New York SBDC Research Network

Someone posted this on my personal blog last week. It might be spam - the article itself was a couple years old - but thought I'd post it here: "I am going to formulate my own, personal business since you don't see any positive jobs around the market. "Could any individual provide any ideas or web sites about how to apply for government grant money to begin with my own business? I have already been looking on the web but just about every website asks for money and I've been told by the unemployment office to stay away from the websites that ask for money for grant information because they are scam. I'd personally be sincerely grateful for any help." Well, first off, the unemployment office is correct. Those websites promising you lots of money for your initial outlay should send off a warning buzzer in your head. It's a very good likelihood that those sites make only the website owner wealthy. The rest of the story is that, unless you are opening a no

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.