New York SBDC Research Network

From the Small Business Administration The Small Business Profiles are an annual portrait of each state’s small businesses. They gather the latest federal data into state-by-state snapshots of small business health and economic activity. Limited economic data is also provided for the U.S. territories. This year’s profiles report on state economic growth and employment. They also answer the questions: How many small businesses are in my state? How many jobs do they create? Which industries have the most small businesses and small business jobs? How many establishments opened and closed? How many small businesses export, and how much? Which counties have the most small business employment?

By Peter C. Earle From the American Institute for Economic Research You’re a construction company, an agricultural concern, or a manufacturing firm — all similarly unable to undertake infrastructure projects, fill freight trains with crops, or produce the countless scores of products the market seeks. This is exactly the situation the United States finds itself in now. And it is worsening. Last year, the Associated General Contractors of America reported that 80 percent of its 27,000 member firms are having a difficult time filling openings for hourly craft workers. And the crisis extends far beyond construction: in many subsectors of agriculture, home care, transportation, and manufacturing, the same phenomena are being reported. An estimated 8 million people, representing 5 percent of the entire U.S. workforce, are either fleeing or laying low. Each is reporting lower productivity, longer production times, higher explicit costs, and perhaps worst of all a massive explosion o...

From FedEx : Enter Your Small Business by March 25 You’ve built something amazing. Now it’s time to share it with a wider audience. The 2019 FedEx Small Business Grant Contest is here — with even bigger prizes. Enter now for a chance to expand your possibilities. Grand Prize $50,000 (1 winner) Plus $7,500 in FedEx Office® print and business services Silver Prize $30,000 (1 winner) Plus $5,000 in FedEx Office print and business services Bronze Prize $15,000 (8 winners) Plus $1,000 in FedEx Office print and business services Enter and Spread the Word First, review an example . Then follow these steps to increase your chances of winning: 1. Write a short profile. Share your unique story and offerings. 2. Upload photos and a logo. Capture the spirit of your business in images. 3. Create a video. Create a one-minute video pitch about your business. Check out some simple tips to get you started. 4. Get out the vote. Remind fans to vote for you. Votes are one...

By Sabrina Parsons From Bplans The basic idea of a sample business plan makes perfect sense. If you haven’t done a business plan before, a sample plan gives you an instant idea of what you should include, how to structure it, and even what to write. A sample business plan gives you an idea of how another small business or startup in your industry built their own plan. A good business plan example will have all the elements your bank or angel investor (or venture capitalist) will expect to see when you ask them for funds. The most important thing to remember when looking at sample business plans is that they’re samples (that’s why we call them that). They’re not pre-written plans that you can pick up and use right out of the box for your business. And anyone who tries to tell you that you can is wrong—or is trying to make a buck off of you.

By Max Abelson From Bloomberg Inside the enigmatic system of corporate justice, where proceedings are secretive and the odds of workers winning are long. Millions of American workers sign away legal rights without knowing what they’re in for. A lot of employers are forcing employees into arbitration hell. Here's what that looks like, and why it's a complicated mess (especially if you're the employee).

Did you know that the Small Business Administration website is translated into dozens of languages? Go to www.SBA.gov . Click on “Translate” and then click on the language of your choice. Sections for Business Guide, Funding Programs, Loans, Investment capital, Disaster assistance, Surety bonds, Federal Contracting, Learning Center, and Local Assistance - which includes the Small Business Development Centers , exists in these languages. LATIN? Satus negotium et crescere te. An entrepreneur vis esse? Disce quam incipias a gradibus X in rem tuam. Afrikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani Basque, Belarusian, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian Catalan, Cebuano, Chichewa, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Corsican, Croatian, Czech Danish, Dutch Esperanto, Estonian Filipino, Finnish, French, Frisian Galician, Georgian, German, Greek, Gujarati Haitian Creole, Hausa, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Hmong, Hungarian Icelandic, Igbo, Indonesian, Irish, Italian Ja...

Article from New York State On April 12, 2018 Governor Cuomo signed into law the 2019 New York State Budget, updating the State’s sexual harassment laws.  The Human Rights Law now protects contractors, subcontractors, vendors, consultants or others providing services in the workplace from sexual harassment in the workplace.  Beginning in October 2018 Employers must adopt a sexual harassment prevention policy and training or use a similar policy and training that meet or exceeds the law’s minimum standards.  Beginning in January 2019, all state contractors must submit an affirmation that they have a sexual harassment policy and that they provide annual training to all of their employees.

Patrick Foster is an ecommerce consultant at ecommercetips.org Image credit: PxHere While those among us who’ve benefited from traditional systems of work can be intimidated by the march of technology, deeming it often arbitrary and more trouble than it’s worth, those who face more challenges in life are able to see it for what it really is: a remarkable expansion of possibility that is making almost every area of life more accessible to all. And there’s perhaps no area — with the questionable exception of social activity — that has been further improved in recent years by technology (driven by the internet) than the world of business, and entrepreneurship in particular. Tech is giving rise to generations of savvy self-starters with the confidence and competence to forge their own paths. But how specifically is technology achieving this? Let’s look at some of the main ways in which technology is making it easier for people of all kinds to enter the business world. It’s provi...

By Arek Dvornechuck From ebaqdesign You can have many reasons that trigger starting the naming process, but it all comes own basically to two options: *You start a new business and need a name *or you change the name of an existing business Your name is transmitted day in and day out, in conversations, emails, voicemails, websites, on the product, on business cards, and in presentations – everywhere. It’s also important to remember that while the process of creating and selecting a name is critical, once the name is out it the world, the meaning of the word itself will evolve based on how people experience the brand.

By Sandra Gudat From Marketing Profs You've spent valuable time and money building your customer base, and you've also worked to amass a growing community of followers on your social media channels. But have you integrated those efforts in an effort to expand your customer base, keep current customers engaged, and increase profits? Without a plan, your social activity runs the risk of turning off customers instead of tuning them in, derailing corporate objectives, and tarnishing your company's reputation. If you don't have a formal program, you can tweak these ideas to help build customer loyalty, in general. After all, social media is your chance to engage with your audience, and you can leverage that engagement by trying out tactics to see what works.

From the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Whether sales of a particular good or service are taxable may depend on many factors. Sales of tangible personal property are subject to New York sales tax unless they are specifically exempt. The term tangible personal property means any kind of physical personal property that has a material existence and is perceptible to the human senses (in other words, something you can see and touch). Sales of services are generally exempt from New York sales tax unless they are specifically taxable You should not collect sales tax on exempt sales that do not require an exemption document. However, for sales that require an exemption document, you must collect sales tax unless you receive a properly completed exemption document from the purchaser.

By Jeanna Smialek From Bloomberg Brain drain is a concern across federal departments as shutdowns become a matter of political course in Washington. If the statistical agencies begin to bleed seasoned workers with deep knowledge of complicated surveys and methodologies, it could be a particular loss for American businesses and financial-market participants who rely on their data and analysis. “They are basically providing the statistical infrastructure for the decisions made by the entire private sector of the economy, as well as government,” Lawrence Katz, a Harvard University professor and former Labor Department chief economist, said of the data agencies. He noted that government jobs are secure and fulfilling but may not pay highly-educated people as much as companies or universities would. Opportunities outside of the public sphere are especially plentiful now, with unemployment at 3.9 percent, near the lowest since the 1960s. For people with bachelor’s degrees and higher...