New York SBDC Research Network

Tired of the same old clip art? Bored with the usual stock photo people? How about a Garbage Pail Kid card to brighten up your blog post? (This one didn't seem too tasteless, and I am cold.) Even if Garbage Pail Kids aren't your thing, check out Mashable's list of 13 Fantastic and Fun Image Generators . Creating your own warning signs, magazine covers, movie posters, presidential seal, or comic book page, may be just what your next publication calls for.

From Hill Library : The Internet Intelligence IndexTM can assist you in gathering information to support your competitive intelligence efforts. It contains information from a variety of sources, including links to over 600 intelligence-related Internet sites, covering everything from macro-economic data to individual patent and stock quote information. The Internet Intelligence IndexTM is divided into three main categories: General Business Internet Resources, Industry-Internet Resources, and International Internet Resources. The Index is compiled by Fuld & Company, a top research and consulting firm in the areas of business and competitive intelligence.

Clients come to the NYS SBDC with business ideas ranging from the norm to the weirdest business you can think of, and then some. While we never want to discourage an individual from following their dream, the reality is that not all small businesses will succeed. Often times the more specialized business ideas have more of a chance than the norm because the norm is what everyone else is doing. Yahoo Small Business recently published an article on the 7 Most Overrated Businesses . "The problem: Many would-be entrepreneurs are drawn to businesses they like to patronize or the ones that are cheapest and easiest to start. Instead, experts argue, aspiring entrepreneurs should create firms in which they have professional experience so they have a competitive advantage in the market." So if you were thinking about starting one of these types of business and I have now discouraged you, what can you do now? Well, you can check out the Most Successful U.S. Startups 2008 . Or, if you ar

The collection of document templates on Google Docs seems to have increased - or I haven't been paying attention. For those with streamlined resources, they have a number of nice small business invoice templates on there, business plan impact statement, 24 month sales forecast, a presentation, project managament schedule , work schedules, budgets, business cards, cover sheets, and a "contact us" website form. Even with no money, a new business owner can pull a pretty sharp package together, even if it means sifting through some junk.

Most people share their birthday with at least a few celebrities, but our Alexis is special. She shares her birthday with the Internet. Sept. 2, 1969 was "the day that the infant Internet took its first breath of life" when computer scientists at UCLA set up a network connection between two computers. Read more about that day here . While the scientists may have guessed at lots of the business uses of this technology, they never imagined all the social implications. This anniversary is a nice time to reflect on the role of the internet in our lives, and to ponder what's still to come...

I'm sure that the story told by the author of this article from Inc. magazine is one that our clients have been telling for years. It seeks for the entrepreneur that hard-to-maintain balance between private life & business life, between family and company. I'm not precisely sure what to tell people who find themselves struggling with that, but the article seems to assert that optimism in a better future is a trait that any business owner has to possess before starting a business. For those who do . . . good luck!

Occasionally, we've gotten questions about "technology" or "high tech". While we can get reports, there is no one business code that encompasses such a broad category. The AeA, formerly the American Electronics Association, "uses 45 SIC codes to define the high-technology industry." The organization recognizes that " these 45 SIC codes do not comprehensively cover the entire high-tech industry as the structure of the SIC system is limited. In an effort to produce solid statistics, AeA's definition consists of SIC codes that fall into three broad categories -- high-tech manufacturing, communications services, and software and computer-related services. It does not include broad categories if the high-tech portion does not represent a clear majority. Also, AeA's definition does not include many 'related' industries, such as biotechnology, engineering services, and research and testing services." Likewise, "the 49 NAICS cod

State fact sheets provide information on population, employment, income, farm characteristics, farm financial indicators, and top commodities, exports, and counties for each state in the United States.

With the unemployment rate around 10% and five job applicants for every one job, there are many Americans who are finding themselves unemployed with little or no opportunity for employment in the near future. When this happens, why not create a new job (or jobs) by starting a new business. An article in the New York Times titled On to Plan B: Starting a Business recently said "CALL them accidental entrepreneurs, unintended entrepreneurs or forced entrepreneurs. A year and a half into the Great Recession, with the jobless rate hovering near double digits, corporate refugees...are trying to fend for themselves." For more information, read the articles below or contact your local NYS SBDC office here . How to Become an Entrepreneur During a Recession Becoming an Entrepreneur Can Provide Hope During the Recession Breaking the Recession Illusion to Become an Empowered Entrepreneur

Since May 6th, we at the Research Network have been damn lucky to be borrowing Amy Peker to help us out with the research. She started out in early 2009 as student help. We brought her back for a summertime gig because, well, we needed the help. Some of you (well, 57, to be exact) have been on the receiving end of her work, which I consider to be professional grade. Today, sadly, we have to bid her goodbye, and good luck. She's a librarian now . . . all grown up, and no longer an intern. Amy learns quickly, and has a laser-like focus. She was getting the hang of learning the art of reading between the lines of research requests (something that she'll never really stop learning), and then pick among the resources at our disposal to best answer what was asked. We'll miss her unique sitting posture, her love of Wheat Thins & all manner of snack crackers, and her adventures in dog training. We've never had a rugby player/librarian before - such a person is good t

Remember the intern at Morgan Stanley who shocked his bosses when he reported that he and his peers weren't all that into Twitter ? According to a recent New York Times article, he seems to be correct about teens and Twitter. " Who’s Driving Twitter’s Popularity? Not Teens " examines the demographics of Twitter users, and argues that technological tools can succeed, even without the trendsetting prowess of the teen crowd. It's a good lesson - not every online tool needs to be marketed to the under-18 crowd, after all they are notoriously fickle, and some applications are just better suited to adults.

I found two interesting articles at ConnectIT USA last month. They seem to be two sides of the same coin. In Risky Business: How repeat customers may jeopardize your future , Jeff Mowatt suggests the possibility that "some folks who spend their money with your organization may not enjoy doing business with you at all. As a manager, how do you know that your customers are in fact loyal? Ask. In a round-about way, that is." When you read his example, I'm guessing many will nod with pained recognition. Mark Cox, in Strengthening customer relationships in times of crisis , posits: During times of economic crisis, organizations struggle to communicate unfavorable news, from lower earnings and shrinking market share, to cuts in service and increases in prices. The conventional wisdom is that bad news damages customer relationships and breeds mistrust among consumers. However, a new Simplicity Survey...finds that delivering bad news is an opportunity -- if done in the right

Haven't stolen borrowed from the Hill Library lately: A couple great resources to find statistics and resources on industry and business in Canada. Industry Canada is the place to go if you're looking for information on the state of Canada's industry. It includes business tools for start-ups, as well as information on electronic commerce. Use the company directories to research companies, or search for information on statistics, financing, innovation, research, science and technology, regulations and standards, and more for Canada. Canadian businesses and start-up entrepreneurs can use Canada Business to reduce "the complexity and burden of dealing with various levels of government" when attempting to start or run a business. Canada Business covers a range of relevant topics, from starting a business to taxes to selling to government. You can access Canada Business services via Web, email, or phone.

On the New York State Small Business Development Center's website today we have debuted a new section titled Recession Survival Guide for Small Business . The guide is intended to help small business owners' throughout the recession by focusing on certain topics that are universal to any small business. The subjects discussed are Advertising, The Internet, Doing Business with the Goverenment, Labor Force, Economizing, and Going Green. Each section is designed to help a business owner re-evaluate their current way of thinking to maximize the expenditures and effectiveness of each business aspect. As an ongoing document, we would welcome any comments regarding other topics business owners would be interested in reading about.

We see a lot of information on making the most of referrals, having reciprocal relationships with other businesses, but they all assume you've had your first customer. These are a few articles on starting somewhere to get that first customer. Getting Your First Customer Strategies: Getting your first customer takes work 8/7/2009 3:58 AM By Rhonda Abrams USA TODAY Recognizing the difficulty of getting the ball running, the author suggests some ways to build clientele. OnStartups Startup Diaries: Getting Your First Customer This blog entry offers a different point of view for a software developer. Getting Your First Customer: 2007 Entrepreneurship Conference Interactive presentation by Chuck DeVita, Growth Process Group. This is a video presentation from Stamford University on the same issue.