New York SBDC Research Network

Today’s franchise buyers are faced with thousands of choices; not only do they have to figure what type of franchise businesses to look into, they have to figure out which one is the “best in show.” Read more .

by Alicia H. Munnell Since working longer is the key to a secure retirement for the vast majority of older Americans, it is useful to take a look at labor force trends for those under and over age 65 for the last century.

Small Businesses Should Take Steps to Be Prepared Now - Tips It’s often difficult for small business owners – some of the busiest people in America – to look beyond the most pressing, immediate business concerns. But an “ounce of prevention” today could mean the difference in whether a business is able to survive a disaster and quickly return to regular operations. Read MORE .

Social Media Makes Lousy Customer Service a Very Costly Proposition

By Doug Caverly Complaints about contracts, customer service common There may be a handful of businesses out there that rely on solar power, possess their own water wells, and don't need phone lines or Internet. We applaud their independent spirit. But everybody else is stuck dealing with utility companies, and a new report from the Forum of Private Business indicates that the experience is less than pleasant for many firms. The FPB said in a statement, "A third (33%) of business owners surveyed by the Forum describe standards of customer service as 'poor' or 'very poor.' Many cite contractual issues - including the practice of rolling businesses over on to often more expensive contracts with little warning." Then the statement continued, "Just 11% believe utilities contracts are easy to understand, 35% think it is difficult to switch suppliers and 40% feel that contractual terms and conditions are 'poor' or 'very poor.' Al

What they all share in common is that they directly benefited from SBA help at a critical moment in their growth. Some received great advice from our staff or our counselors. Many got SBA loans. Others won federal contracts. Still others used unique programs like Small Business Investment Companies or the Small Business Innovation Research program.

From Small Business Newz : There’s a long-standing debate in business circles about the difference between the use of the term entrepreneur vs. small business owner. The issue centers on the notion that if you’re an entrepreneur you care about high growth and if you’re a small business owner you’re somehow destined to struggle to make ends meet while working your fingers to the bone.