New York SBDC Research Network

A recent State appellate court ruling upheld New York law requiring Internet retailers to collect sales tax on sales to New York customers. To view the entire document please visit HERE .

The New York State Climate Action Plan: Interim Report was released on November 9, 2010. The Challenge and the Opportunity Climate change, resulting primarily from the combustion of fossil fuels and other human activities, is a significant threat to our environment, economy, and communities. Climate change is already occurring: its adverse effects are well documented across the globe and throughout our region. That realization, combined with the economic and national security vulnerability associated with our current, finite, fossil-based energy system, has created a sense of urgency in advancing a sustainable low-carbon energy future. New York State is committed to reducing Green House Gas emissions. The plan is to reduce these gases 15% by 2015 and 80% by 2050. The state is is aiming for an energy portfolio of 30% renewable by 2015. Businesses: Help New York State take the lead in this effort. Learn about the NYS SBDC Energy Savings Program . ARTICLE RECOMMENDED by Tony Presti, F

A recent article in The Albany Business Review quoted a "serial entrepreneur and social media guru" stating that "businesses have 2.6 seconds to get an audience’s attention". In the article, Promoting your biz 140 characters @ a time , Peter Shankman states that "a 140-character tweet translates to 2.6 seconds, the new collective attention span". So how can your business use a mere 140 characters, or 2.6 seconds, to grab and retain a client's attention span? Below are some articles and tips to do just that. Twitter 101 for Business - A Special Guide The Ultimate Video Guide to Twitter for Business An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Using Twitter for Business 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business 5 Unique Ways to Use Twitter for Business

DealBook: A Lesson in Control By STEVEN M. DAVIDOFF November 10, 2010 New York Times The Deal Professor examines the use of venture capital for a start-up, saying many entrepreneurs receive needed money, but lose control of their business "A venture fund will negotiate a set of agreements with the founders at the time of its investment... Not only will the fund negotiate to ensure that an exit occurs, but the V.C. will insist that it be paid back before the founder. "The key for entrepreneurs in deal negotiations is to make sure that when they do raise V.C. money, they have options. If they can get multiple term sheet offers from more than one venture capital firm, then they can negotiate to sell the smallest part of their company on the most lenient terms. If you only have one term sheet, you are not going to fare well. "When the company is not performing to expectations, these legal rights negotiated at the beginning of the founder-V.C. relationship come into play.&qu

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation in 1954 to change the name to Veterans Day as a way to honor those who served in all American wars. The day honors living military veterans with parades and speeches across the nation. A national ceremony takes place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

HillLibrary.org notes: 5 Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Learn From the Midterm Election No, this isn’t another “what the elections mean for your business” – though those opinion pieces are also worth looking at! Rather, it suggests some lessons entrepreneurs can learn from the winners and losers of the election. Does money guarantee success? Is experience necessarily a good thing? Check out these thoughts from Mark Hall, founder of Input Ladder LLC and blogger at startup blog My Two And A Half Cents.

An MBA student sent me info on Elevator Pitch resources. Specifically, one from the Guide To Online MBA . He writes, "It has a ton of great elevator pitch resources, including competitions and writing resources that you and your users may find useful!" And I wondered: Do Entrepreneurs Need Elevator Pitches? Guess what? The page addressed that very question .

I love Advertising Age magazine. Several of us read our office subscription. The October 11, 2010 edition is The Consumer Issue, and contains several useful articles, including: How U.S. Assimilation Is Changing Marketing Rules Will Ad Industry's Opt-Out Program Entice Consumers? Marketers Still Struggling With Mommy Issues - they fail to recognize mommy is likely older, e.g. Don't Be So Quick to Dismiss Power of Asian Consumers 'Urban' Trope Misses a Large Swath of Black Consumers Tweens Embrace Makeup, Reject Miley Media-Savvy Gen Y Finds Smart and Funny Is 'New Rock 'n' Roll' There is a finite nymber of articles you can access online without a subscription. One suggestion: How U.S. Consumers Are Steering the 'Spend Shift' Five Eye-Opening Takeaways From an in-Depth Analysis on How Americans Are Changing in a Post-Crisis Society 1. The New American Frontier -- the values of optimism, resiliency and opportunity 2. Don't Fence Me In -- the

"The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) supports the Department's efforts to help create cohesive, economically healthy communities. "PD&R is responsible for maintaining current information on housing needs, market conditions, and existing programs, as well as conducting research on priority housing and community development issues. The Office provides reliable and objective data and analysis to help inform policy decisions. PD&R is committed to involving a greater diversity of perspectives, methods, and researchers in HUD research." And that's where I found Qualified Census Tracts and Difficult Development Areas and other low-income data regarding housing, which can be applied to other uses.

The Statistical Abstract of the United States , published since 1878, is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. Although emphasis in the Statistical Abstract is primarily given to national data, many tables present data for regions and individual states and a smaller number for metropolitan areas and cities. Use the Abstract as a convenient volume for statistical reference, and as a guide to sources of more information both in print and on the Web. Sources of data include the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and many other Federal agencies and private organizations. The PDF version is available for download here .

The Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, or DSIRE , is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Established in 1995 and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, DSIRE is an ongoing project of the N.C. Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council. Users can search for state or federal incentives, as well as benefit from other useful aspects of the website. One such useful aspect of the website is the Library , which includes selected reports, technical papers, articles and presentations authored by the DSIRE staff. Related publications that were co-authored with colleagues in academia, government and the private sector are also included. Another useful aspect of the website are the Links provided to National Organizations, Federal Resources, State Organizations, Regional Organizations, and International Organizations. Overall, this is an i

For those visually inclined, here is an infographic of the information we share through the Internet. Some of these are such staggering numbers, it's difficult to get one's head around but neatly summarized at GOOD . Other interesting infographics can be found at their site .

The United Nations General Assembly designated Oct. 20, 2010, as the first-ever World Statistics Day to highlight the role of official statistics and the many achievements of national statistical systems. Statistical organizations throughout the world will celebrate World Statistics Day at the national and regional level. The census, the U.S. Census Bureau and 13 other principal federal statistical agencies together have been collecting statistics about the nation's people, economy and society since 1790. Here are some statistics, including statistics about statistics .

Launching a blog for your business is an exciting way to generate continual buzz and to boost your word-of-mouth marketing efforts. Blogs are a more personal, conversational way to communicate with your customers, and they help foster customer loyalty. Through helpful, entertaining posts, you can start and maintain conversations with customers about your business and position yourself as an industry expert. More HERE .

On Wednesday, October 27th from 9:30-10:30 AM, the New York State Small Business Development Center (NYS SBDC) will be co-sponsoring a free webinar on Franchising. The webinar is being presented by Frank Dunne, Principal of the Hudson Valley FranNet, a company that provides no-cost guidance, information and support to individuals who are interested in exploring the purchase of a franchised business. The program is primarily targeted at entrepreneurs who are seeking information on franchising. To register by phone call (914) 260-9082, or by email at fdunne@frannet.com.