New York SBDC Research Network

“If a company doesn’t have anything interesting to say, they have bigger problems to solve than where their next blog post is coming from.” That’s a bit of a jibe, but it does reflect the need for a change in perspective. Many companies see themselves as a vessel, with a finite number of ideas and pieces of information. In other words, their view of content is fairly static and self-centered. Once they’ve said all there is to say about their own products and services, the well goes dry. This is in contrast to what many successful business owners and entrepreneurs are doing with blogging and content creation. They create a blogging plan with topics and ideas to write about that customers would actually be interested in. They look at blogging as a byproduct of the ongoing listening and engagement that occurs between brand and customers, between brand and prospects and the community at large. More HERE .

The Staten Island Small Business Development Center has moved to its new location in order to better serve your needs. Now located in Building 3A - Room 105 at the College of Staten Island, 2800 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10314. The center will continue to provide you with excellent service you have been accustomed to at the SI SBDC at CSI. Please follow the center on Facebook at Small Business Development Center, Staten Island for the latest news and updates.

Going after a loan? These are the six essential areas a lending institution will consider Your Personal Character The very first thing a loan officer looks for when reviewing a business proposal is some indication of how trustworthy you are. If your background demonstrates a lack of integrity, your request will not be considered, even if it’s the best business idea there is. They want to know a lot about you personally; who you are, how long you’ve been in business (if at all), and your history of meeting your financial obligations. Your credit history will be checked to see how you’ve handled previous debts. Why? Because if you are a small business, in the eyes of the lending party you ARE the business, and how you’ve handling things in the past is a good indicator of how you’ll handle them in the future.

If you operate a small business that provides internet access to your employees and customers, you may find a warning popping up on your monitors, alerting you to the fact that someone your system has illegally downloaded copyright-protected material. That warning is part of the newly implemented Copyright Alert System (CAS). The CAS, commonly referred to as the "six strikes program," is a joint undertaking between major content creators and Internet service providers, designed to reduce illegal downloading of digital material from peer-to-peer sites. Since the advent of peer-to-peer computing, companies that create digital content--movies, television shows, music--have faced challenges to both copyright and revenue. More HERE .

Normally, a business is required to file Form 941, Quarterly Federal Income Tax Return, to report employment tax liability. IRS introduced the Form 944, Employer' ANNUAL Federal Tax Return, program after it realized that many small employers were filing Forms 941 with little or no employment taxes due. Under the original program, the IRS determined which employers were eligible and notified those that qualified to use Form 944. If the IRS determined you were a Form 944 filer, you were required to file that form until the IRS notified you that you no longer qualified. The employer had little control over which employment tax return it was required to file. Now, you don't have to wait for the IRS to invite you to participate . Instead, a small employer may request to participate in the Form 944 Program. You can make the request by calling the IRS at 1-800-829-4933 by April 1, 2013.

Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), the rights licensing experts, is a global rights broker for the world’s most sought after materials, including in- and out-of-print books, journals, newspapers, magazines, movies, television shows, images, blogs and ebooks. CCC put together this video .

Financial conditions were supportive of economic growth, and borrowing conditions for small firms gradually improved. The declines in small business lending stabilized, and small business borrowing turned up for the first time in 10 quarters. A copy of the bulletin . Should you need further information, please feel free to contact Victoria Williams at (202) 205-6533 or advocacy@sba.gov.