New York SBDC Research Network

Each year the New York Small Business Development Center recognizes outstanding small businesses in a variety of ways.  This Success Story from the  Canton SBDC  appears in our  2015 Annual Report .  Dennis & Kelly Forsyth Four Sites Camp Wildwood Canton SBDC Dennis and Kelly Forsyth have owned property on Black Lake for many years and love the region. They had the opportunity to purchase Camp Wildwood, a business that had been in business for more than 50 years. The property included a gorgeous house as well as four cottages and four RV sites. Black Lake, often called a “freshwater fisherman’s paradise,” attracts thousands due to its proximity to the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Thousand Islands, the Adirondack Park, and Canada. Dennis and Kelly realized that if Camp Wildwood closed, it would impact tourism in their area. They felt they were uniquely suited to run the facility due to their connections in the region and skills at maintaining the cabi...

Getting information about not-for-profit organizations may be easier than you realize. From   GRANTSPACE , a service of Foundation Center "According to  IRS disclosure regulations , exempt organizations must make its three most recently filed annual 990 or 990-PF returns and all related supporting documents available for public inspection. This public disclosure rule also applies to Form 1023, which is filed to obtain exempt status." Check out the list of websites from which one can get an organization's Form 990 or Form 990-PF.

Veterans: Growing your business? Boots to Business REBOOT THE AMERICAN LEGION, VBOC OF NYC & NJ and The SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION PRESENT A FREE TWO DAY PROGRAM FOR VETERANS WHO WANT TO START, EXPAND OR PURCHASE A SMALL BUSINESS. American Legion Post 170, 33 W. Passaic St., Rochelle Park, NJ 07662 Wednesday, May 11th and Thursday,  May 12th 2016 From  09:00 AM to 4:00 PM – refreshments provided at no cost courtesy of American Legion Post  170 Registration required by April 27, 2016 Registration Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sfVrIL2u3xJgL3luQNd6Mxy0QxBQyQVkIOJD3b0xVSM/viewform?c=0&w=1 For Questions Contact: Gene Spillane, SBA Veterans Small Business Outreach Officer Eugene.Spillane@SBA.gov / 972-645-2427

If you operate a “local business” (meaning one that gets most of its customers from your local area), don’t overlook the Internet as an important way to attract new customers and stay top of mind with existing customers or past customers. According to  Google research , having good online information gets more people to shop in brick-and-mortar stores and businesses. For local businesses, there are some specific steps to take to make sure that your business can be found by searchers in your geographical area.  Because after all, you want local shoppers.  So being found by local searchers is the name of the game for you -- not just Web visibility in general. HERE   a checklist of important steps to take for local SEO:

From Empire State Development: The $35 million Global NY Fund provides loans and grants to help New York State’s small- and medium-sized businesses go global and create new jobs in New York.   The Global NY team is coming to all 10 regions of New York State to introduce the $35 million Global NY Fund, which provides loans and grants to help small and medium-sized New York businesses start exporting or increase their global export sales. Grants are also available to non-profits that provide export assistance and trade education to New York State companies. To find out more about any of our events and to RSVP, please email  or call: 212-803-2300  Tour schedule Mohawk Valley – March 29th (breakfast 8:30-10:30) Location: Room IT 225 at Mohawk Valley Community College 1101 Sherman Dr, Utica, NY 13501   Capital Region – March 30th (breakfast 8:30-10:30) Location: Albany Marriott Hotel 189 Wolf Road Albany, NY 12205

Each year the New York Small Business Development Center recognizes outstanding small businesses in a variety of ways.  This Success Story from the  Buffalo SBDC  appears in our  2015 Annual Report .  Jabril & Ellen Shareef Living Green Insulation Products and Services, Inc. Buffalo SBDC Living Green Insulation Products and Services, Inc. has worked with the Buffalo State SBDC for several years. Co-owners, Jabril and Ellen Shareef have been engaged in construction related enterprises for over 20 years, and completed the Buffalo SBDC’s Minority and Women Bonding Readiness Program. When they approached the Buffalo SBDC more recently, they were forming their first green business enterprise, which converts recycled paper into cellulose insulation. Jabril and Ellen worked with Advisor Bill Grieshober to develop a complex funding proposal for $960,000 that included funding from First Niagara Bank and the Erie County Industrial Development Agency. The...

Remember Qwikster? In September 2011, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings decided to spin off the DVD section of his business from the streaming service and name it Qwikster. Users revolted--big time. Learn how to  benefit by avoiding these CEO's mistakes.   

The Small Business Administration's (SBA) Emerging Leaders  Program helps business owners in challenged communities grow their operations by providing them with the tools they need. Learn more about the Emerging Leaders program . 

Psychologists have found that  successful leaders share the same basic traits . While circumstances also play into the mix, great leaders are those who build these traits over time.  In this newsletter, we cover other ways to build your leadership skills, as well as a few examples of things not to do, courtesy of some well-known CEOs. 

Did you know Steve Jobs loved lecturing at universities because it gave him an opportunity to scout talented potential employees and build his team first hand?  Read more about the habits  of successful business leaders .

Are you an employer who is seeking assistance with your business? Young workers are a potential commodity that you may wish to consider, the following linked article will explain the reasons why. CLICK HERE

Ignoring your financial statement is like ignoring the health of your business. Startups and new business owners often overlook understanding gross margin. This can have a direct impact on your ability to effectively manage a growing business, price your products, and most importantly, make a profit. CONTINUE READING

Each year the New York Small Business Development Center recognizes outstanding small businesses in a variety of ways.  This Success Story from the  Brooklyn SBDC  appears in our  2015 Annual Report .  Andrew Walcott Fusion East Brooklyn SBDC Serial entrepreneur Andrew Walcott has been a client of the Brooklyn SBDC for more than five years, working with several of the advisors. He is the son of immigrant parents, who raised him in the inner-city community of East New York. He is a product of local NYC public schools and a graduate of Brooklyn College, where he is currently an adjunct-professor. He is an Air Force Veteran who worked his way through law school and also has earned CPA credentials.  He has owned and operated his own law and accounting practice for many years. Earlier this year Andrew and his childhood friends opened Fusion East Caribbean & Soul Food, an exciting restaurant in the very neighborhood in which he grew up. East N...

Calling all small businesses and entrepreneurs! If we hope to translate what we are learning about Alzheimer’s disease into health, safety, and emotional well-being benefits for Alzheimer’s patients and their families, then small businesses have a vital role in making that happen. The NIA recently published two funding opportunity announcements for small businesses focused on Alzheimer’s disease. One targets the  Small Business Innovative Research  program and the other the Small Business Technology Transfer  program. Both have an initial submission date approaching rapidly— April 5 . And if peer reviewers smile upon your application, you can even receive funding before the end of September this year. TO READ MORE

Palo Alto Software has some tips they would like to share with you today! We’re careful about what marketing tools we use and make sure that every one serves a real purpose for a fair price. This is a list of marketing tools that we  actually  use and recommend. We think you'll like them too. Click here to read more »

The IRS writes: You, your employees or your clients may receive one or more forms that provide information about 2015 health coverage. These forms are  1095 -A, 1095-B and 1095-C. The following health care tax tips provide some answers to common questions about these forms: Form 1095-A: What you need to do with this form Form 1095-B: What you need to do with this form Form 1095-C: What you need to do with this form For more information on these forms, see our  Questions and Answers  about health care information forms for individuals.

We have all experienced different levels of mentoring throughout our lives. It may have been during your childhood, college, a job, or even now. The following SBA article explains the impact mentoring can have; and why your work environment should possibly implement more of these ideas to have a more dynamic and diverse work force. Mentoring: A Proven Tool For Building A More Dynamic and Diverse Workforce

My knee-jerk answer to that question is no. I have several reasons why, and I’ll be sharing them in this article. But first, do you know of anyone who has purchased a  franchise business right out of college? To learn more visit  SBA !

When looking for a franchise to buy, it’s important to find one that has it all. But, what does it mean to “have it all.”   I'll show you!

Each year the New York Small Business Development Center recognizes outstanding small businesses in a variety of ways.  This Success Story from the  Bronx SBDC  appears in our  2015 Annual Report .  Franklin J. Fabre Alba Business Solutions Bronx SBDC Alba Business Solutions, named for Franklin Fabre’s wife Alba, has provided clients with expert tax services for more than 10 years. Franklin J. Fabre was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to New York in 1988 at the age of 16. He graduated from Lehman College in 2004 with a degree in Computer Information Systems, and in 2008 completed an MBA in management of technology from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. After graduating from Lehman, Franklin decided to open his own financial services business. At the beginning, the business focused more on services used mostly by the immigrant community, such as money transfer, international calling cards, and bill payments, but eventually the busi...

No matter what industry you are involved in, marketing plays an essential role in drawing customers to your business.  In these two links SBA offers the core concepts of marketing- which are fundamental principles that should be known, and also where the direction of the future is taking us, in emotional marketing. The Core Concepts The Future of Marketing

It's a shame that so many people think business plans are just for startups, or to back up loan applications, or for getting investors. The truth is that business planning offers serious benefits for everybody in business. And I'd like to point out that none of these benefits require a big formal business plan document. A lean business plan (as in  What Business Plan Type is Best for Me ) is usually enough. It takes an hour or two to do the first plan, then just an hour or two to review and revise monthly. Here are those top ten benefits.                                                   10 Benefits of Business Planning

A hamburger is from a fancy restaurant. It costs $17. And it probably tastes good. No, it has to -- who would pay $17 for a burger and fries which didn't? No one, at least not twice. That makes sense: in order to stay in business with an expensive menu, whatever your selling better make for a good dining experience. But at some point, our palates can't really discern between foods. When that happens, other signals take over. And at times, those signals can be so powerful that it overwhelms the rest of the experience. For example, would the same burger and fries taste as good if it cost, say, $4? Maybe not. More from Now I Know .

"Chip Kidd doesn't judge books by their cover, he creates covers that embody the book -- and he does it with a wicked sense of humor. In one of the funniest talks from TED2012, he shows the art and deep thought of his cover designs. (From The Design Studio session at TED2012, guest curated by Chee Pearlman and David Rockwell.)" The applicability in business, design as marketing, is quite striking. The link is HERE .

The classic  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance  also holds lessons for entrepreneurs. After all, great startups are equal parts science, art and religion.    Read more about  the intersection of business and Zen.