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Google and AmEx Do Small Business Contest for Free Advertising

Google introduced a new program in partnership with American Express called My Business Story. This lets small businesses tell their stories through videos, and leads up to the second annual Small Business Saturday, which is aimed at encouraging communities to spend and support local businesses. Deadline is November 15. More HERE .

List of Lists

While preparing for a presentation, a colleague stumbled upon this website created by a librarian that lists a series of lists . The specific link is to the business section, but there is a lot more info available. Some of the data are a bit dated, but at worst, it may give one a direction to find more information.

Drop Off Your Unwanted or Expired Medications this Saturday

From USA.gov Saturday, October 29, you can dispose of unused, unwanted, or expired medications at a National Prescription Drug Take Back Day collection site. Find a drug collection site near you . If you can’t participate in Prescription Drug Take Back Day, learn how to safely and properly dispose of unused medicines .

Incubating Success

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration Business incubation programs are designed to accelerate the successful development of entrepreneurial companies through an array of business support resources and services, developed or orchestrated by the incubation program manager, and offered both in the incubator and through its network of contacts. A new report funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration and conducted by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Research on Labor, Employment and the Economy; the State University of New York at Albany , the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA), and Cybergroup Inc. identifies best practices and key characteristics of successful incubators that policymakers and practitioners should know as they work to implement strategies to foster economic development.

2010 Guide to State and Local Census Geography

The 2010 Guide to State and Local Census Geography is now available. This Product is an update of the book by the same name that the Census Bureau produced in collaboration with the Association of Public Data Users (APDU) following the 1990 Census. (There was no similar product for 2000.) The 2010 web version offers similar content as the 1990 print version, but also provides links to lists of geographic entities within each state. This guide provides a nice summary of each state’s geographic structure and some highlights about the state’s geographic history and current geography. Here's New York’s information .

Nominate a Small Business Today | National Small Business Week

Every year, SBA honors America’s small business owners by presenting National Small Business Week in Washington, DC and across the country. During National Small Business Week, SBA recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs and small business owners and the contributions they’re making to create jobs, inspire innovation and strengthen our economy. Earlier this year, SBA hosted one of its most successful National Small Business Weeks . Now, SBA is gearing up for next year’s National Small Business Week: May 20-26, 2012 in Washington, DC. Open Call for Nominations SBA is currently seeking nominations from the public for exceptional entrepreneurs in every U.S. state and the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to help in awarding a national winner and a winner for each state and territory . In addition, SBA is also seeking nominations for the following categories: Champion Awards for individuals or organizations dedicated to supporting small businesses

Where Consumers Cut Back in Hard Times

Some of my SBDC colleagues were interested to know if there is research regarding where consumers cut back first, second, etc., when times are hard. This is different than what one OUGHT to cut back in hard times, for which I find oodles of examples; I was looking for what people ACTUALLY do. Where Would You Cut Your Household Budget First? (2007) is interesting but flawed, in that it reflects what people saw they would do if there were hard times. But at the time, things seemed rosy. More useful were Psychology of Bad Times Fueling Consumer Cutbacks (2008) and Consumer Cutbacks: Temporary or Permanent? (2009), which reported on actual hard-times responses. Also very helpful: Americans Cutting Back on Everyday Expenses to Save Money (Harris poll, 2011). Addressing the issue from a different angle: 12 Things We Buy in a Bad Economy (TIME - 2011) But THE treasure trove, if one takes the time to study it, is the Consumer Expenditure Survey from the US Department of Labor

Finding current NYS contractors

Our fine SBDC contracting expert, Roxanne Multcher, provided the following tips and links on where to find current NYS contractors. The best route might be for the business to look at what contractors have purchased bid documents for construction projects and market to those contractors; click on a specific project # to see who purchased bid documents. NYS consultant opportunities ( this is for architects ) OGS Contract Listings: Commodities Services One could look at any appropriate contracts and see who the contract holder(s) is. New York State calls becoming a subcontractor a “Value Added Reseller” -- To become a reseller, check the contract. VAR participation will be included in the language of the contract. Open PDF attachments: “Contractor Information.” Call the contract holder. If added as a Value Added Reseller, you have NYS contractor status, but you still need to market to agencies Another way to search OGS contracts – by keyword Alphabetical list of contracts

Pledge Your Support for Small Business Saturday

The 2nd annual Small Business Saturday® is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses on the busiest shopping weekend of the year. On November 26, pledge to shop small at your favorite local stores and fuel your local economy. When millions of Americans shop small, it could be huge. Shop Small on Small Business Saturday Check out Small Business Saturday on Facebook .

Technology and the Innovation Economy

From the executive summary : Innovation and entrepreneurship are crucial for long-term economic development. Over the years, America’s well-being has been furthered by science and technology. Fears set off by the Soviet Union’s 1957 launch of its Sputnik satellite initiated a wave of U.S. investment in science, engineering, aerospace, and technology. Both public and private sector investment created jobs, built industries, fueled innovation, and propelled the U.S. to leadership in a number of different fields. Link to full report (PDF) .

Small Business Lending: Second Quarter 2011

The Quarterly Lending Bulletin for the second quarter, 2011 [PDF] , presents a brief analysis of the current small business lending situation and shows a drop in loans outstanding to small businesses.

USDA feasibility study

One of our advisors has a client who is obtaining funding and the lending bank is seeking a USDA guarantee which requires that an independent feasibility study be done. Here is a link to the manual for the USDA’s Business Program Loan Guarantees Lender Guide [PDF] that describes the feasibility study on pages 11-13. Also, here is a 3-page overview of the feasibility study [PDF] . See Considerations When Selecting a Consultant .

Developmen​ts in Women-owne​d Business, 1997-2007

The years from 1997 to 2007 were a dynamic period in the U.S. economy. The strong growth early in this period was arrested by the recession of 2000-2001; strong economic growth resumed in 2002-2007. The data reflect an economy moving out of a recession and ending on a high note in 2007. How did women and other small business owners fare during this 10-year period between 1997 and 2007? The primary goal of this report [PDF] is to place gender in a broader perspective. Business ownership no longer can be analyzed simply on the basis of the owner’s gender; businesses owned by women and men more and more share the same general development patterns. Moreover, the strong growth of publicly held firms, which cannot be identified by the demographic characteristics of their many owners, has led to the need to focus on both privately owned and publicly held firms. The research summary can be found HERE . Should you need further information, please feel free to contact Joe Johnson at (202)

Frequently Asked Questions about Small Business Finance

This document [PDF] sketches the ecosystem or life-cycle of small business financing. The FAQ format allows users to browse through topics and learn about specific issues. The financial needs of small businesses, which include start-ups, in sectors such as information technology, service, retail, and manufacturing differ. The answers provided represent averages or totals that can be used as figures and trends for differing types of firms. Should you need further information, please feel free to contact Victoria Williams at (202) 205-6533 or advocacy@sba.gov.

NYS Tax Dept Announces Record Number of Businesses Using Online Services

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance announced that a record number of businesses have moved to the Web for all aspects of filing state taxes .