New York SBDC Research Network

The Office of Advocacy has released its Small Business Quarterly Bulletin for Second Quarter 2014.  This two-page publication includes figures and tables of economic indicators to show the status of small business.  This latest quarterly bulletin shows promising signs for small businesses.  The bulletin includes data about proprietors' income, establishment births and deaths and various small business employment variables. The Small Business Quarterly Bulletin for Second Quarter 2014 is available online at http://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/advocacy/sb_qi_2014q2_FIN_0.pdf.

When it comes to New York, bagels are serious business. And they may also be taxable business -- if a knife comes out. New York, like many other states, exempts groceries from its sales tax. Walk into a bagel place, order a dozen, buy some name brand cream cheese, and go on your way -- that feels like you're grabbing some groceries, and should be left untaxed. New York agrees. You pay the posted price and the state goes empty handed. But what about one of those bagels, cut in a half, toasted, with some store-made scallion cream cheese, some lox, lettuce, and tomato, with some iced coffee to go with it? More from Now I Know .

Brands have been focused on engaging female consumers for some time now, and with good reason. Women have truly impressive purchasing prowess—$5 trillion to $15 trillion annually, according to consumer research by Nielsen. What many brand leaders are missing, however, is that even though women have been controlling the purse strings, men are shopping more. That means branding and design of packaging, seasonal retail themes, product attributes, etc. don't merely have to engage women: They need to do it without losing the men. Branding for women can be people-inclusive. Here are the five characteristics that can make it so. Read more from MarketingProfs .

Small Business Administration : Way too often, you can add up the percent of ownership in the heads of the partners and discover between them they think they own 200% of the company. That’s because one thinks the idea was worth 50% or more of the ownership, the other thinks the day-to-day work was worth 50% or more of the ownership, and another thinks having written checks and invested was worth 50% or more of the ownership. What I particularly hate in this context is when people spend the time and do the work and develop the business without spelling these things out, and then, when it’s way too late, discover that they had radically different ideas about who owns what. This is a great use of the business plan. If there’s awkwardness about who owns what when friends and family are involved, you solve that with the need to spell it all out for the plan. Don’t wait. Don’t wonder. Talk it out. The business plan is a built-in natural format that all of you can understand. The key

Kevin Jones just did what he felt was right, but you might think of him as a hero once you hear his story. When Jones was hassled by debt collectors to pay a bill he didn’t owe, he did more than tell them to get lost. He sued — and got $1,000 and a whole lot of satisfaction. Here’s how. Jones, 53, provided to Credit.com an amazingly detailed record of events related to his lawsuit, which was filed in a Cook County, Illinois federal court. The first troublesome phone call came in 2007, but the formula he used to exact sweet revenge on the debt collection firm would work equally well today. The call came on a Thursday night in November, said Jones, who lives in Evanston, Ill. It was an automated call; he didn’t answer, but he did call back. More from Credit.com .

Warm weather facilitates family vacations, outdoor activities and cold refreshment sales, providing several industries with an opportunity to generate enough revenue to sail through the rest of the year. These seasonal industries struggle to remain lucrative throughout the winter months, as frigid temperatures and annual changes in consumer behavior challenge profitability. While many seasonal industry operators anticipate May’s arrival, when demand increases as the sun also rises, these six industries are determined to make a splash year-round, come rain or shine. Amusement Parks More from IBISworld .

From the Small Business Administration : Summer is nearly over, signaling the start of school for students and teachers and the end of the fiscal year for the federal government and businesses throughout the country. This change of seasons is also a good opportunity to take a break from the frantic day-to-day grind and find new ways to reboot your small business. Let’s call it a bit of spring-cleaning for fall. Here are just a few ways you can tidy up your business and improve operations: *Glance back at your new year’s goals.

All telemarketers calling consumers in the United States are required to download the numbers on the Do Not Call Registry to ensure they do not call those who have registered their phone numbers. The first five area codes are free, and organizations that are exempt from the Do Not Call rules, such as some charitable organizations, may obtain the entire list for free. Telemarketers must subscribe each year for access to the Registry numbers. The access fees for the Registry are being increased as required by the Do‑Not‑Call Registry Fee Extension Act of 2007. Under the Act’s provisions, in fiscal year 2015 (from  October 1, 2014  to September 30, 2015 ), telemarketers will pay $60, an increase of $1, for access to Registry phone numbers in a single area code, up to a maximum charge of $16,482 for all area codes nationwide, an increase from the previous maximum of $16,228. Telemarketers will pay the same as last year for numbers they subscribe to receive during the second half of th

From the Small Business Administration . New taxpayers, such as recent graduates who’ve just entered the job market, probably have a clean tax slate. But seasoned taxpayers have a history that can impact their taxes going forward. Due to limitations and restrictions, some tax breaks cannot be fully used in the year in which they are generated but can be carried over and used in other years. Failing to know what these are and keep track of them wastes valuable tax breaks that can cost you money. Tax breaks subject to carryovers Dollar limits and other restrictions curtail write-offs for your current and past outlays. Here are some to note:

The IRS broadcasts webinars on a variety of subjects aimed at educating tax professionals on issues affecting them and their clients. The webinars are free. NATIONAL WEBINARS Business Use of Your Home  - September 10, 2014 2014 Affordable Care Act Provisions for Individuals, Families and Small Businesses   - September 17, 2014

SNAP ( Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program , formerly Food Stamps) offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities. SNAP is the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net. The Food and Nutrition Service works with State agencies, nutrition educators, and neighborhood and faith-based organizations to ensure that those eligible for nutrition assistance can make informed decisions about applying for the program and can access benefits. FNS also works with State partners and the retail community to improve program administration and ensure program integrity. Apply online to accept SNAP benefits at your store or Farmers’ Market. It’s fast and secure. You can complete the online application in as little as 15 minutes. It’s so easy. By applying online, you can also check the real-time status of your application online using your USDA account. Applying to accept SNAP benefits at your store or

Can you spot a government imposter? Even if your phone’s caller ID says “FTC” or “IRS,” or shows Washington, DC’s “202” area code, it could still be a scam. Scammers know how to show fake information on caller ID. The Federal Trade Commission is warning consumers about scammers who pretend they’re with the government to scare you into sending money. They say you  owe taxes  or some other debt, and tell you to put money on a prepaid debit card and tell them the number — something no government agency would ask you to do.

Want to work for a company that cares about its culture and values? Check out Glassdoor's report of the Top 25 Companies for Culture and Values (2014) . In addition to salary, location/commute, and career opportunities, company culture is one of the top factors that job seekers consider when researching a new job. Based entirely on employee feedback shared over the past year, the results of Glassdoor's inaugural report may surprise you. Find out which companies made the list (and which didn't)!

One of every nine women in the United States (11.8 percent in 2013) is represented by a union at her place of work. The annual number of hours of paid work performed by women has increased dramatically over the last four decades. In 1979, the typical woman was on the job 925 hours per year; by 2012, the typical woman did 1,664 hours of paid work per year. Meanwhile, women's share of unpaid care work and housework has remained high. Various time-use studies conclude that women continue to do about two-thirds of unpaid child-care (and elder-care) work and at least 60 percent of routine housework. The research reviewed here suggests that unions can provide substantial support to women trying to balance their paid work and their unpaid care responsibilities. Unionized women earn, on average, 13 percent (about $2.50 dollars per hour) more than similar non-union women. The large union wage advantage holds for women across all education levels and even in typically low-wage occupa

The New York SBDC is participating in: "Made in Rural America: Regional Export and International Investment Forum" September 5, 2014 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Corey Union Function Room SUNY–Cortland 103 Prospect Terrace Cortland, New York 13045 As part of the White House Rural Council's Made in Rural America export and investment initiative , ARC, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Commerce will co-host a regional forum in Cortland, New York, on September 5 on expanding international market opportunities for rural businesses and value-added agricultural producers. One of a series of events taking place across the country to help boost exports and rural economies, the Cortland forum will help upstate New York firms learn ways to grow their business by finding new customers abroad and expanding sales to their existing international customers. It will also help rural commun

It is a violation of New York State law to make payday loans in-person, by telephone, or over the Internet. It is also illegal for a debt collector to collect, or attempt to collect, on a payday loan in New York State. To File a Complaint *File a complaint with the Department of Financial Services at (800) 342-3736 if you believe payday loans are being made in New York or to New York residents, or if a debt collector is seeking to collect on a payday loan in New York. What is a Payday Loan? A payday loan is a relatively small, high-cost loan, typically due in two weeks and made with a borrower’s post-dated check or access to the borrower’s bank account as collateral. Payday lending is illegal in New York for a number of reasons:

From ASBDC : It’s not easy being green, or so we’re told, but take a look around your office and consider: How “green” are you? It’s no surprise that an increasing number of companies are working toward becoming more environmentally conscious: constantly introducing programs to reduce both costs and their carbon footprint. Typical areas of opportunity are employee telecommuting, lighting, recycling and paper usage. Here are some suggestions that you might use in your green movement at work.

In a business, administrative chores can stack up. It might only take 20 minutes to send an email, or five minutes to answer your business cell, but all of these little tasks can take up a significant amount of time. Before you know it, your day is nearly over and you haven’t done half of the things that you wanted to do. To get some of that time back, we asked entrepreneurs to help us compile a list of apps that can save time on administrative tasks. Here’s a look at the top 10 time-saving apps for your business: Read more from BPLANS.com .

From Forbes : A pitcher of cold ice water. A social media account. And a smart phone. Those are the elements of philanthropy’s feel good hit of the summer – the Ice Bucket Challenge, starring a millennial near you and almost every celebrity you can name. This August, it’s been as inevitable as a sun burn. Yet as with every great instant movement these days, the backlash is here like a late day summer thunderstorm. You’ve probably heard the criticism. It’s a stunt, mere “slactivism.” It’s a substitute for real long-term involvement and engagement. It’s all about showing off for social media. It won’t change a thing, or cure ALS or ease the suffering of those with the disease. Which is true, I guess, to some degree... But [have you] ever been to a big ticket charity gala?

Don’t trust Kevin Costner for marketing advice” is probably a good rule of thumb. "If you build it, they will come." That’s what I believed, when I was first starting out. I assumed that if I opened a business, customers would just show up—no major marketing effort required. Other entrepreneurs take the complete opposite approach, and treat marketing as if it’s the 1916 Battle of the Somme: they throw all of their resources in the general direction of their intended audience and hope something hits its mark. Fortunately, in-between these two approaches is a strategy that actually works: target marketing. MORE from BPLANS.com .