When I recently wrote on “8 suggestions on behavior when conducting business in foreign countries” http://bit.ly/aBrsCv  one reader recommended that I write a similar piece on doing business in the U.S.   Here it is.
1. Learn to accept the informality of being called by your first name immediately. No disrespect is intended. Americans enjoy informality and [...]

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I was asked recently to share suggestions from my experiences in my international work.  Here are eight recommendations for conducting business in foreign lands.
1. Listen more than you talk. When you do talk, begin your suggestions, expertise, and advice with, “In some countries, we find that this works….”
2. Be happy to be there. Be more than [...]

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I stepped into another world the other day – a place where there are no words for numbers higher than 3 or 4, a world with a simple god but no religion, with time but no calendars, a tribe with customs but no laws, a world of primitive peace, singing, dancing, storytelling and rational priorities. [...]

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We are at a moment in technology development when the infrastructure (of the computer and the Internet) is ubiquitous, and the platforms for development are stable. This creates an abundance of new ideas, applications, and technology.
I’ve been listening at gatherings and meetings, hearing a lot about what venture capitalists are interested in, within the [...]

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I could not resist re-posting this story, true (as claimed) or not. I laughed out loud and recognized my own impatience with incompetence, both a blessing and a curse. And if I were in need of a good attorney, I would want him or her to be just like this.
A New Orleans [...]

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Summary: The New York Time yesterday reported yet another investment in online games, this time with an interesting structural twist.  http://bit.ly/7J9byh  Digital Sky Technologies, from Russia, made yet another investment in the online world, after its $200 million investment earlier this year in Facebook. They are leading a group that will invest $180 million in Zynga, purveyor of [...]

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I have been in a series of meetings with early-stage technology companies lately, discussing strategic capital.  These founders and CEOs started developing their technology before the current economic crisis, and have rightly continued their progress.   Some have revenue from a separate side of their business, some don’t. Some have received initial funding from professional sources, [...]

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In early 2009, I was invited by the U.S. State Department to train business owners in Qatar in entrepreneurial growth, in line with Qatar’s government economic initiatives to support SMEs (small and medium enterprises). See http://www.menabwn.org.
There were three high points of the two-day conference:

We were joined on stage by the Minister of Trade, who announced [...]

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Someone asked me recently to offer some of my favorite tips for those traveling and working virtually with technology, in the U.S. and internationally. Here they are.

Do not depend on the infrastructure, electricity, phone lines, or Internet access in remote areas of the U.S. and in many international locations.
Carry currency adapters for conversion [...]

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