New York SBDC Research Network

Over the last three years, SBA has provided small businesses owners and entrepreneurs with the tools they need to not only survive, but thrive in tough economic times. Today, we’re seeing commercial markets improve, but we know gaps still remain, especially in underserved communities. That's why SBA recently formalized a partnership with the U.S. Black Chamber, Inc. to build on our efforts to support underserved communities that have been hit hard by the recession. Learn more about the partnership in this post from Deputy Administrator Marie Johns.

Local street fairs are a great place to attract new customers for your local business. In this video, Carmen Sognonvi shares her list of 7 do’s and don’ts when it comes to marketing your business at a street fair.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has launched a new program in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Defense Department to train transitioning servicemembers and veterans to help them become entrepreneurs and create jobs. The national initiative, called Operation Boots to Business: From Service to Startup, will be piloted first with the U.S. Marine Corps in four locations, at Quantico, VA.; Cherry Point, NC; Camp Pendleton, CA.; and Twenty-Nine Palms, CA. It will later be expanded nationwide during fiscal year 2013 to service members from all military branches. More details HERE .

From SBA : If you are new to freelancing or thinking of becoming a freelancer, you’ll no doubt have lots of questions, especially about the legal and regulatory paperwork you need to obtain and manage throughout the business year. Freelancing, particularly if you are unincorporated, is one of the least paperwork-intensive forms of business ownership. Nevertheless, you are still a business and you need to be sure you have the right licenses or permits, make estimated tax payments on time, report your earnings each year, and deal with client paperwork such as contracts, non-disclosure agreements, and more. To help you stay on top of your obligations, here’s a breakdown of key legal and regulatory processes, plus important “business-ready” documentation you’ll need when dealing with new clients.

The U.S. Patent &  Trademark Office operates the STOP Hotline , a "one-stop shop to help businesses protect their intellectual property at home and abroad." STOP stands for Strategy for Targeting Organized Piracy, and "gives businesses the information they need to leverage the resources of the U.S. Government to lock down and enforce their trademarks, patents and copyrights overseas, both in individual countries and in multiple countries through international treaties." Elsewhere on this website is another page that provides information on registering your intellectual property in other countries or treaty areas (such as China, the European Union, India, Russia, and others). Pretty handy if you plan on doing business within another country. A previous post with information on how to protect your intellectual property is here .

Odesk is an online service that links contractors with clients. Contractor services fall under a number of categories including: web development, software development, networking and information systems, writing and translation, administrative support, design and multimedia, customer service, sales and marketing, and other business services.

From CBS MoneyWatch I used to think that consumers and businesses have come to identify any sort of direct marketing as one form of spam or another. I used to think it was all pretty much ineffective. Today, I decided that's not the case. If you can make a genuine connection with a human being, then a transaction is at least possible. But if you're employing copy-and-paste marketing, forget it.