New York SBDC Research Network

WASHINGTON – The devastating effects of a hurricane extends beyond the coastal areas where the storms land. In recent years, we’ve seen how the impact of storm surge—which is the indirect damage from water and flying debris—inflicts collateral damage on small businesses in a surprisingly widespread area. The 2011 Mid-Atlantic Hurricane season begins June 1. Is your business prepared for a possible shutdown on the heels of the infrastructure collapse that usually follows a major storm? Get tips on protecting your customers, employees and your investment during a free webinar on May 17 at 2 p.m. EDT. Hosted by Agility Recovery Solutions and the U.S. Small Business Administration, the webinar will feature Weather Services International Senior Meteorologist Ben Papandrea, who will present the 2011 Hurricane Season forecast. Paul Sullivan, a vice president for Agility Recovery Solutions, will share best practices towards preparing your company for disasters. SBA has partnered with Agili

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama hailed small business owners as the backbone of the nation’s economy in his proclamation of the week of May 15-21 as National Small Business Week. The President declared them to be the embodiment of America’s promise: “the idea that if you have a good idea and are willing to work hard enough, you can succeed in our country.” The President’s proclamation was issued before the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 48th annual observance of National Small Business Week in Washington, D.C. (May 18-20). The event honors outstanding entrepreneurs from across the country, and features announcement of the 2011 National Small Business Person of the Year, who is selected from among 54 small business award winners from 50 states, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The President’s proclamation states: “Our country started as an idea, and it took hard-working, dedicated, and visionary patriots to make it a reality. A successful business starts much th

WASHINGTON – Fifteen individuals from across the country have been appointed to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Council on Underserved Communities (CUC). Building on SBA’s core programs and Recovery initiatives, the CUC will provide input, advice and recommendations on strategies to help strengthen competitiveness and sustainability for small businesses in underserved communities. These strategies will be focused on increasing entrepreneurship and technical assistance, creating new and strengthening existing outreach and training, and raising awareness in underserved communities of SBA programs and services. The CUC is chaired by Catherine Hughes, founder and chairperson of Radio One and TV One, and will have 20 members who represent a diverse range of backgrounds and geographic areas. “One of SBA’s core missions is to support small businesses in traditionally underserved communities, including minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities and in rural areas,”

From export.gov Are you an exporter seeking a market where the United States has an existing competitive advantage? Are you spending time looking through pages of legal texts to figure out the tariff under a trade agreement for your products? Would you like to feel empowered to perform instant and at-a-glance searches for trade and tariff trends in one easily accessed location online? The FTA Tariff Tool has the answers to these and many other trade-related questions. America’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) partners offer attractive markets for many U.S. companies looking to expand into new markets or export for the very first time. Through these agreements, the U.S. has negotiated the elimination of tariffs, the removal of non-tariff barriers, and secured non-discriminatory treatment of U.S. goods and services. Originally trade and tariff information could only be accessed by sifting through the actual text of the agreements. The FTA Tariff Tool streamlines the search process... Additio

From BNET , by Jon Gelberg: So you’ve decided you need to blog. As the owner of the business, you want to put a human face on the brand and become a source of valuable information for customers. Good for you! The big question now is, what the heck are you going to write about? And, more importantly, will anyone read it? Obviously you’re going to have to get a feel for what your target audience wants to read. That will come with time. Right now you just need to start writing. To give you a jump start on your blogging efforts, I’ve come up with 10 specific post ideas that I’ve found work well with most any audience.

Three in ten men are single, and of those, 80% are the decision-makers in their households. I know what you’re thinking – that’s logical. But it is, in fact, an overlooked aspect of many male lifestyle situations, and a hidden gem that many advertisers keep missing. This segment buys small and big-ticket items like automobiles, clothing and more at levels equal to or greater than women in most cases. Even women agree that men should have major input in decisions about buying big-ticket items. Six in ten women say that a recommendation from a spouse or partner is a deciding factor when making these purchases. So when you’re just buying women, you’re missing key influencers – men. And six in ten men say it's their call or that they have a key role in big-ticket purchases in their households. Times have changed and men have stepped up and are more engaged than ever. MORE HERE .

Inspired by the front page story in today's Albany Times Union, Food ready to eat on a plate? It's taxable In New York State: Food Item is/// Tax Exempt if///Taxable if Cold cuts /// sliced and sold by weight ///arranged on food platter Pizza /// frozen, refrigerated, unheated ///heated Hot dog /// refrigerated (packaged) ///served on a bun or heated Fish /// sold unheated ///heated or served in a sandwich Bread /// sold by the loaf (whole or sliced) ///served with a bowl of soup Bananas /// sold whole, individually or by the bunch ///peeled or sliced as part of a fruit platter Bagel /// sold by quantity (whole or sliced) ///toasted, buttered, or with cream cheese Salad mix /// packaged in bag ///from a self-serve salad bar or prepared and arranged on a plate Ice cream /// sold in a container by weight (including hand-packed pints, quarts, etc.) ///made-to-order cone or sundae Macaroni salad /// packaged and sold by weight ///served with a sandwich, served in a tray as a side

Case study from Step-by-Step Marketing : Why Groupon.com pleases even customers who are wrong Groupon.com, one of the fastest growing companies on the Internet, emails its members daily offers to buy discounted deals in their residential areas. One recent deal, for example, offered members in New Jersey an opportunity to buy $40 worth of food at an Italian specialty store for $20. It's a great business concept, but it places unusual demands on Groupon.com's customer service. Here's an example...of taking the long view.

One of our NYS SBDC advisors has a new client who paid wasted $24,000 (no, we didn't misplace a zero!) for a TOTALLY USELESS business plan! Yet another reason to come to your nearest SBDC first.

To incorporate, or to not incorporate? That is the question posed at start-up. This Advocacy funded report by Rebel Cole, How Do Firms Choose Legal Form of Organization? (PDF) finds that the choice of legal form of organization is relatively stable over a firm’s first four years. When changes do occur, they tend to be to the more complex forms of organization. A Research Summary can be found at here (PDF) .

Can one search for corporations in all 50 states at once? Well, no. But one can use KnowX.com , an LN company. As a librarian noted, "A multistate search is free and you can purchase individual or expanded records on a pay-as-you-go basis. Another option is a day pass. You could check for other KnowX pricing options. Also check coverage and updating information if those are key issues for you. Delaware is not included. Here is the blurb: "'Research Corporate Records, and Search for Company Public Record Information. Search Corporate Record filings from the Secretary of State Offices across the United States. The types of information included in the Corporate Records search are records related to corporations, limited partnership, limited liability companies, trademarks, reserved names, and more.'"

From BNET : "Here are words and phrases you should remove from your website — not just from your About Us page but from many other pages as well. "They might sound impressive to you, but they're meaningless to everyone else."

Building good financial credit is important. It can affect your ability to make large purchases and qualify for a loan or mortgage. Learn more about credit: How Credit Works Why Credit Scores Matter Build a Better Credit Report General Credit Tips

The U. S. bankruptcy system is designed to recover funds for creditors while giving bankrupt small businesses an opportunity for a “fresh start.” While a fresh start is a goal of the system, little analysis has been done to evaluate the ability of small firms to reset and thrive after bankruptcy. This paper attempts to fill that gap. The research finds that 2.6 percent of firms filed for bankruptcy within the previous seven years, that they are comparable to other firms in terms of cash flow and firm size, and that they have a 24 percent higher likelihood of being denied a loan and are charged interest rates that are 1 percent higher than those charged other firms. The research summary can be found HERE . Should you need further information, please feel free to contact Brian Headd at (202) 205-6533 or advocacy@sba.gov.

The press release read: "Through a partnership among GSA, the U.S. Government Printing Office, and Google, 100 of the most popular government publications are now available to download for free online. This partnership will allow for greater access to these documents and contribute to an open and transparent government. As more documents become available online, it will eventually reduce the number of documents that GSA’s Federal Citizen Information Center prints while reducing costs and the environmental impact." Sounds great! So I decided to check it out at pueblo.gpo.gov/FreePubs.php . I should note that one can order almost any of the physical items and receive them in one to three weeks, rather than writing to Pueblo, Colorado, like I used to. First couple categories, Cars and Consumer Action Handbook, each had only one item, but one could click on the link and make a PDF. But several areas had no such link. Under Small Business was Diversifying Your Workforce, with no

WASHINGTON – In the chaos following a disaster, impaired judgment can lead to poor decisions. Those lapses of confidence can impact the ability of business owners to successfully manage the recovery process. How does a business owner take positive steps ensure that his or her business remains resilient through a disaster situation that could destroy the company? Join Agility Recovery Solutions and the U.S. Small Business Administration on Tuesday, April 19, for a discussion on developing the capacity to become a more resilient leader during a free, online webinar led by former FEMA Administrator David Paulison. During the hour-long webinar, Paulison – a nationally recognized leader in emergency and disaster preparedness, response and recovery, will talk about obstacles to clear-headed leadership, and will share tips based on his own experience on avoiding errors that lead to failure in the midst of trying to rebuild after a disaster. SBA has partnered with Agility Recovery Solutions

Several of President Obama’s open government initiative data websites are scheduled to go dark in May due to lack of funding. Funding will run out on April 20 for IT Dashboard; Data.gov , which provides enhanced access to publicly available federal datasets; and Paymentaccuracy.gov , which tracks improper payments from government programs. Other open government public data sites scheduled to go dark after July 30 are USASpending.gov , which provides detailed information on federal contracts, and Apps.gov , a site that tracks how federal agencies use free web applications. More information about the proposed cuts is available here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Small businesses seeking to grow their businesses and create jobs through exporting can turn to new, free educational videos created through a partnership between the U.S. Small Business Administration, Inc. Magazine and AT&T. Through the public-private partnership, a series of video modules has been developed to inspire and encourage American small businesses to actively pursue exporting and to educate them on how to do so. “Winning the future means supporting small businesses that want to grow and create jobs through exporting,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills. “SBA is very pleased to have partnered with Inc. Magazine and AT&T in the production and distribution of this video series, which will help small firms that are new to exporting or looking for new markets to sell their goods and services.” The video series, Take Your Business Global, features five main topics that guide small businesses through the process of exporting: Getting Started in Exporti

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has a number of podcasts available to assist small and medium sized companies. While their topics range from marketing and sales, human resources, and the technology that you employ to keep your business functioning smoothly; they also have a number of podcasts to assist you in exporting: Intellectual Property Rights: Protecting and Enforcing Your IPR in Foreign Markets Where Will Your Next Customer Come From? Look Around the World Competing in the Global Market: SBA’s International Trade Programs Exporting to Russia Exporting to Uganda Exporting to Bahrain Exporting to Cameroon

From a listserv post from Laura Young of Austin Ventures: Business apps - there's a "great one" for scanning business cards and an app search engine . There's also a recent PC Mag article about business apps for iPad . And a pretty good YouTube video about Business Apps .