New York SBDC Research Network

The InnovateHER Challenge is a national prize competition aimed at unearthing products and services that impact and empower the lives of women and families through local business competitions that culminate in a live pitch Final Round. During the InnovateHER Finals, up to 10 Finalists will compete for the Top Three cash prizes totaling $70,000 provided by Microsoft. This year, the national InnovateHER Finals will be held on March 16 & 17, 2016 in the Washington, D.C. metro area as part of a larger Women’s Summit. We know that our workforce looks very different from 50 years ago. Women now make up nearly half of the labor force and play a critical role in our nation’s economic prosperity. Most children live in households where all parents work. And as our population ages, families are increasingly caring for aging parents while balancing the needs of work and home. As demands on women and families grow, the need for products and services that address unique challenges increas...

November 2-6, 2015 SBA empowers veterans, active duty service members, Guard and Reserve members and military spouses through entrepreneurial training and education programs, business technical assistance, counseling, special access to capital programs and federal procurement training and access to opportunities. Join the conversation at #MyVetBiz to share veteran stories, encourage community members to highlight local veteran-owned businesses in their community, and show gratitude and support to veterans and their families. ,br> Find local events at: SBA

Danny Meyer, head of the New York City-based Union Square Hospitality Group LLC, set off a nationwide conversation last week when he announced that he planned to do away with tipping at his 13 full-service operations. Numerous restaurants across the country add standard service charges of around 18 percent to 20 percent, particularly for larger parties, to their checks, and a few restaurants, such as Alinea in Chicago and Lazy Bear in San Francisco, have done away with traditional reservations and have switched to all-inclusive, non-refundable tickets. Meyer is taking a different approach by raising menu prices and telling his customers that “hospitality” is included in the price. “I’m not waging a campaign on behalf of our entire industry. I’m doing what I think is right for our company,” Meyer told Nation’s Restaurant News. However, Meyer clearly hopes to change the way full-service restaurants compensate their employees. In fact, he said for his plan to work, his staff needs to ...

Hurricane Joaquin has come and gone but the damage still remains, especially for businesses in North and South Carolina. Explore our disaster assistance tool to read about the resources available to help your business recover. buisnessusa

Did you know that the SBA recently issued a final rule that alters regulations governing the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) program? The change, that becomes effective October 14, 2015, makes it easier for agencies to award sole-source contracts to women-owned businesses and helps meet the government’s goal of awarding 5 percent of all federal contracts to women. Read more how this change helps the SBA support women-owned businesses and how to gain WOSB-certification for your company. Looking for more information? Be sure to check out BusinessUSA’s resources for women business owners. You'll also want to read about the SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership (OWBO) which oversees the Women's Business Centers (WBCs) network. WBCs provide entrepreneurs (especially women who are economically or socially disadvantaged) with comprehensive training and counseling on a variety of topics, and in several languages. Learn more at: sba

Boosting the U.S. Clean Tech Industry October National Energy Action Month's goal is to "achieve greater energy security, a more robust economy, and a healthier environment." Are you looking for financial resources to help grow your clean technology business? The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently launched the Small Business Vouchers Pilot program to provide clean tech businesses with access to world-class researchers, facilities and expertise at national laboratories. The program is open to businesses with fewer than 500 employees and will serve as a starting point for bringing the next generation of clean technologies to market. Find out more about the program and if your business qualifies at sbv . You should explore the many opportunities for green businesses on BusinessUSA, including government solicitations, grants, challenges, and more.

Do you juggle several tasks at once during your workday? If so, multitasking probably tops your list of skills. But is multitasking really beneficial to productivity? There’s a lot of research that suggests it hurts productivity, rather than helps it. Multitasking decreases productivity Many people assume that multitasking can improve their productivity. After all, if you can send emails during a meeting, or scan reports while listening to a conference call, you’re being more productive, right? Not necessarily. One study reported in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that students took far longer to solve complicated math problems when required to switch to other tasks. In fact, they were 40 percent slower than those that didn’t have to keep switching. The study suggests that no one actually multitasks; in reality, they just do a whole lot of “task-switching.” Read more at: liveplan