New York SBDC Research Network

WASHINGTON – The Obama Administration has launched Business.USA.gov/healthcare , a one-stop-shop Website which will provide employers of all sizes educational materials on how the Affordable Care Act may affect businesses and help them compete. The site includes a wizard tool that is tailored based on size and location, so businesses can learn how the law helps them provide affordable coverage options to their employees while still meeting their bottom line. The site will act as a user-friendly hub that connects employers to informational content on tax credits and other provisions of the law from the Small Business Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Treasury Department. As part of the Administration’s ongoing dialogue with leaders of our nation’s top businesses, this latest tool will help ensure that employers of all sizes know what the Affordable Care Act means for them, and have the information they need to take advantage of the new bene

vol. 32, no. 6 The July-August edition of The Small Business Advocate [PDF] spotlights regional Advocacy: the 10 regional advocates and Chief Counsel Winslow Sargeant’s recent tour of innovation engines in Maine and Boston. It includes reports on two environmental roundtables, the new Small Business Lending Study, and introduces new Advocacy employees and interns. America’s Collaboration Headquarters Lending Study Published Regulatory News Environmental Roundtables Regional Roundup Ten Regional Advocates in Action New Faces at Advocacy

From USA Today , reprinted here . The minuscule budgets of small businesses often hinder their marketing power. But now, one small firm will join mega marketers on the biggest advertising stage of all: the Super Bowl. On Wednesday, software provider Intuit kicks off a contest that will award one small business with a 30-second Super Bowl XLVIII commercial. The third-quarter ad will likely be seen by more than 100 million viewers. Mainly, it's big-time marketers such as Anheuser-Busch and Pepsi paying for such pricey commercial time. Last year, some 30-second slots sold for more than $4 million each. Intuit — which makes products such as TurboTax and QuickBooks — recruited reality TV personality Bill Rancic and former football coach Jimmy Johnson to promote the contest. Businesses, which must have 50 or fewer employees to apply, can register at SmallBusinessBigGame.com .

The July 2013 release of BDS data contains data for 1976–2011 and includes tables by establishment characteristics in addition to tables by firm characteristics. •Firm Characteristics Data Tables Describes job flow and entry/exit patterns for establishments in the U.S. classified according to the size and age of the firm with which they are associated. •Establishment Characteristics Data Tables Describes job flow and entry/exit patterns for establishments in the U.S. classified according to the size and age of the establishments themselves.

The phone’s ringing off the hook, your only employee didn’t show up today and your website and email just crashed. It’s another hectic day in the life of a busy entrepreneur. Someday, you’ll be able to take a day off – maybe even a whole week! But that won’t be anytime soon. Until you can afford to pay higher wages, you may be stuck with that one deadbeat employee. But you don’t have to put up with your website being unreliable. The problem is most likely your Web host, so if you’re not getting what you need, it’s time to make a change. As you begin your search for a website host, take advantage of resources available to you as a small business owner. More from SmallBusinessNewz .

Most chargeback situations arise at the point of transaction—at the time the transaction is completed—and most can be prevented with a little training. Consider these 16 tips to avoid potential chargebacks .

Operating your business as a legally formed entity, such as a corporation or a limited liability company, means that you have an obligation to keep the entity in good standing by filing the required annual reports and paying any required taxes and fees. Failing to do so not only jeopardizes your ability to expand into other states, but you may forfeit your limited liability protection as well. Learn More

Small Business Lending in the United States is the Office of Advocacy’s annual report on bank lending to small businesses. Financing is critical for small businesses; without it, they would be hard pressed to make important contributions to the nation’s economic health and well-being. In the pages of this report, you will find the most current available information on lending to small businesses by depository institutions of various sizes in the United States. Tables in the report provide a wealth of data on the amount and number of loans made to small businesses year by year. The overall picture looks better than it did a year ago. Although lending to small businesses was still down, the decline was less than in 2010 and 2011, an indication of progress. You will be able to track the year-by-year changes in small business lending as the economy continues to improve. Readers can also learn more about what’s happening with the banks in their own states and localities. Detailed tab

Looking for insight about how the Affordable Care Act will affect your small business and your employees? This free webinar series will help you understand key pieces of the law and what you should know about tax credits, cost containment and more. Get the facts you need to know. • Thursday, July 25 at 12:00 PM ET • Thursday, August 1 at 2:00 PM ET • Thursday, August 8 at 2:00 PM ET • Thursday, August 15 at 2:00 PM ET

From the IRS : The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA) (H.R. 8) extends the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) for hiring certain workers through Dec. 31, 2013. The VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 made changes to the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), including adding new categories to the qualified veterans targeted group and expanding the WOTC to make a reduced credit available to tax-exempt organizations for hiring qualified veterans. The VOW Act also extended the WOTC for qualified veterans hired before Jan.1, 2013. The other targeted group categories were not extended by the VOW Act and expired for targeted group members other than qualified veterans hired after Dec.31, 2011. ATRA extends the WOTC for qualified veterans hired before Jan. 1, 2014. ATRA also extends the WOTC for targeted group members, other than qualified veterans, hired after Dec.31, 2011, and before Jan.1, 2014.

From NewMoney.gov : The redesigned $100 note will begin circulating on October 8, 2013. Will you know how to authenticate it? Protect yourself by using the security features included in the redesigned $100 note. We've added two new security features to the redesigned $100 note, the 3-D Security Ribbon and the Bell in the Inkwell. Both of these features can be found on the front of the note and offer a simple and subtle way to check that the note is real. In addition to the two new security features, three highly effective security features from previous designs have been enhanced and retained in the redesigned $100 note: the portrait watermark, the embedded security thread, and the color-shifting 100. To see these and other security features in action, you can explore the Interactive Note .

The folks at the U.S. Census Bureau released a new and improved version of the America’s Economy mobile app this week. The America’s Economy app provides real-time updates for 19 key economic indicators from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, and Bureau of Economic Analysis. Three indicators from BLS were added to the app this week: nonfarm payroll employment, the Producer Price Index, and the Consumer Price Index. These indicators join the unemployment rate and 15 others that were already available. This free app is now available in the App Store and Google Play. For more information, see here .

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting small businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations to participate as SERs for an SBAR Panel that will explore changes to existing uses of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). This panel will focus on the agency’s development of a proposed rule to revise or end the existing authorized uses of PCBs as appropriate if the conditions under which they were authorized more than 30 years ago have changed. This rulemaking may address existing liquid-filled PCB use authorizations, PCBs in fluorescent light ballasts, PCBs in natural gas pipelines, and regulatory language clarifications. SERs will be selected by the SBAR Panel to provide comments on behalf of their company, community or organization and advise the panel about the potential impacts of the proposed rule on small entities. EPA is seeking self-nominations directly from the small entities that may be subject to the rule requirements. Other representatives, such

During the initial stages of starting a business, choosing the right name of your company can be a difficult task to say the least. It may surprise you but even the name of your business can trigger a red flag with some lenders and creditors. Unfortunately, many business owners don’t take this simple step into consideration, especially when it comes to the business credit building process. MORE from SBA here .

From MoneyWatch : According to VeriSign (VRSN), more than 6 million domain names were added to the Internet in the fourth quarter of 2012, bringing the total number of registered domain names to more than 252 million worldwide. Somewhere in those hundreds of millions of names may be one you really want, one that appears to be unused or for sale. Countless domains are bought and "stocked" by aftermarket resellers, and others are bought by prospective users who never wind up doing anything with them. The aftermarket domain business can be tricky and frustrating -- sometimes you can't even get as far as finding and contacting the current owner. So what do you do when you see a URL out there that you'd like to buy and know or believe might be for