New York SBDC Research Network

Electronically verifies the employment eligibility of *Newly hired employees *Existing employees assigned to work on a qualifying federal contract Free web-based service Fast and easy to use Partnership between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) E-Verify is not… …a system that provides immigration status …used for prescreening …a safe harbor from worksite enforcement Who Uses E-Verify? More than 401,00 employers are enrolled to use E-Verify at more than 1.2 million hiring sites More than 2,000 new enrollments per week More than 20 million cases created to date in FY 2012 More than 17 million cases created in FY 2011 Employers in every industry, state and U.S. territory 98.3% Work Authorized instantly or within 24 hours How to enroll: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify under Start Here, click Enroll in E-Verify Required Posters – Must Be Visible to Prospective Employees What is a Tentative Nonconfirmation (TNC)? A TN...

StartUP! 2013 Business Plan Competition Orientation Thursday, November 29, 2012, 6 - 7:30 p.m. Program Locations: Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL), Conference Room 018 ( Map and directions ) The New York Public Library in conjunction with its sponsor, Citi Foundation, is proud to announce the 4th Annual New York StartUP! Business Plan Competition for New York-based startup entrepreneurs with cash prizes totaling over $30,000. The Orientation will start you off by giving you the basics of the competition.  Attending one orientation session is the first requirement of the competition.  

n his book, The Back Of The Napkin, author Dan Roam asserts that that everyone is born with a talent for visual thinking, but that we — especially in the business world — are never encouraged to develop it. In this video, Roam shows us how anyone with a pen and a scrap of paper can exercise their imagination and work through any business problem by creating pictures.

The November 28, 2012 episode of BlogTalkRadio with Brian Cohen covers the various loans and resources that are being made available, and discusses exactly what you need to do if you have incurred a loss due to Hurricane Sandy. Listen to Edward Gregory Dawson, Public Affairs Specialist Field Operations Center- East for the Small Business Administration and Gloria Glowacki, Associate Regional Director, Stony Brook SBDC, who brings "an expansive background of over thirty years in new business development, small business advocacy, and sales and marketing initiatives to her responsibilities over the past 17 years at the SBDC." I learned a lot! For instance, there is a December 31, 2012 deadline for some loans, but a July 31, 2013 deadline for economic injury loans, because it takes a while ascertain economic injury. The FEMA loans don't require a specific credit score, and can be done online, though SBDC assistance is available, and suggested to ease the process. Ho...

From the Ivey Business Journal : It has long been assumed that companies stand to increase profits by cutting wages and benefits for employees at the bottom of the corporate ladder. While companies use diverse incentives such as high wages, performance rewards, and stock options to recruit, retain and motivate highly skilled professionals, they assume that employees at the bottom of the corporate ladder can be replaced easily — and don’t need incentives. We conducted a six-year study of companies around the world that had tried investing in their employees at the bottom of the ladder. We sought to answer: 1) How successful were these companies in improving conditions at the bottom of the ladder and 2) What impact did the improvements have on the firms’ productivity, financial costs, and economic returns.

The New York Times is promoting this colorful tool based on data from the Census Bureau that gives you a visual representation of neighborhoods and their ethnic makeup. I found it very interesting to look up neighborhoods I've lived in to see how they compare numerically to how I perceived them - it's pretty accurate. But our advisors often look for this type of information on behalf of business owners looking to choose a location for their business or areas to direct marketing. That it is so specific, down to census tract areas which are quite small. Mapping America: Every City, Every Block There are also canned maps other than the racial/ethnic distribution map - foreign-born or the individual broad category of race. The topic areas are race and ethnicity, income, housing and families and education.

From CBS News MoneyWatch : The unfolding scandal involving Gen. David Petraeus is not confined to the upper echelons of the U.S. military -- it also has been a recurrent drama in the corporate world, felling top dogs at dozens of companies from Hewlett Packard (HPQ) to Lockheed (LMT). Yet while the sexual proclivities of top executives pose a risk to corporate value, rather than to national security, such scandals have common themes -- and similar lessons, experts say. Aside from ordering chastity belts for corporate chief executives and generals, what can be done to reduce the chance that an indiscretion will damage an organization?

In 1986, in an effort to control illegal immigration, Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). IRCA forbids employers from knowingly hiring individuals who do not have work authorization in the United States. The employment eligibility verification provisions of IRCA are found in Section 274A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Individuals who may legally work in the United States are: Citizens of the United States Noncitizen nationals of the United States Lawful Permanent Residents Aliens authorized to work To comply with the employment eligibility verification provisions of the INA an employer must: Verify the identity and employment authorization documents of employees hired after November 6, 1986 Complete and retain a Form I-9 for each employee hired after November 6, 1986 Refrain from discriminating against individuals on the basis of actual or perceived national origin, citizenship or immigration status The anti-discrimination provi...

By David Drake of the SoHo Loft Crowdfunding for projects and companies is nothing new. In the online arena, however, it is quite young – in 1997 fans of the UK rock group Marillion ran the first recognized internet crowdfunding campaign, raising $60,000 to underwrite the band’s tour of the US. In the years since, other artists have also reached out to their fan bases and successfully invited supporters to finance their recordings and/or tours. Now, the wider business momentum toward crowdfunding is accelerating intensely and is attracting significant attention because the model disrupts the [finance] supply chain and distribution mechanism our Fortune 1000 companies have built and so vehemently protected for a century. Imagine 200,000 Red Cross blood donors being able to pay $100 each towards the development of the newest leukemia medication? That’s $20 million of funding sourced by the crowd. Can you hear the vested interests – "No, that’s not possible. Won’t happen. Humbu...

As you prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, check out USA.gov's Thanksgiving page . You'll find cooking and food safety tips, travel resources, volunteer opportunities, and historical information.

WASHINGTON – A new online portal has been launched by the U.S. Small Business Administration to accept nominations for its 2013 National Small Business Week Awards, including the annual Small Business Person of the Year award. The dedicated web portal will make it easier to submit and track submissions of nominees for Small Business Week 2013, and is now actively accepting nominations of noteworthy small businesses. Since 1963, National Small Business Week has recognized the outstanding achievements of America’s small businesses for their contributions to their local communities, and to our nation’s economy. In 2013, the 50th year celebration will honor the nation’s 27 million small businesses. SBA Awards given in celebration of National Small Business Week include the following awards: • National Small Business Person of the Year (chosen from among state award winners from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam) • Phoen...

With the holiday season all but here, more small business owners are making Small Business Saturday an integral factor in their holiday sales plans, according to the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB). Some 46% of independent merchants plan to incorporate Small Business Saturday into their holiday strategy, and most of them (67%) say they will offer discounts on November 24, according to the inaugural Small Business Saturday Insights Survey from the NFIB and American Express. Of those small business owners planning to promote Small Business Saturday, 80% expect a year-over-year boost in sales on that day. Read more from Marketing Profs.com

From CBS News Sunday Morning : Chobani, just five years on your grocery shelves, is now the best-selling yogurt brand in America. It's at the forefront of an even bigger culture shift: Greek yogurt, once a small fraction of the market, will top $1 billion in U.S. sales this year. "It's very high in protein, it has less sugar, and companies have made it absolutely delicious," said Cornell dairy specialist Tristan Zuber. "So that appeals to American consumers right now. They want something that's healthier." And it's very healthy for the New York state economy, said Zuber. Upstate New York is now home to all the major Greek brands. For local dairy farmers, you might just call it a cash cow. "New York is definitely becoming the Silicon Valley of yogurt," said Zuber. "There's currently 553 million pounds of yogurt that's manufactured in New York. That's a 140 percent increase since 2008." And the next generat...

Much as the Web set off the dot-com boom 15 years ago, apps have inspired a new class of entrepreneurs. These innovators have turned cellphones and tablets into tools for discovering, organizing and controlling the world, spawning a multibillion-dollar industry virtually overnight. The iPhone and iPad have about 700,000 apps. In the latest article of the iEconomy series, David Streitfeld discusses the question of how real, and lasting, the rise in app employment might be, particularly with an economy yielding few good job opportunities. Despite the rumors of hordes of hip programmers starting million-dollar businesses from their kitchen tables, only a small number of developers actually make a living by creating apps, according to surveys and experts. And programming is not a skill that just anyone can learn. While people already employed in tech jobs have added app writing to their résumés, the profession offers few options to most unemployed, underemployed and discouraged workers...

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance today announced the additional extension of certain tax filing and payment deadlines for taxpayers directly affected by Hurricane Sandy .

Here is info on dedicated phone lines for business victims of Sandy: 1) IRS They promote their Disaster Assistance Hotline at 1-866-562-5227 on some of their disaster recovery pages. Here’s a page dedicated to victims of Sandy. If you call the toll-free number, you’re given two options. One is specifically for questions relating to Sandy-inflicted damage. 2) Professional Licenses These are administered by NYS Dept of Education, Office of the Professions. There’s a box (in pink) at the bottom of the home page , titled “Important Information for Licensees Impacted by Hurricane Sandy”. In the last two paragraphs, two different phone numbers are mentioned to replace licenses or registration certificates.

According to New York State law , employees paid on an hourly basis generally do not have to be paid for time not worked, assuming the employer has informed the workers in advance that the office will be closed. Under state law, employers are required to pay a minimum level of ‘call-in pay’ if the employee shows up for work but the employer is closed and has no work for the employee to perform, unless the employer has attempted to notify the employee of the closure in advance. For most industries, the call-in pay rate equals four hours at the New York minimum wage rate. Salaried employees usually must be paid for the entire week, without any deductions, if they worked a portion of the work week but then were unable to work the remainder of the week because of a company’s closure, the premise being that salaried workers may have performed duties, such as calling clients or prospects, from home. One of our business counselors was told by the Department of Labor that businesses can ha...

From CBS News MoneyWatch : Nearly everyone uses, or has used, a search engine like Google to find information on another person -- no real news there. People look up friends, dates, employees, celebrities and politicians, whether for research, snooping, or just curiosity. And if your name is associated with a business -- whether in the Yellow Pages, on the side of a truck or a real estate sign, or as an owner or executive in the news -- they're checking on you, too. Consider this: Among U.S. adults who have searched someone online, nearly half have searched someone before doing business with them, and 45% have found something that made them decide NOT to do business. What's significant here is that people are increasingly making decisions based not only about business information, but personal information about principals and others involved with a company. And this can lead to big problems, because while there may be only one company called John Doe Electronics Repair, a...

WASHINGTON – As the nation marks Veterans Day 2012, the U.S. Small Business Administration continues to build on its successful programs for America’s military veterans, helping tens of thousands of veterans each year with small business financing, comprehensive business training and counseling and access to federal contracts. “Around Veterans Day, our thoughts turn to the men and women who are currently serving in the Armed Forces, as well as to all veterans who have made sacrifices and served our country over the years,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills. “When you consider the leadership and management skills our veterans develop while on active and reserve duty, it’s no wonder we see so many of them choose the path of small business ownership.” According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau veterans are successful small business owners. Nearly one in 10 small businesses nationwide are veteran-owned. Collectively, these 2.4 million small businesses employ almost 6 million Ame...

The Office of Advocacy has released two items of lending research. The Small Business Quarterly Lending Bulletin for second quarter 2012 shows that U.S. economic activity increased in the first half of 2012 at a slower pace than at the end of 2011, and total lending to small firms inched downward. The decline was generated primarily by commercial real estate loans; in general, the climate was supportive of economic growth. A new report, How Did the Financial Crisis Affect Small Business Lending in the United States? , by Rebel Cole, uses data from numerous sources for the period 1994-2011 to analyze lending to U.S. firms. It finds that bank lending to businesses declined significantly after the crisis, and small firms were affected more than large ones. The study was written under contract to Advocacy. The author of the study, Rebel Cole, is a professor of finance in the Kellstadt College of Commerce at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. Please note that the report examines t...

From the Governor's webpage : You can register for FEMA assistance by calling 800-621-3362 (TTY: 800-462-7585) or visiting www.DisasterAssistance.gov (or m.fema.gov from a smartphone or Web-enabled device). There is never a fee to apply for FEMA disaster assistance or to receive it. There is no fee for FEMA or U.S. Small Business Administration property damage inspections. Please be aware: Government workers will never ask for a fee or payment. They wear a photo ID. Watch out for middlemen who promise you will receive money, especially if they ask for an up-front payment. One of the dire consequences of any disaster for many people is the loss of important documents. Often, such documents are needed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state emergency services in order to process assistance applications for those who suffered losses or damage to their homes and belongings. If papers are lost – like birth certificates, Social Security cards, drivers’ lice...

From SmallBusinessNewz This time of year many businesses turn to planning as a way to determine the path for the upcoming year. It’s a great practice and one that I support without hesitation. Taking stock of where you are now and how you intend to move towards the vision for your business as you see it down the road is something that you must do to create positive change and growth. While the task of annual planning is a necessary one, it’s also one that is fraught with challenges. The best strategic planning focuses on carving our priorities for the year. The challenge with this is that many organizations see it as a time to create a giant wish list or to do list.

CBS News : ...veteran entrepreneur and contributing [Inc. Magazine] editor ...Norm Brodsky's position is that, while he and all good business owners are happy when they can give people jobs, creating new jobs isn't -- and shouldn't be -- a goal. I'm a long-time fan of Brodsky and his down-to-earth advice, and an admirer of his tremendous business accomplishments. But I don't fully agree with his argument, or at least the way he frames it. In his piece, Brodsky focuses on job-creation as it relates to overhead and productivity. He says "no one operates a company with the goal of maximizing labor costs," and of course in that regard he is right. We business owners naturally want -- and are generally obliged -- to generate the highest possible return on every dollar we spend. That means getting the most we can out of our real estate, machinery and people. Certainly no one has "increase rent" as a business goal, and Brodsky is saying the same th...

SBA Coordinating With Our Federal Partners Federal response teams are already providing assistance to affected communities. SBA is closely coordinating with federal partners, including FEMA, to share information in the immediate aftermath of the storm. Sandy Response SBA plays an important role in disaster recovery efforts for businesses and homeowners by providing low-interest loans to rebuild and recover. If you have been affected by Sandy, please visit www.sba.gov/sandy to learn more and apply. For the latest on the government-wide response to Sandy, please visit www.usa.gov/sandy . Not affected by Sandy? You can help by sharing this update. IRS Provides Tax Relief to Victims of Hurricane Sandy Following recent disaster declarations for individual assistance issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the IRS announced that affected taxpayers in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York will receive tax relief. Other locations may be added in coming days based on a...

Interesting discussion on the BUSLIB listserv this week. Someone was working with students of an instructor who has assigned the "impossible assignment" of finding the "demographics for a given company: how many female employees, how many male, how many disabled, how many minorities/persons of color, and what positions these hold and salaries they make. The instructor insists that this is a doable assignment." Many companies give similar info annually to the US Government, such as to the Office of the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), but generally it is released only in aggregate form. Public companies are not subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, even though they are "subject to more reporting requirements than private companies by virtue of the fact that their shares are publicly traded." However, the SEC does accept FOIA requests related to public companies for several reasons. Per the SEC: "A FOIA request is required to obt...

The State University of New York’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) today began offering disaster relief services to business owners affected by Hurricane Sandy. "SUNY is proud to be able to offer assistance to communities throughout New York State as they recover from the damage left in Hurricane Sandy’s wake, whether it is by providing shelter on our campuses, volunteering in affected communities, or helping businesses get back up and running," said Chancellor Zimpher. "I commend the efforts of the SBDC and our campuses across New York for their efforts to help the state get back on its feet." "The SBDC is committed to helping businesses throughout the impacted areas that were affected by this tragic event," says James King, SBDC State Director. "Our business advisors are trained to deal with this type of emergency, and our objective is to help these businesses get back to being fully operational as soon as possible." Highly train...