New York SBDC Research Network

On Monday, Roger and I attended a workshop on information sources for labor statistics. Sponsored by the Capital District Business Librarians, James Ross, the NYS Department of Labors’ Regional Labor Market Analyst for the Capital Region, discussed the wild world of statistics available on the NYS Labor Department website . There’s a lot here, but it is not always easy to get to. Here are just a few things that I found interesting: Most of us are familiar with the occupational outlook reports available from the U.S. Department of Labor, which offers descriptive job outlooks for a variety of occupations. The NYS DOL provides more detailed and local statistics, offering a ten year forecast for more than 700 occupations, listed by their SOC code . Available statewide and by region, these tables list the current employment figures for that field, projected employment numbers for ten years later, with growth and replacement figures. For those less inclined to crunch the numbers, the o...

There are those of you who have probably already filed your taxes, and may have found your refunds delayed by last-minute Congressional action . Then there are those who wait until the last minute. For you folks, you'll have an extra day. Read Announcement Regarding a Change in the Due Date for Certain 2006 New York State Tax Returns to April 17, 2007 , which applies not only to those who file in Andover, Massachusetts, but everyone. Here's a Summary of Personal Income Tax Legislative Changes Enacted in 2006 and Summary of Corporation Tax Legislative Changes Enacted in 2006 . New York State and Local Sales and Use Tax Quick Reference Guide . New York taxpayers who are preparing their personal income tax returns can take advantage of a host of family-friendly credits that may lower their tax bills and increase their refunds. Some tax breaks, like the New York State and New York City Earned Income Tax Credits, may result in a refund even when no tax is owed. To view the entire d...

This link leads to the Market Research Library of the U.S. Commercial Service. There, you can access (for free) information about a specific country (or a specific industry within a country) from any of the following three reports: 1) Market Research 2) Country Commercial Guides (CCG) 3) Best Market Reports Again, you can search by specific industry, region of the world, or country. Item #2 is particularly loaded with information. I pulled up the latest CCG for China, and it was 220+ pages of information on market possibilities, contacts within the country, habits & customs, etc. It's a great for your import/export clients.

Lately I’ve been seeing articles and reading blogs all mentioning Second Life , but up until now I hadn’t taken the time to check it out. Is it a computer game? An online community? A business opportunity? Turns out it is all of the above, and more (although I’m not even going to pretend that I understand everything involved). Members build avatars (they look a lot like the Sims), chat with each other, play games, build things, take classes, and even conduct business. Introducing his interview with Second Life creator Philip Rosedale on Inc.com, Michael Fitzgerald writes, “ Second Life is a place where anyone can have just that. It is a richly detailed virtual world where anything a computer programmer can imagine can exist: There are minutely detailed replicas of Rockefeller Center and human-size raccoons; sex and sadism and spiritual retreats; conference calls and a currency exchange. Almost all of it is created by the people who pay to dwell in it.” Lately, it’s getting a lot more ...

10 Lies VCs Know You're Telling In the quest for capital, many entrepreneurs stretch the truth. One venture capitalist calls them out. By Guy Kawasaki Entrepreneur Magazine - March 2007 From "our projections are conservative" to "so-and-so are ready to sign us, so you better move fast" or "no one else can do what we do", Guy Kawasaki runs through the standard fare from venture capital seekers. I can imagine the eye-rolling that must go on. I especially liked the advice to entrepreneurs to perhaps plug into Google before traipsing off to a VC, all confident and ignorant of the competitors in the field.

It was Presidents' Day yesterday, and while I can name all of the occupants, and their years of service (useful for games shows, BTW), I'm not always sure of the accomplishments, if any, of many of them. Like the guy pictured. Who IS he? So here are some links from: the White House The Internet Public Library Grolier Encyclopedia Here's a link to all of the Presidential Libraries . Oh, and that guy pictured is James Buchanan, 15th President of the United States (1857-1861), James K. Polk's Secretary of State, who was totally ineffectual in stemming the tide towards Civil War, most historians suggest. He was our only "bachelor President".

I noticed a number of news stories over the weekend that cited the 2006 "Oyster Awards," as given out by Consumer Reports. This article provides an overview of this year's "winners," dedicated to those products sabotaged by companies with an interest in tormenting anyone foolish enough to buy these things. (Click "Winners" in the left-hand menu. As someone who spent a fair amount of holiday time trying to liberate toys for a 9-year-old, I can relate.) For all those clients interested in finding packagers for their products, make sure they see this site, if only to know what NOT to do.