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.