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Small Businesses and ARRA

Following last weeks' topic, this blog will also be dedicated to the Economic Stimulus Package and how the monies will impact small businesses. Below are the links to multiple articles that discuss the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and Small Businesses. Press Release: SBA Applauds Stimulus Bill, Planning Underway For Broadest, Quickest Small Business Impact - This release highlights the SBA's key initiatives that have been impacted by ARRA, including a 90% loan guarantee, deferred payment business sabilization loans, and more. The 2009 American Recovery and Reintestment Act Tax Provisions for Individuals, Businesses, and Other Key Items of Interest - A summary of the major tax provisions that were included in the act, about halfway down the page is a section titled "Tax Provisions Affecting Businesses". BBB Explains Stimulus Package Benefits for Small-Business Owners - A summary provided by the Eastern North Carolina BBB that highlights sev

Small Business & Cybercrime

As if small business owners didn't have enough to worry about already, along comes this article that proclaims cyberthieves are targeting them more and more. Small businesses that choose to collect and store on their own credit card data for online sales are the specific target. It cites studies that show how small business owners lack the time and human resources to implement antivirus software, or utilize encryption software, or develop a cybersecurity plan in general. The article suggests not to give up online retail as a business strategy, but rather to rely on third-party vendors to collect and protect credit card information. To me, that sounds like both sound advice, as well as a time-saver.

Energy Efficiency Incentives

There are already a number of financial incentives for homeowners and small businesses looking to install energy efficient systems. As I blogged about last week, the Recovery Act looks to enhance and add to the existing programs. To locate financial incentives by state, check out the Database for State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency . Incentives are listed for Federal and State programs, including lists specifically for homeowners. If you’re seriously looking to install a photovoltaic system, NYSERDA offers a Solar Electric ( PV ) System Costs and Savings Calculator . You enter your zip code, your monthly electrical bill, and the size of the system you’d like to install. It will estimate installation costs, and add up the tax credits you could expect to receive. To keep up with how the Recovery Act will affect energy savings programs, sign up for NYSERDA's Economic Stimulus Updates LISTSERV .

More Stimulating Stuff about the Stimulus

On Wednesday, March 18, I attended a Federal Stimlus Package Town Hall Forum at the Lally building of the College of St. Rose in Albany, NY, one of a series of events put together by Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith and the New York State Senate; the local state senator, Neil Breslin, was the masters of ceremonies. I was surprised to find at 5:50 p.m. plenty of empty seats because I had heard that the first two events were standing room only; evidently, some folks knew that the program was going to start late. Soon enough, though, the room was packed. The head table had a half dozen agency heads or representatives, which made me think this was the only speaker; that would not prove to be true, as the total number of speakers exceeded a dozen and a half. First, Michael King narrated informaion along with this PowerPoint presentation . I was looking for the small businesss aspects. First to pop out at me was on page 17, which deals with labor, specifically the Workforce Investment A

New York State Contract Reporter

Many thanks to the people at the Farmingdale SBDC, who passed on information earlier today that free access is available online to the New York State Contract Reporter, "your official source for New York State contracting opportunities". Access is being given to all the SBDCs around the state, as well as to businesses with fewer than 10 employees. The Farmingdale office received an email from a woman affiliated with the NYSCR. Here's the text: "I am pleased to inform you that today, Governor Paterson in conjuction with our Commissioner Marisa Lago, announced that all NYS SBDC centers will be entitled to free access to the NYSCR as well as to NYS businesses that employ 10 or fewer persons . Please log onto the site at: http://www.nyscr.org/ and take out a free trial subscription. ( Click on the "30 Day Trial" link under the heading "Public Links" ). You will need to accept the terms, complete the form and submit to the NYSCR system. You will r

Information you need…about the Stimulus Package

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The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is a 400+ page document that in my opinion would require multiple PhD’s and numerous years to fully understand as an individual. Over the next few months, we at the Research Network will be working on providing our staff and clients, as well as other readers of this blog, with information pertaining to the Stimulus Package (as it is more commonly referred to). While at times this will include government released documents that are difficult to read and extremely long, more often we will try to provide pared down information, especially relating to New York State. Below are a few links to get started. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 New York American Recovery and Reinvestment Handbook From the New York State Senate: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – The Federal Stimulus impact of New York State From the Business and Labor Coalition of New York (BALCONEY): Bulletin on the Impact of the 2009 Stimulus

Picking a Location

We are asked with some regularity for information to assist small businesses trying to choose a good location for their business. The tools we typically use are the Demographics Now product which offer a numebr of reports and a pre-set packet they call the Business Location Summary Report which consists of: Business Demographic Snapshot Charts Executive Demographic Average Household Net Worth Median Household Income We may also include data and maps from the Deaprtment of Transportation's Traffic Data Viewer ( www.nysdot.gov/tdv ) for a traffic study for the county in question. There are also other sources for checklists and general guidance for choosing a location from some popular bsuiness information sites including one that will allow you to look up prices for commerical property by zip code. SBA Small Business Planner Pick a Location This guide lays out the various new business owners face with a main one being where to locate. Nolo.com Choosing a Successful Location for Your

Green for Green

We’re all gearing up to help small businesses in New York understand and gain most advantage from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act . We’ll try to keep up-to-date with the details both here in the blog and on the NYS SBDC home page . Specifically wondering what the Recovery Act has to offer green businesses? “ Stimulus Package Has Green for Clean Energy ” from Entrepreneur.com discusses how the Recovery Act will offer tax incentives, bonds, grants and loan guarantees that may be particularly helpful to clean energy companies. Cash grants in particular will help individuals or businesses install solar energy systems – good news for installation and related firms. Don’t forget that small businesses can save money right now by lowering their energy usage. NYS SBDC, NYSERDA, NYBDC and others have teamed up to offer a new energy savings program- get more details here .

Facebook for Business

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Facebook is not just a virtual community for friends; it has evolved into a networking utility for businesses and professionals. Today, there are over 175 million active users on Facebook with the fastest growing group of users those 30 years and older. College graduates and young professionals, the original target audience of Facebook when it launched in 2004, are now using the site to foster professional growth. Should your business create a Facebook Page and join this growing online community? Below are some thoughts about businesses on Facebook: Ten Reasons to Use Facebook for Business Facebook caters to a diverse audience including professionals and businesses. It is a free online tool to facilitate networking with professionals and businesses. 30+ Apps for Doing Business on Facebook This blog provides a list of the applications available on Facebook and how businesses may be able to use the applications for their business needs. Should your business be on Facebook? “The secret is

Fun with New York State Counties

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In 1609, Henry Hudson sailed up the river now bearing his name to what is now Albany. A historic year indeed. Sketches of New York State's colorful early history are wrapped up in the everyday words that name our 62 counties. They recall the Indians, the English and Dutch colonists, heroes of the Revolutionary War years, Presidents and early politicians — and the inventor of the steamboat. Roll your mouse over a county to reveal its name. Click to discover where that name came from. Now try this game where one has to find each county! [No, that's not Greene, it's Columbia.]

Federal Stimulus Package TOWN HALL FORUM

From here . Senate Majority Leader Malcolm A. Smith and the New York State Senate invites you to attend a Town Hall Forum on the Federal Stimulus Package. Here's what you'll find out: • How your community can benefit from the Stimulus Package; • What projects are eligible for funding; and • Information about job creation and business opportunities. Long Island Suffolk County Community College Saturday, March 14, 2009 11 am - 1 pm Albany College of St. Rose Wednesday, March 18, 2009 6 - 8 pm Syracuse Syracuse City Council Chambers Thursday, March 19, 2009 6 - 8 pm Buffalo Cheektowaga Senior Citizen's Center Saturday, March 21, 2009 11 am - 1 pm Rochester University of Rochester Alumni Center Thursday, March 26, 2009 6 - 8 pm Westchester TBA To attend, please contact the office of the Senate Majority Leader Malcolm A. Smith at (212) 298-5585 or sign up in the form on the right side of this page. If you provide us with your email address, we will send you updates as you

Doodling

I feel vindicated after listening to a report on NPR about how doodlers tend to retain more of what they are listening to - because doodling is mental stimulation and actually keeps your mind on track. Instead of daydreaming and missing what's going on, doodling actually ocupies your mind enough to keep the rest of you present. Jackie Andrade who is a University of Plymouth professor of psychology who tested what function doodling had by playing a tape of someone more or less rambling in a fairly monotonus tone. Those that had been given a doodling task had retained 29% more of what they had heard than those who had not been. So, doodling actually helps focus your attention. So there. The NPR website has also posted examples of presidential doodles.

All in the Family Business

From the International Finance Corporation (World Bank) newsletter: Family businesses constitute the world’s most dominant form of business organizations, playing a key role in economic growth and employment generation in many developing countries. Yet, most have a short life span and about 95 percent do not survive the third generation of ownership. A new book from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Family Business Governance Handbook , recommends ways to help family businesses improve their sustainability by establishing good governance practices. It highlights corporate governance challenges facing family businesses and proposes structures and practices that can help mitigate them.

The Financial Crisis - A Timeline

I recently learned of a website that tracks the history of the current financial crisis in the U.S. It's maintained by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Fortunately, the site consists almost solely of one-paragraph summaries of significant events in this ongoing drama - starting in February 2007, right up to the present. A link to a "View Full Timeline" PDF file is available, if you want to see everything in one place. For me, it puts into perspective that this hasn't been going on forever. It just seems that way.

Signage Seminar

I just returned from Sturbridge, Massachusetts, where I presented on the demonstrable benefits that a well-designed sign can bring to a small business. Yes, I'm still involved in the subject of signage. For those of you who don't know, we wrote a book on the subject ( What's Your Signage? ) in 2004, and created a website for it in 2006. The New York SBDC is seen by many people in the signage industry as great advocates in this area. I was one of four people who spoke to a collection of 100 or so building inspectors and code administrators from around Massachusetts. These are the people who are charged with enforcing the sign code ordinances of their town. An ordinance in one town can be completely different from the town next door. Just as easily, an ordinance in one town can be friendly to its business community, while the one next door can be terribly restrictive. These folks are the people who have to judge a sign and whether it should exist. They straddle the line betw

You Noodle - A Social Network for Startup Entrepreneurs

An article in the Wired Blog Network recently discussed YouNoodle , a social networking site for startup entrepreneurs. The website has "introduced a dynamic scoring system purports to indicate the viability of early-stage ventures." "A YouNoodle Score is a quantitative measurement, on a scale of 0 to 100, of a startup's impact and importance based on its traction, activity, and buzz. The score is based on information pulled in from thousands of online sources: traffic, mainstream media, the blogosphere, conversations on Twitter, and other key factors." Currently in it's Beta phase, click here to go directly to the You Noodle website.

Newest Books

RS Means Site Work & Landscape Cost Data 2009 " A successful project is built on the foundation of an accurate and dependable estimate. This book will enable you to construct just such an estimate." Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009 "The national data book." Engagement is Not Enough Keith E. Ayers "You need passionate employees to achieve your dream... light a fire within your employees, not under them!" Fresh Customer Service Michael D. Brown "Treat the employee as #1 and the customer as #2 and you will get customers for life." Long Island Business News - Book of Lists 2009 "LI's Best on Display"

Information You Need: Green Jobs

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Interested in knowing more about "green" jobs and the "green" economy? The following reports may be particularly useful for those of us in New York State. Cleantech : A New Engine of Economic Growth for New York State From the New York City Investment Fund, January 2007 Central Upstate New York’s Green Industry Sector: Opportunities and Prospects Prepared for Metropolitan Development Association of Syracuse and Central New York and Creative Core’s Regional Green Team, November 2007 Current and Potential Green Jobs in the U.S. Economy From the US Conference of Mayors, October 2008 Includes statistics on the number of existing and projected green jobs by metro area. This is just the tip of the iceberg. For more, check out California’s Employment Development Department's Digest of "Green" Reports and Studies - they are doing a great job keeping track of reports from around the country.

Creepy?

Google recently launched an application, Latitude , that tracks users’ location using GPS and cell-tower triangulation. "Latitude" is an opt-in application meaning users can choose to share their geographic location with friends. This application broadcasts the users’ location but is equipped with "fine-grained privacy controls" built into the application that allow the user to control how precise the location they broadcast is. The location can be as specific as available through "Latitude's GPS and cell-tower triangulation technologies" or as broad as city-level. Users can also control who is allowed to view their location by limiting the audience to a circle of friends or a specific person. Is this creepy or is it another way to minimize geographic distance and provide another avenue for information? Google Latitude video - Amy Peker

SBA Upgrades Podcasting

SBA has upgraded its podcasts to offer additional resources to the nation’s entrepreneurs. The podcasts, available here , provide an introduction to a variety of small business topics, and provide useful business information and advice. The newest podcast topics include Marketing to the Federal Government, Getting Your Small Business Ready for Tax Season and Online Reporting of Employee Wages. Existing podcasts for entrepreneurs are Is Entrepreneurship for You and Checklist for Starting a Business. New podcasts will be added regularly to provide insight and tips on such topics as downshifting in a slowing economy, going green and business plan development, along with programs for veterans and information to help entrepreneurs start, grow and succeed. Each podcast delivers a broadcast quality recording that can now be downloaded through RSS feeds, in addition to portable media players and personal computers. RSS is a format for delivering regularly changing Web content, such as pod