New York SBDC Research Network

These are resolutions to improve one's e-mail marketing campaign in 2009: 1. Clean your email list. Can be used for your personal use as well.

From our friends a J.J. Hill Library: Twitter, Pownce, Facebook, Plurk - online communities are as plentiful as they are nonsensically named. And they're coming into the mainstream. Might your business benefit by joining the conversation? A white paper from Rubicon Consulting called Online Communities and Their Impact on Business can help you decide. The study identifies how information about businesses is spread online and how businesses can best interact in that conversation. Access the full report in PDF here . No so incidentally, the title of this post is the subtitle of the white paper.

Once again, I have found a list of business books that I would like to share. The books in BNET's Best Business Books of 2008 were voted on by BNET readers and the article includes synopses, reviews, and more. The topics range from microfinance explained in terms for four to eight year old children to a book titled "The Back of a Napkin", the theme of which is how to solve business problems through illustrating. If anyone who reads this post has business book recommendations, we at the Research Network would love to read your comments. Happy Holidays!

2009 Directory of Department Stores Chain Store Guide Includes: Department Stores Shoe Stores Resident Buyers Jewelry Retailers Optical Retailers Product Lines Apparel Price Lines They offer some statistical analysis as well as profiles of companies. The profile includes address, contact details, total sales, breakdown by product, number of units, buyers by department, parent company. Although available online, we have the print version of the 2007 Traffic Data Report for New York State from the NYS Department of Transportation. The data is available on the Highway Data Services Bureau's web page: https://www.nysdot.gov/portal/page/portal/divisions/engineering/technical-services/highway-data-services

Do you like data? If the answer is “yes,” you’ll certainly enjoy the Census’s Bureau’s 2009 Statistical Abstract of the United States . Just released today, the almanac includes “more than 1,400 tables of social, political and economic facts about our nation and the world. Among topics covered in the 49 new tables in this edition are the religious composition of our nation’s population, osteopathic physicians, online news consumption, expenditures for wildlife-related recreation and women in parliaments around the globe. Although the emphasis is on national-level statistics, some tables present state- and even city- and metropolitan-level data as well.” Check it out (along with previous years back to 2006) in PDF form here: http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/statab2006_2009.html

I found an interesting article about using a secret shopper. I've actually been a secret shopper for friends in business; I think it's fun. The writer's wife's friend is the manager of a store. "Getting someone to participate as a secret shopper could give you the insight you need for evaluating employee performance. There are programs out there that will connect businesses with secret shoppers, or you can just get someone you know to do it if they are willing." Here's the downside: "the possibility of losing the respect of your employees. If you do engage in a secret shopper situation, it is probably best that the employees never find out about it. They will not appreciate being spied on, and no longer trust you. If your employees can't trust you and/or respect you, they're not going to be happy working for you, and will quite possibly begin looking for another job." Bottom line: "If you do use a secret shopper and all of your empl...

We get lots of requests that try & show the growth, or decline, of certain industries (or of small business in general) over a given time period, or in a given place. Our responses have always required getting a bit of data here, and a bit of data there, and involving way too much formatting of spreadsheets. I've just learned of the Census Bureau's new "Business Dynamics Statistics" website. (A lot of people just learned of the site - it just rolled out on December 1st.) However, after reading what it's all about , I'm tempted to say that we'll now be able to answer these questions a whole lot more easily. Here's a press release from Census, telling us just what to expect: "The U.S. Census Bureau announces the release of the Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS), a data series that allows users to track annual changes in employment for growing and shrinking businesses at the establishment level. There are more than 6 million establishments with p...

A few weeks ago, I received an email from BNet titled "BNET's Recession Survival Guide: 12 tactics for surviving the economic storm -- and even coming out ahead." Below are links to the 12 tactics listed. 1. Refiance Your Debt 2. Prioritize Your Debt 3. Land a Private Placement to Fund Critical Investments 4. Exploit Revolving Credit 5. Raise Cash Through “Factoring” 6. Sell Off Non-Critical Assets to Raise Cash 7. Take Advantage of Training Programs 8. Cherry Pick Top Talent Away from Rivals 9. Rebalance Compensation From Top to Bottom 10. Price Optimize for Your Best Customers 11. Double Down on Strategic Advertising 12. Capitalize on Affordable Luxuries

On December 9, 2008, the Census Bureau will release the first set of three-year American Community Survey data for all geographies with populations greater than 20,000. The release will provide the first look at detailed socioeconomic and housing characteristics for geographies between 20,000 and 64,999 since Census 2000. The type of data released and geographies covered can be found here . Different from a point-in-time estimate Before I talk about multiyear estimates, it’s important to understand the concept of a period estimate because all ACS estimates are period estimates. The ACS produces period estimates of socioeconomic and housing characteristics. It is designed to provide estimates that describe the average characteristics of an area over a specific time period. In the case of ACS one-year estimates, the period is the calendar year. For example, the 2007 ACS data describe the population and housing characteristics of an area from January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007, not...

Intellectual property, as defined by Wikipedia, is "a legal field that refers to creations of the mind such as musical, literary, and artistic works; inventions; and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce, including copyrights, trademarks, patents, and related rights." Often times our clients who have created an original product or idea become confused when they want to protect their creation over whether they need to apply for a copyright, trademark, or patent. Below are explanations on the three types of protection and what is protected by each. Copyright is for original works of authorship that are fixed in a tangible form of expression. Copyrights are registered with the United States Copyright Office and have an expiration date. The length of the copyright depends on when the work was first created. Trademark covers words, names, symbols, and devices used to identify goods or services in commerce. Federal regulations are available through the United Stat...

I spotted Ira Davidson quoted in the December issue of Entrepreneur Magazine in an article entitled Smart Moves in a Bad Economy . Good on you, Ira. This is a hot topic and one we are all interested in hearing more about. Increasingly we asked how small business owners should handle their marketing during lean times. This article encourages owners to think carefully about where they cut and warn against cutting valuable people or marketing dollars so severely they spite themselves. Please remember to let us know when you are interviewed in print or broadcast. We want to know!

"We continue to discuss how to best use a single Twitter channel for a 17,000-person agency covering many complex, interdisciplinary issues." This was the first post I read on the EPA's Twitter feed . So apparently we're not alone in trying to figure out this Twitter thing! At least there are less than 200 of us... Want to see how more government agencies are using Twitter? Use the GovTwit directory to find Twitter accounts for state, local and federal, as well as contractors, reporters, academics.

Here's a Census website I did not know about until recently: the International Programs Center (IPC) "conducts demographic and socioeconomic studies and strengthens statistical development around the world through technical assistance, training, and software products." I knew Census had a world population clock , but didn't notice that IPC was the source the information. IPC assists "in the collection, processing, analysis, dissemination, and use of statistics with counterpart governments throughout the world." Also note these handy links to international statistical agencies .

Here's an article that appears in today's Los Angeles Times : http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-smallbiz1-2008dec01,0,5978675.story According to it, accountants in this part of the country are talking to their small business clients about: deferring deductions and accelerating income; increasing the deduction for expenses; taking a bonus depreciation deduction; and taking a deduction for losses.

Researching the validity of a company is easy to do when you know where to look. Below are links to resources to use. While the links are New York State specific, when researching a company, use the resources for the state that the company is based out of. And as a note of caution, remember that it is always easier to find a negative review of a company than a positive review. Federal Trade Commission: Bureau of Consumer Protection New York State Attorney General's Office: The Bureau of Consumer Frauds and Protection New York State Better Business Bureau Ripoff Report : For Consumers, By Consumers Consumer Reports, Complaints, and Company Reviews at Pissed Consumer Also check the local county or city licensing bureau for company licensing information.

Guess what? Technology can be frustrating. No matter what your technological savvy, sometimes things just don't work the way we want or expect them to. So what do people do when technology fails? And how do they feel about it? Those issues are explored in a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Get the data here.

I came across this presentation about using Web 2.0 to increase effectiveness of staff training and communication , which may be of use to some of you. I was more intrigued, however, by the whole concept of the web page it was on, something called SlideShare . "SlideShare is the best way to share your presentations with the world. Let your ideas reach a broad audience. Share publicly or privately. Add audio to create a webinar." It's free, with a maximnum size of 100 MB; supported formats include ppt, pps & pot (PowerPoint), pdf, odp (OpenOffice); doc, rtf, xls (MSOffice), odt & ods (OpenOffice) & pdf. I haven't tried to post to it yet, but just as one accessing extant info, I think it does offer a wide variety of resources.

The SBDC meets with hundreds of people every year who are interested in starting an e-commerce venture. Many of these people are offering products that take the form of a file to be downloaded - be it articles, books, music, or what have you. Here's an article, then, that should be of interest: "Amazon ‘CloudFront’ Promises Cheaper, Faster Downloads" Basically, Amazon is enabling owners of small websites to pay a fee to lease space on a certain type of server that promises faster file delivery to their e-customers. This fee would be but a fraction of what it would cost a company to buy a Content Delivery Network (CDN) of its own. CloudFront is starting off small, but is looking to expand if the level of interest is there among small business content delivery websites. Keep it in mind for clients who might fit the bill.

There are only a few things that a company can do that will upset me. For example, I become agitated when a company is over-charging for products or services that I know should be priced more reasonably. That's annoying. But I have to say that there is nothing more annoying or troublesome than bad customer service. Earlier today I was working on a rather complex demographic question that included six variables, more variables than our resources at the Research Network could compare. I spoke to an industry publisher who redirected me to two companies that might be able to help. I called each company with the reasonable expectation that I would be able to determine if they could help or not. Company number one, which will remain nameless, had an automated system answer. After eight minutes of being on the phone (with a disconnect from their end at one point), I was unable to determine if the company offered what I was looking for. After eight minutes, I was never offered the option o...

At least some people are trying to be creative in coming up with alteratives to the worst case scenario. These articles explain how laying off trained staff may be a false economy in the long run. Here are a couple of articles that look at ways to cut costs or better yet, increase income to avoid losing your most valauble asset. Alternatives to Layoffs Layoffs, a short term fix, detrimental to the company, should be the last resort By F. John Reh About.com Small Business Alternatives to Layoffs Suzanna De Baca Expert Business Source 8/19/2008 Put Down That Ax: Alternatives to Layoffs By Pearl Smith/Updated by Mark Murphy AFSCME February 2008

This time of year there are lots of ways to donate to a good cause at the office. But it can be more difficult to donate your time and to volunteer if you have a busy work schedule. That’s why I thought this article from Idealist.org (a great source for all things non-profit) was interesting. “ Busy Professionals Don't Have Time to Volunteer! ” is about one program that allows a group of co-workers to mentor a group of young women at the workplace, during the workday. There’s also a great little video about a company that will send volunteer opportunities that you can complete using your mobile phone in less than 20 minutes! Good options for busy people who still want to help.

The Library of Congress Business Reference Services has Frequently Asked Business Questions dealing with these topics: 1. Can you tell me if my old stock certificate has any value? 2. What is the cost of living today compared with X years ago? 3. How can I get a sample business plan? 4. How can I get information on foreign exchange rates? 5. Where can I find the history of a company? 6. Where can I find standard industry ratios so I can compare the performance of company X to others in the industry? 7. What are NAICS and SIC codes? 8. Where can I find information on starting a small business? I'm particularly interested in government loans and grants. 9. I am planning to start a new company and want to be sure the name I choose will be unique and protected nationwide.

I don't know. We've been doing this for 3 1/2 years now. It's about time we figured that out. Enter Typealyzer . Developed by a search optimization firm in Sweden, the site uses text analysis of any blog to determine the mindset of its author (or, in our case, authors). Here's what it says about us: "Type: The Guardians The organizing and efficient type. They are especially attuned to setting goals and managing available resources to get the job done. Once they've made up their mind on something, it can be quite difficult to convince otherwise. They listen to hard facts and can have a hard time accepting new or innovative ways of doing things." I like the bit about "managing available resources to get the job done." That's us. Not so sure about having "a hard time accepting new or innovative ways of doing things". That's not us. The blue triangle up there says that we're a left-brain group. We'll try & be more creat...

This past week I was able to attend a training session at the New York Library Association's annual conference that was led by an Information Services Specialist from the Boston Regional Census Center. The next decennial census is scheduled to take place on April 1st, 2010. There have been a few changes in terms of what information will be collected through the census. The 2010 Census will only have 10 questions and every household will recieve the questionnaire. In New York State it is essential that every household fill out the questionnaire because the responses will determine the number of representatives that NYS will lose in Congress. It is predicted that the state will lose two representatives, but if every New Yorker were to be counted and surveyed, than theoretically we could only lose one seat. The long form has been eliminated entirely and has been replaced by the American Community Survey , which will provide the detailed information on housing, income, education,...

In a follow-on to the post Alexis created, here is more fodder for surviving our economic times: Unpaid, Businesses Become Creative The New York Times By COELI CARR Published: November 12, 2008 In this article on how small businesses can cope in tougher times, suggestions range from bartering for services in lieu of payment and setting new policies for dealing with customers. Resilience and Recession Creative Class Richard Florida Richard Florida maps out areas at risk of recession, in recession or growing.

Here are a few items the IRS would like the small business community to know about: e-News for Small Business “e-News for Small Businesses is a free electronic mail service designed to provide tax information for small business owners and self-employed individuals. It is distributed every other Wednesday.” The newsletter includes information about upcoming tax dates for small business, tax reminders and tips, and information on the IRS website. Subscribe here. ’09 Small Biz Tax Calendar, Ready for Businesses “This 12-month wall calendar is filled with useful information on general business taxes, IRS and SSA customer assistance, electronic filing and paying options, retirement plans, business publications and forms, and common tax filing dates. Each page highlights different tax issues and tips that may be relevant to small business owners with room on each month to add notes, state tax dates, or business appointments.” And it’s free! Order your copy here . An online version of the cal...

Our pals at JJ Hill Library are touting this tool developed by the Missouri SBDC: So you've got a new business idea, have you? Will that idea catch fire with your customers, or misfire? Will you blow away the competition or be overrun by them? Will your idea support your weekly grocery bill? Get help articulating important questions like these and learn how the answers can inform your nascent business idea with this business evaluation tool... The tool can help you decide objectively whether your idea is worth pursuing. Some of the other resources on this useful site are specific to MO entrepreneurs, but many are more broadly applicable. Check out this startup expense worksheet, or this detailed financial projections tool (with instructions) by way of example. And may all of your business ideas be pursuit-worthy!

Jeff Boyce, who sits on the New York SBDC Advisory Board, forwarded a link to a new report found on the Kauffman Foundation website. It's called The Capital Structure: Decisions of New Firms . It's 20 pages long, and was generated by using data from Kauffman's Firm Survey. From its Abstract: "This paper investigates the capital structure choices that firms make in their initial year of operations . . . Contrary to many accounts of startup activity, the firms in our data rely heavily on external debt sources as bank financing, and less heavily on friends and family-based funding sources." Later in the report, "external debt sources" is defined to include local bank financing, as well as that of credit cards. There's a lot more to the report, but I invite you to read it. As Jeff mentioned in his accompanying email, "This recent Kauffman Foundation report underscores the importance of microloan funds and small business lending operations like NY...

"Internet the easy way" This site pulls together popular sites into categories and allows you to search in a batch. It pulls together the top 10 websites in each category. So you could runa a search in shopping sites, narrow the search and move from one site to another. The ways to narrow vary from category to category. You can type in a product name and then search the shopping category and you can then narrow by price. I haven't had perfect search results but I like the idea. I searched in the Social Networks category for "NYS SBDC" and I got hits in Stumbleupon, Twitter, Delicious and Technorati and FriendFeed.

Now that it’s November, I guess it’s safe to start talking about the holidays. So, are you sending out holiday cards this year? Need advice on business holiday card etiquette? Here are some articles that might help: Boosting Business Relationships with Holiday Cards From the Small Business on washingtonpost .com A tip: Send your card early in the season. Most people leave their cards up until after the holidays, so yours will be in view for a longer period of time. The 8 Rules of Business Greeting Card Etiquette From About.com Don’t forget the personal touches – sign your name, handwrite the address, and send to the home address if you know it. This Holiday, Say It With an E-Card From Entrepreneur.com To cool for stuffy, old paper cards? Maybe try an e-card this year, and share photos, inspirational messages or a little whimsy.

One of the J.J. Hill Library Business Sites of the Week last month was vozMe . "Paste any amount of text into the vozMe Text to Speech site , and the tool quickly converts that text into speech. You can choose a male or female voice and then save the speech as an mp3 to listen to anywhere." I decided to test with this text: "With a paid HillSearch membership, you should not have to pay extra for any articles, reports or lists in any of the HillSearch databases, nor should you have to re-enter your login information. If you encounter this problem, please contact us at 651.265.5500 or at 1 877 700-HILL (4455)" The text was OK, albeit mechanical, not unlike the menu items in some telephone systems. The word "login" sounded more like Logan. But the telephone numbers were incomprehensible, as the system made 651 into six hundred fifty-one. In fact, it was just distracting enough that I wouldn't want to be operating heavy machinery at the same time.

By Sharon St. John, The Mohawk Valley Small Business Development Center, SUNY Institute of Technology, Utica, NY One of my colleagues posed a question about a New York State for-profit business that would contract with banks so that after a foreclosure, the contractors would come in to clean, change locks, mow the lawn, and keep the property maintained until the bank sells it again. Should they be registered as sales tax vendors since what they're doing seems to fall into maintenance and repair? I noted that there are two NYS publications that I recommend for all my clients who are in any kind of construction business. Publication 750, A Guide To Sales Tax in New York State (PDF) , notes on page 20 under Specifically Enumerated Services: "maintaining, servicing or repairing real property both inside and outside of buildings (for example, cleaning, painting, gardening, snow plowing, trash removal and general repairs)" are subject to sales tax. My conclusion is that the com...

Do you want to know more about what you can do as a business owner during times of economic downturn? Below are links to articles with solutions and guidelines on how to survive and possibly thrive during the current financial crisis. Congressional Research Services: Economic Slowdown - Issues and Policies (PDF File) Entrepreneur.com: Surviving a Slowing Economy National Federation of Independent Business: Ten Ways to Reject the Recession and Build a Thriving Business Business Week: Surviving the Storm Small Business Trends: Four Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make in a Recession WomenEntrepreneur.com: Surviving an Economic Downturn

The Bed & Breakfast/Country Inns Industry Study of Operations and Finance 2007-2008 Professional Association of Innkeepers International Table of Contents Introduction About the Study Glossary of Terms Regions Chart of Accounts Bed & Breakfast Inns Inns and Innkeepers - industry study (2006 data) Bed & Breakfast Inn Amenities Bed & Breakfast Inn Occupancy & ADR Bed & Breakfast Inn Employees Bed & Breakfast inn - Income Statements Country Inns Inns & Innkeepers - industry study Country Inn Amenities Country Inn Occupancy & Avergae Rate Country Inn Restaurants Country Inn Employees Counutry Inn - Income Statements Capital Expenditures Renovation Cost Business of Art An Artist's Guide to Profitable Self-Employment Table of Contents Preface Introduction Center for Cultural Innovation Chapter 1: Work Like an Artist, Think Like an Entrepreneur Chapter 2: Getting the Most Out of the Public Relations Chapter 3: Managing Money...

How do you spot trends? What do you do about trends once they've been spotted? How will the financial crisis affect these trends and impact your business ? (For more answers to the latter, also check out this post from Alexis .) These are just some of the issues Trendwatching .com addresses in it's November briefing . A few weeks ago they asked readers to send in their questions, and they've set about to answer 15 of them. Among other things, they link to their trend watching tips , and their checklist of trendwatching tools , as well as updating some recently spotted trends in the face of our current economic situation. Some of their updated trend predictions: Indulgences? Big ones are out, small ones are in. Free stuff? People like free stuff, but advertising-supported businesses may suffer. Eco-chic? Look to " eco -cheap," efficiency and waste-reduction.

On a listserv I monitor, I saw a post about someone receiving notice that he or she had been given an award by the US Local Business Association . the question was, "Is this a VALID organization? or a 'scam' to get companies to buy their award plaque?" Frankly, I didn't want to spend an inordinate amount of time on the question, since it wouldn't count in my monthly statistics,. But I did venture to the Better Business Bureau website, went to the national page, and found this about USLBA: The BBB does not have a current report on this company, which means it has not had frequent enough inquiries or a reason to open a file. The red flags that the BBB sees with this organization's pitch are: *There is no way to contact this company other than via email. *Web site domain registration information is privately registered via Go Daddy. We consider this to be a red flag. *Organization states that you have been awarded, and then presents you with the option of p...

I've written about state rankings from the Milken Institute before. Here's another one, called the State Technology and Science Index . Published last June, this is their third version of this survey (they do it every four years). The survey attempts to rank each state by its level of investment and commitment to high technology and science. To understand how they do this, it's easier to quote from their site: "The State Technology and Science Index looks at 77 unique indicators that are categorized into five major components: * Human Capital Investment * Research and Development Inputs * Risk Capital and Entrepreneurial Infrastructure * Technology and Science Work Force * Technology Concentration and Dynamism" As you'll notice, New York ranks 15th in their list. This is where we ranked in 2004. Massachusetts ranks 1st, and they've held that spot in each of these surveys. If you click on New York on the map, you'll see a breakdown of where we rank am...

As a librarian, I am a voracious reader of all types of books. Although lately I have been on a James Patterson reading spree, every now and then I love an informative, non-fiction book. Booklist Online has published a list of the Top 10 Business Books of 2008 and although these are not the type of books that need to be purchased for a reference library, they may be of interest to our clientele that would like to learn about the history of business and some of the more successful businesses in the past, present, and future.

There are a few things you can do on Google to save a few steps: Type the airline and flight number into the search box and you can go straight to the departure and arrival times. Find out the currency exchange amount: type in 80 dollars in danish kroner and presto. This works for other measurements/conversions as well. The same goes for shipping tracking numbers. Type in temp in San Francisco and it will give you the latest. Type in a ticker in the search box and get price information. Try using your airport code: ALB airport and you can see local conditions. Use an area code to get a map of the area. Type define and the word you are looking up and you can get a quick definition. Use Google Image Search to gather information about a subject; like, for instance, looking up a name when you are not sure of the gender of the person holding it.

Here's a press release that I just received. It's good to read that the State Library has found its new leader. We've been the beneficiaries of a lot of work done by the NYSL, and we wish Mr. Margolis all the best. BOARD OF REGENTS APPOINT BERNARD A. MARGOLIS NEW YORK STATE LIBRARIAN The Board of Regents today announced the appointment of Bernard A. Margolis as the New York State Librarian. He will assume his new responsibilities in January 2009. State Education Commissioner Richard Mills said, “We live in an age of information, and libraries play a critical role in providing us with access to that information. They are vital to our economy and our communities. They promote literacy and lifelong learning. And in these trying economic times, they are vital to people seeking information about jobs. I am thrilled that the Regents have appointed a dynamic and innovative person like Mr. Margolis to serve in the critically important position of State Librarian.” Mr. Margolis wi...

Want to start a bike shop? Here are some free web resources that offer industry stats and advice to get you going. National Bicycle Dealer's Association: Want to Start a Bike Shop? Bicycle Retailer & Industry News: Bike Stats (Including the 2008 Bike Stats Issue) Bikes Belong Coalition: Survey Says: High Gas Prices Are Fueling Bike Sales The Outdoor Industry Association: The Active Outdoor Recreation Report, Bicycling

Most entrepreneurs have a pretty good idea that they need to know about the bottom line. But which one? Usually, it's the economic bottom line, involving capital, i.e., money. But in recent years, business folks have focused on other bottom lines such as social (people capital) and environment (natural capital). People in this movement use terms such as performance, features, reliability, durability, serviceability, aesthetics, and perceived quality. In this economic climate, an appetite for cheaply-made items with planned obsolence may have come to an end. But brands that provide for a more sustainable future, concerned with health and safety, honesty, doing good as well as convenience, will come to the fore. To that end, the leaders of the Going Green workshop I attended in September recommended these websites: Branding for Sustainability LOHAS - Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability U.S. Green Building Council Pennsylvania Material Trader - a free online service established ...

Yesterday, the New York Times began a series that will focus on six individual small businesses in the New York City area, and how each of them is dealing with the current economic situation. Here's their introduction: "A butcher’s longtime customers stop paying their bills. A building contractor has half as many jobs as he did a year ago. A restaurant owner considers sharing space to stay afloat. Steadily, inexorably, the fallout from Wall Street’s layoffs and the credit crisis is trickling down to small businesses across the region. Over the coming months, The New York Times will track six of those businesses to see how they are weathering the economic storm. " Give it a read. Recognize what these people are saying? By the way, in the past month, emails have been sent out from the Association of SBDCs, soliciting client stories on behalf of journalists from the Times , Business Week , and The Wall Street Journal on issues currently being faced by small business owne...

Many of our businesses deal with exporting and importing. When dealing with business associates in foreign countries, it is essential to know detailed cultural information. The CIA World Factbook is an almanac-style resource that provides current and relevant facts on 266 countries and areas in the world. Updated every few weeks, country profiles include the following categories: Introduction - Background Geography People Government Economy Communications Transportation Military Transnational Issues Although not very applicable to our clientele, I also find the CIA publication Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments an interesting resource.

I am most familiar with using widgets on my Mac where you can add elements to your desktop like a clock, various tickers, games or news headlines. You can make good use of widgets to keep up-to-date on what is going on in your sphere of interest. There are more and more available everyday. A widget is a small application that you can add to your desktop. Yahoo ! explains how you can add elements to your desktop, as does WikiHow . Google Desktop stands opposite Yahoo! - you've probably been invited to download Google Desktop, which allows you to add stuff to your desktop as well as search your desktop. You can tailor your desktop to include mini-versions of the sites you visit for news, updates on political candidates, the weather or whatever catches your fancy. I personally don't use Google Desktop because I have most of my tidbits on my Google homepage but it is an option. Here are a selection of widget sites.

Looking for information on how Americans feel about...well, almost anything? Check out the online data available through the General Social Survey . The GSS has asked the same core " demographic, behavioral, and attitudinal questions" since 1972, allowing us to monitor social change throughout this period. You can browse variables (alphabetically) here. It's literally "abortion" to "zodiac."

The state tax department is portraying its website thusly: "Business taxpayers can refer to our new and improved web pages designed to help them comply with New York State tax law throughout the business lifecycle." For more information, select the links below: Starting or buying a business Expand a business Close or end a business

Demographics are a very important part of the research that we do here at the Research Network. While demographic is defined on dictionary.com as "a statistic characterizing human populations (or segments of human populations) broken down by age or sex or income etc", this definition does not cover the many uses of demographics. Demographics can help a small business owner decide where to open a new business, who the business' target audience should be, and many other essential aspects of operating a small business. Below are links to demographics information that is available for free. Bureau of Labor Statistics Demographic Data American Fact Finder - Demographics from the U.S. Census Social Statistics Briefing Room - The White House I also found a useful pathfinder from the University of Michigan Documents Center on Statistical Resources on the Web - Demographics and Housing

Two new items we have in our library are: National Coffee Drinking Trends 2008 What You Need to Know, When You Need to Know It Table of Contents Highlights Background Research Methodology Overview Detailed Sections Coffee Consumption Frequency Coffee by Type Coffee Consumption by Age Coffee Consumption by Region Coffee Consumption by Time of Day Coffee Consumption by Location Drivers and Barriers Country Origins/Certifications Coffee Additives Consumer Profiles Appendix A Guide to Developing a Community Farmers' Market from the Farmers' Market federation of New York, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets. Table of Contents Introduction Building Interest Market Research & Assessing a Need for a Market Market Organization Preparing for the First Season Evaluation Appendices: Checklist for Developing a Farmers' Market Sample Survey for Farmers Sample Survey for Consumers Sample Rules and Regulations for a Farme...

We all know that it is increasingly difficult for even well-established small businesses to get credit. But your SBDC can help! Tom Morley (and I think I saw Geri Kavanah too) from the Westchester Small Business Development Center, and their client, Carol Conolly of Discovering Me Nursery School, discuss these issues with Business Week TV. Watch it here:

Stolen from J.J. Hill Library blog because I found out about some sources I didn't know about before. Trade shows are a tried and true way of reaching out to and interacting with numerous potential customers in a short period of time. But they can take some finesse to do right. The Trade Show Handbook can help you put together that "just right" show. The site offers guides and tutorials for choosing and maximizing a trade show presence, links to directories of trade shows by industry , and a listing of convention centers by state . You'll also find lists of event planners and suppliers for help bringing it all together. Trade shows, as with any form of marketing, should be entered into with forethought and a solid plan. Formulate that plan with the Trade Show Handbook.

Here's an article that offers a few tips on screening employees through the Internet. Some of it is rather obvious (check Google . . . really?). It also cites a few fee-based sites that help with background checks. On a similar note, the Degree Check website is a useful tool to see whether or not a candidate for a position really has that MBA. There are likely dozens of additional sites that perform similarly useful functions. Anyone know of any off the top of their head?

Happy Fiscal New Year to everyone on the Federal calendar. Tuesday saw the end to what's been a turnaround year for our library. We hired Alexis in March, and she seems to be the final piece to the puzzle. We just finished the busiest September in our 16-year history. Requests are up 31% over last year, to a point not seen around here since 2003. A few weeks ago witnessed the 25,000th request in our history. Turnaround time has been cut in half. In addition, we've incorporated an SBDC presence on Facebook , LinkedIn , and Twitter . We've been defined in Wikipedia . We've been slowly building a Spanish-language collection, and a long-overdue LISTSERV has been built for SBDC personnel. There's miles to go . . . we're about to embark on rigorous training in GIS services. We'd like to explore podcasting, both for what we do & how to help our clients do the same. There's lots more to come. It's been a fun year. We're looking forward to the next o...

The central office for the NYSSBDC has created a document that can be used as a guide and information source for our clients in today's rough economy. Originally created in July, we recently found it was necessary to update and revise the document. The guide combines facts and figures regarding the current state of the economy as well as tips and stragtegies for surviving in down times. In order to create the document, we visited major and business news websites and found the most recent articles and blogs that are applicable to our client base. We would be happy to send the document to any advisor or NYSSBDC employee who requests a copy. Feel free to call, email, or leave a comment and we will send you what we are calling the "white paper".

"Hmmm.... I think I heard about that somewhere..." Have you ever wanted a search engine that can search through multimedia content, including audio and video files without written transcripts? Here's a tool that might be helpful. EveryZing's ezSEARCH "is the web’s first integrated universal site search solution, enabling multimedia content to be indexed and searched just like any web document." Search results yield the multimedia file where your term occurs, and links you to the part of the file where your term is spoken.

Over the years, I've gone to at least three workshops by Joel Saltzman. My recent trip to Chicago was no different. He did three different presentations there: CHANGING THE WAY WE REACT TO CHANGE, Shaking that ETHICS Brain and Shaking That INNOVATION Brain. I had gone to the first two before, so I went to the innovation session. It's difficult to capture the essence of the talk, but the notion of taking some item and repositioning it for another use - wax paper was microwave safe, even before there were microwaves - at least touches on it. Check out some of Joel Saltzman's articles on assumption busting, reframing the question, persistence in the midst of mistakes, and the value of bad ideas. He uses this quote that, modified, is useful for baseball, racquetball, other sports and life in general: "I skate to where the puck is GOING to be, not where it has been." -- Wayne Gretzky. Photos (c)2008 by Mary Hoffman.

See what JJ Hill Library says about this NYS SBDC website: If you run a retail shop or have an office to meet with clients, what's the first thing your customers see when they get to your location? Your sign! So you want to make sure it presents the same good face for your business as you do. The What's Your Signage? site includes articles detailing the importance of signage to a business and provides background on the elements of a well-designed sign. You can use this information to become an informed partner with the sign-maker of your choosing, or use the site's manufacturer locator to find recommendations. What's the most important thing a good sign will do for your business? Reassure your customers that they've found the right place.

Google seems to be adding new products daily and this is one I was unaware of until now: GoogleSites . It is a product that can serve as a mini-intranet for personal or commercial use. It looks like a wiki with project management capabilities. It's free unless you want extra storage space but you can use other Google gadgets through it. So it can store documents, have community files. You can limit the access to your set users, who can view only or have owner-rights. You can check out the various applications a product like this could be used for here.

Sites I've come across recently: The StartUp Blog at PartnerUp , with common-sense pieces such as "An Introvert’s Guide to Networking" and "Delegating Work: Don’t Panic, Everything Will Be Fine". The Entrepreneurial Mind , affiliated with Belmont University's Center for Entrepreneurship. Also, Alltop , actually a gateway to business blogs of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business, Entrepreneur magazine and many more. Not a blog, but a how-to site: My Own Business , "An Entrepreneurial Guide for both Start-ups and Operating Businesses."

I came across this site earlier this week, featuring articles written (and podcasts recorded by) the faculty at the Wharton School of Business. I don't pretend to understand the entirety of the ripple effect of recent events, so I went here looking for a primer. Here's some of the articles found there: * Will the Levee Break? An Ocean of Bad Debt Rises despite Government Rescues * After the Bailout: How Can the Fed Clean Up the Fannie and Freddie Mess? * Eyes on the Wrong Prize: Leadership Lapses That Fueled Wall Street's Fall * Note to Investors: Don't Play Games with Asset Allocation I've read a few. I'm still not an expert, but it's helped me understand some of the issues a bit better.

While most of the research we provide here at the Research Network centers around industry data and information, sometimes we are asked to provide research regarding a certain occupation. One of the common requests we recieve when asked about a specific occupation is the average salary. A website that I use to find salary data based on location, experience and education is Salary Expert . For more salary information, I also use the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook .

Here's the text to a recent interview (" Main Street Spared ?") by Reuters with William Dunkelberg, the chief economist for the National Federation of Independent Businesses (as well as chairman of a small commercial bank serving southern New Jersey). He doesn't see recent developments on Wall Street, as well those with AIG, as having any immediate effect on small business owners in the U.S. Some of the reader comments at the bottom of the page don't agree with him. What are your clients saying?

I took part in a conference call earlier this week on a topic that was very visual in nature. As I listened I thought how ill-suited this medium is for visual communication and how much time would be saved by a couple of quick sketches. I know that usually when something occurs to you, you can usually be sure it has occured to an number of others, often more motivated people before you. So I went looking for an easy-to-start product that would serve this purpose. I came across a list of visual collaboration products and one in particular that offered a short video to explain how it could be used. It is called Dabbleboard. It is in beta and I am sure there are many others but this communicates the process succinctly. You can check it out here . You can draw on this virtual whiteboard and share it with other users who can add their contributions and users can make visible the additions they make. It is a way to avoid some of the round-and-round discussions where contributors are not...

Joyce Finnegan, a client of the Mohowk Valley SBDC, recently appeared on MSNBC's "Elevator Pitch" segment. Joyce was able to step into the elevator with MSNBC's panelists, who listened to her 60-second pitch for the Rojeti eco-friendly hotel laundry bag, and offered some feedback. They liked it! For more information on creating an elevator pitch, check out a recent post from Josee, " Elevator Pitch "

I went to the business.gov booth and asked them, "You have a good service, so why don't people know about you?" The person at the booth shrugged and said, "I just don't know." And that was before I learned that this SBA business gateway had won a "Prestigious Search Engine Award", the ONLY government program to win: WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Business Gateway Program was selected by the Search Engine Strategies (SES) Conference for the prestigious Best Use of Local Search award on August 20, 2008, the only government finalist in any category. Business Gateway was selected over two private sector companies. In celebration of its 10th anniversary, SES incorporated its first annual awards, honoring 15 outstanding “search marketers.” The Business Gateway Program was selected as the winner of the “Best Use of Local Search” category because of its unique solution for handling geographically oriented search queries. Business...

One of the most useful sources to find out information about a certain industry is by visiting or contacting a trade association. Trade associations are often involved in public relations activities such as advertising, education, and lobbying, but one of the most vital uses of an association is networking between individuals and collaboration between companies. Joining an association can be particularly helpful to startups and struggling businesses because new members have an opportunity to ask for help from seasoned businesses that have experienced ups and downs in the past. Earlier this year, Darrin blogged about the American Society of Association Executives Directory , where it is free to search for local, national, and international associations. One of the association webpages that I use often for research is the National Restaurant Association , but some of the more obscure associations I have visited recently are the American Ostrich Association and the Association of Pet...

I normally post on Mondays, but felt compelled to wait until Friday to write this. I've been tracking our incoming requests a bit more carefully these days. The end of this month will conclude our 16th year. Roger & I have been around for most of them. When we started, we had one CD-ROM, no email, no Internet, and no computer network. Just a handful of librarians with a bunch of books, a used Xerox machine, and well-worn telephones. We've come a long way -- longer than I thought. Late yesterday, we got an email from an advisor in our Binghamton office (thanks, Laura!), looking for information on a client starting an adult day care service. We've researched this subject many times before. Ordinarily, it wouldn't be worth a comment, except that it turned out to be the 25,000th request in our history. Whoa. I'm not used to being part of a number like that (unless it's my car's odometer). But this is something worth noting. Thanks, then, to all the librarian...

Reading about the use of newer technologies in this presidential election has highlighted who is using what technology and how. We have discussed how businesses can use technologies that we associate with trivial and superfluous uses. Teens may rule the roost in SMS messaging but here's one article from Entrepreneur.com/PCWorld that offers some good ideas about how to make good use of texting for business applications. From PCWorld | April 21, 2008 10 Killer Texting Tricks Text messaging isn't just kid's stuff anymore. Use these amazing online tools to turn any SMS-capable phone into a productivity powerhouse. By PCWorld by Rick Broida

We’ ve blogged about Stephen Hall’s From Kitchen to Market a few times in the past ( Online resource for specialty food businesses , Bringing New Food Products to Market ) and it’s a great resource for guidance on marketing specialty food items. While I was in Chicago, I had the opportunity to attend a session with Mr. Hall. I won’t go into too much detail, but here are a few nuggets I thought were especially interesting: Do you have to supply nutrition information on every specialty food product? Not according to the rules of the FDA. But Mr. Hall suggested that although the government doesn ’t require the labeling, the consumer does. Today’s consumer wants to know what they are eating, and their food’s nutritional value. Looking for a commercial kitchen? The audience in this session had a couple of good suggestions. Try calling local churches or restaurants that don’t serve meals three times a day. Either way, they may be willing to give you use of their kitchen when they aren ’t ...

I was having a discussion with a an SBDC colleague about the term "microenterprise". I found some stats, then I came across this report Do Business Definition Decisions Distort Small Business Research Results? According to SBA: This working paper has two purposes. It presents special tabulations from the U.S. Census Bureau's Survey of Business Owners (SBO) to offer the public detailed information on businesses with and without employees and their owners (including owner age, home-based status, franchises and financing). Second, the authors consider the characteristics of nonemployer and employer businesses. Their examination shows that research results based on data on nonemployers are not necessarily applicable to employers and vice versa. A copy of the report is located here and the research summary can be found here . Should you need further information, please feel free to contact Brian Headd or Radwan Saade at (202) 205-6533 or advocacy@sba.gov.

Market research is essential to starting or expanding a business and the various sources that are available can be difficult to navigate. Rutgers University Libraries have a subject research guide section devoted to sources for various types of research. The guide devoted to Market Research "includes pointers to several important sources of statistical data on income, consumption, and demographics, to help you understand and define the market for your product or service." Another source for subject research guides, including Market Research Sources , is the Library of Congress Business Reference Services.

I heard about this site from my mother. She and my sister were enjoying stumbling and turned me on to it. I was familiar with some other similar sites like Digg and Delicious but like so many other comparable products, it's style that sets one apart from another. StumbleUpon allows you select your interests then you "stumble" and you will be led to one after another site on those topics. You can also review and save favorites and share them with a social network. So, if you are interested in graphic design and animation and buddhism, it will bring those sites to you. I had been using it for entertainment purposes mostly but then added topics like Internet Tools and Small Business and those categories are included in my random wanderings.