New York SBDC Research Network

From Small Business Newz I read about...a restaurant in Los Angeles that offers a 5% discount for tables that turn in all their cell phones for the duration of the dinner. So, instead of jamming cell calls and other onerous ways of forcibly stopping people from using their favorite screen, this establishment is going for something different. It’s very smart and there is a lot that we can learn from their approach, regardless of what business you are in. Think about what problem most of these other restaurants are trying to solve. They are catering to people who want a quiet dinner without listening to other people’s phone calls. So, they forcibly collect phones and declare themselves an oasis of technology. What’s wrong with that? You drive customers away.

Many people don’t know much about Native Americans, even though their contributions to society are significant. And that’s especially true when it comes to the world of business; in some states, Native American-run businesses employ thousands of people and generate millions in revenue. In Oklahoma, the Chickasaw Nation paid $318 million to employees in 2011, and counting auxiliary affiliated jobs, that total was about $528 million. Following are some of the more prominent Native American businesses: Read more

WASHINGTON – A new award has been added by the U.S. Small Business Administration in celebration of National Small Business Week 2013. The Small Business Exporter of the Year award will recognize a small business that is successfully engaged in exporting. A national award winner will be selected from among state award winners from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam. The announcement of the Small Business Exporter of the Year award will be made during World Trade Month in May 2013. Detailed information including eligibility and required documents for the national Small Business Exporter of the Year award are available. Nominations for the Small Business Exporter of the Year award are being accepted through the online portal, launched last month , and in hard copy. The dedicated web portal was designed for easy submission and tracking of award nominees for Small Business Week 2013, and is actively accepting nominatio

New this year, you could get a tax break when installing solar energy equipment in a commercial building, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance announced . Beginning January 1, 2013, the State's 4% sales tax won't be charged on the sale or installation of commercial solar energy systems equipment. The exemption also applies to the 3/8% sales tax imposed in the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. The new law also allows cities and counties, including New York City, to provide a similar exemption from their local sales taxes.

Google is introducing Friday 15 , a series of talks with industry experts designed to help small businesses succeed online. It promises to provide small business solutions in 15 minutes or less. You have an opportunity to join the live Hangout with Google on Friday, January 11, 2013 at 11am PST/2pm EST. The topic will be Google Trends; an industry expert explains how to use Google Trends to grow your business. Visit www.gybo.com/friday15 to learn how to join the Hangout, sign up for email reminders, and watch previously recorded sessions.

On September 17, 2012, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) implemented seven provisions of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act of 2011 (AIA). The new rules are intended to spur innovation and economic growth by streamlining the patent application process and introducing new procedures to ensure patent quality. Other provisions of the AIA will go into effect on March 16, 2013, including the shift to a first-inventor-to-file system. Read the USPTO press release here . Other provisions of the AIA will go into effect on March 16, 2013, including the shift to a first-inventor-to-file system. USPTO announced a new, user-friendly, web-based search tool to make its patent and trademark examining manuals more accessible to the public. Also, this week, the USPTO and the European Patent Office (EPO) announced the formal launch of the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) system , a global classification system for patent documents.

From Open Forum : Over 500,000 businesses get started in the U.S. every year, and unfortunately not everyone is a success. (Many of them are bad ideas, and poorly executed.) If you’re thinking of starting up a business in 2013, heed our warning and watch out for these 13 bad business ideas. While you’re at it, check out the best business ideas that we think are winners for the coming year.