at Canada Topp Group based in London Ontario (Canada). Canada Topp Group is an export trading company that helps Canadian companies with opportunities and business development in over 40 countries by acting as their export arm to reach a well established community of qualified distributors.

Profit, People, Planet for sustainability. Does your company have all the bottom lines covered?

While the traditional bottom line will always remain a crucial part of business, some companies are expanding their view and building their business to focus on the Triple bottom line (3BL/TPL): Profit, People and Planet.

Mike Au, CITP|FIBP

Mike is a certified international trade and supply chain logistics professional with years of business experience in the industry. He believes that total quality delivery by businesses must include the respect for people and the environment.

Expand into new global markets with these 5 lessons from marathon running

As an avid runner, I see a lot of opportunities to equate efforts to expand into new global markets to running a marathon. Here are five lessons I’ve learned from my experiences in marathon running and managing the global business expansion of various entities.

Lora Rigutto Vigliatore, CITP|FIBP

Lora is an International Trade and Business Development "Coach." She has a passion for international trade development and many years experience coaching businesses to expand into global markets. With fluency in Spanish, Lora has a keen interest in finding strategic partnering opportunities between Canadian and Latin American businesses and maintaining those cross-cultural relationships.

Discovering new global business experiences while exploring the world

Although a degree in commerce was definitely a good pick for me, I was mostly interested in the lesser-known international opportunities that were provided to gain new global business experiences.

Rob Howard

Rob is a multilingual international trade professional (English native, fluent French, fluent Spanish, and advanced Mandarin) focusing on the petrochemical export and drilling technology industries. He also aspires to one day get his Juris Doctorate degree in Houston while focusing on international trade & transactional law.

13 ways Canadian SME’s can improve on their dismal export rates

For all the talk about Canada being a trading nation, we aren’t when it comes to small and medium sized enterprises. While SME’s account for roughly 95 percent of all companies in Canada, and create 65 percent of all jobs, Canadian SME export rates are at less than 2 percent.

Doug Taylor, CITP|FIBP

Doug, CITP|FIBP, is the Managing Director of Pacific Business Intelligence Ltd. (PBI). PBI provides professional consulting services in the core areas of international business development, strategic market planning and corporate guidance. PBI has undertaken assignments in over thirty countries in East and West Europe, Asia, North America, the Middle East and the Caribbean for private industry, governments and international organizations.

Gather strong competitive intelligence to maximize your profitability in international markets

Competitive intelligence keeps a company informed about critical issues that might influence its profitability and ability to compete in the marketplace. It also enables decision makers to make more effective planning decisions.

Ewan Roy

I'm a Digital Marketing Specialist for the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT). My background is in writing and research, and I am passionate about communicating new ideas and telling stories that matter to you.

Report predicts major boom in U.S. trade from growing Asian economies

The United States stands to benefit in trade from the growth of Asian economies such as Vietnam and Korea, British bank HSBC said in a report in late May. U.S. trade is expected to benefit strongly from an uptick in growth in China, Vietnam, India, and other countries in Asia.

Jacqueline Côté

I am a working journalist, with experience as SNL Financial’s Canadian correspondent for its Mining and Metals vertical. I also served as the Managing Editor for Central Asia Newswire – covering daily economic and investment news in the region – as well as Features Editor for the Washington-based Magharebia.com, which covers developments in the North Africa region. I have been published in The Montreal Gazette, The Guardian (UK), The New Statesman (UK), Red Pepper (UK), Geopolitical Monitor and CNN.com.

Is the TPP deal another “Giant Sucking Sound” or a path to 21st century shared prosperity?

Despite their loss in Congress this week, the vigorous opposition to TPP will continue when the actual treaty is finalized and presented to Congress for ratification. Is the TPP deal another giant sucking sound as former presidential candidate Ross Perot called the NAFTA agreement?

Susie Yovic Hoeller, CITP|FIBP

Susan (“Susie”) Yovic Hoeller has been practicing international business and regulatory law for over three decades. Susie was born in Chicago and raised in Montreal. She has represented Fortune 100 companies, middle market companies, and start ups while living in Chicago, Dallas and NW Arkansas. She is currently located in Tampa, Florida.

Kiran Sharma, CITP|FIBP – Job Cost Administrator

With over a decade of experience working with international clients and managing business finances, Kiran is committed to excellence in her work and continuing to develop her career as a Job Cost Administrator.

Ewan Roy

I'm a Digital Marketing Specialist for the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT). My background is in writing and research, and I am passionate about communicating new ideas and telling stories that matter to you.

How to avoid going to court with international business disputes in foreign markets

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) aims to resolve disputes in a way that is less expensive, faster, and more predictable than adversarial judiciary processes, and help you avoid going to court with international business disputes.

Jacob Varghese

Jacob is the VP of Marketing and Technology at the Forum for International Trade Training. Focused on improving the customer experience. A Content chef; words, images, some code and a healthy serving of web analytics.