New York SBDC Research Network

From BPlans.com : A recent analysis from the World Green Building Council concluded that there is “overwhelming evidence” linking office design with productivity and wellness. But that’s nothing new, right? There has long been evidence to suggest that this is the case. We all know that our productivity levels drop when we feel uncomfortable—whether it’s the temperature, the atmosphere, or the noise levels, we need to be relaxed and comfortable to work at our best. With this in mind, it’s important that your office design is set up to be the best possible working environment it can be—to make your employees comfortable, relaxed, and productive...

Today, much of the sales process involves waiting far too long for signatures. Sometimes a deal can sit in limbo for weeks while all parties review, sign, and courier documents back and forth. This downtime causes serious risk of losing the deal, not to mention dramatically increases the risk of fraud—so what can be done to prevent that? The white paper explores how cloud-based e-signature technology can drastically reduce the time it takes to complete the deal making process and at the same time improve customer satisfaction, document security, and more. DOWNLOAD from CRM .

Did you know that the General Services Administration (GSA)  auctions off surplus government property , from office furniture to automobiles and industrial machinery? They even auction off real estate. It’s ideal for small businesses to get started, or for larger businesses to expand – at far less cost.

Many new or potential business owners only have a partial idea of what’s required to succeed when they start out, failing to take into account the full range of necessary planning, financial and legal activities. These  10 easy steps to starting a business  can help you plan, prepare and manage your new enterprise.

Here is the list of Fortune 500 companies and their websites .

From https://www.sba.gov/blogs/5-reasons-start-home-based-internet-business SBA By Marco Carbajo: According to Forbes, more than 52% of all small businesses in the U.S. are home based. If you're like most people who dream about starting their own business, now may be the best time to take the first step. Starting a home based business on the internet has never been easier and the opportunities have never been greater. Kevin Systrom, co-founder of Instagram, says, “If you’ve got an idea, start today. There’s no better time than now to get going.” The internet is a store that never closes. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and gives a business with an online presence a global audience. It has truly leveled the playing field in the world of business; now home-based entrepreneurs have access to the same types of tools and marketing opportunities used by major corporations. Today, you don’t have to have a traditional brick and mortar business to have a profitable bus

Fans of the 70s TV-show Kung Fu will know that choosing wisely is everything. The same goes for choosing the right business name. Not only should you pick a name that reflects your brand identity, but you also need to ensure it is properly registered and protected for the long term. And be sure to give some thought to whether it's web-ready. Is the domain name even available? Here are some tips to help you pick, register, and protect your business name .

TSB-M-15(2)C, Transitional Filing Provisions for Taxpayers Affected By Corporate Tax Reform Legislation This memorandum explains transitional filing provisions for the 2014 and 2015 tax years for Article 32 and Article 9-A taxpayers affected by the corporate tax reform legislation that was signed into law as part of the 2014-2015 New York State budget. To view the entire document click on the link below: http://www.tax.ny.gov/pdf/memos/corporation/m15_2c.pdf TSB-M-15(3)C, (3)I, Real Property Tax Credit and Reduction of Tax Rates for Qualified New York Manufacturers This memorandum summarizes the corporate income tax benefits for qualified New York manufacturers contained in legislation that was signed into law as part of the 2014-2015 New York State budget (Part R) which created the manufacturer’s real property tax credit and reduced the corporate tax rates for qualified New York manufacturers. To view the entire document click on the link below: http://www.tax.ny.gov/p

Successful business growth is dependent on two main factors. Organizations must scale to meet market demands and differentiate their products to remain competitive. But while these activities are beneficial to growing your revenue, you may be surprised to learn that they could also put you at jeopardy for violating tax compliance rules and regulations. How can businesses learn to support smart growth while avoiding audits and fines? Explore this exclusive white paper to uncover the 5 ways your success could be your downfall when it comes to transactional tax compliance, including: • Moving into new states and jurisdictions • Using contract workers • And 3 more DOWNLOAD at AVALARA .

The PayCheckManager site : Paycheck Manager provides a FREE Payroll Calculator with a no hassle policy. Any user can simply access PaycheckManager.com and start using the calculator. No registration required. No private information is saved. It’s a full-featured paycheck calculator that allows for hourly or salaried, bonus, 401k and other earnings and deductions. Users can also download and print paychecks, all for FREE! As our friend Walter said, "Still waiting to see what the catch is but haven't found it yet." Paycheck Manager also provides a complete self-service payroll management tool for any user who wants to prepare, view and print paychecks, payment vouchers and payroll reports. All information will be saved in our secure environment for easy payroll management. This portion is FREE to try for up to 3 months upon registration.

By  Javier.Saade , SBA Official As yet another massive blizzard hit New England on Valentines Day, the jointly hosted Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School gathering focused on social entrepreneurship and impact investing took place.   The dialogue was inspiring and the energy palpable amongst the 500+ people in attendance.  The Social Enterprise Conference, now in its 16th year, brings together academics, investors, public sector leaders, private sector entrepreneurs, non profit practitioners, and students passionate about all aspects of social enterprise - and this includes impact investing. This year the theme of last Saturday was the collective opportunity "to reflect on three critical stages of social enterprise: Intent. Action. Impact." The conference had keynote speakers, including Bill Drayton, CEO of Ashoka and the acknowledged father of social entrepreneurship globally - as well as topical panels, problem solving labs, and opportunities for interactiv

If you learn as you do your taxes that you owe a fee for not having health insurance last year, avoid having to pay this fee next year. Find out if you are  eligible to sign up for health insurance for 2015 , even though open enrollment has closed. If you are - you’ll avoid  bigger penalties next year , and may receive subsidies that make the insurance premiums more affordable.  This special enrollment period runs from  March 15 to April 30 . Determine if you  qualify for an exemption  from fees.  Sign up for  coverage  during this special enrollment period if you qualify. Read this  Special Enrollment Period news release  for more details.

From Form990.org : The Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) recently discovered that an unauthorized party or parties have gained access to the Form 990 Online and e-Postcard filing systems for nonprofit organizations. This unauthorized access affected nonprofits that used IRS Forms 990, 990-EZ, and 990-N (e-Postcard). It also affected users of Form 8868 extensions and filings for charitable organizations in Hawaii, Michigan, and New York . Once we discovered the attack, we contacted IRS and made every effort to secure the systems and user accounts. We are working with law enforcement agencies as they conduct an investigation. In addition, we have retained a leading cybersecurity firm to help us analyze the situation and strengthen security. Our investigation is ongoing. Based on current information, we believe no information from the filings themselves was compromised. These forms do not contain Social Security numbers or individual tax filer i

LinkedIn provides an unrivaled branding and visibility opportunity for companies that harness the true power of LinkedIn and engage their staff. It is one of the most valuable branding tools you have—and right now, it's a competitive advantage. Very few companies have effectively implemented a comprehensive LinkedIn branding plan. Some companies don't even allow their employees to access LinkedIn. Some 10% of US employees work for a company where access to LinkedIn is blocked (access to other social media tools like Facebook and Twitter is even more restrictive), according to a study by Statista. Those companies are missing out on major opportunities to bolster branding, grow revenue, increase visibility, and turn employees into engaged and committed brand ambassadors. Here's why your company needs a comprehensive LinkedIn program. Read more from MarketingProfs .

By  Caron_Beesley U.S. businesses are selling more goods and services abroad than ever before, reaching an all-time record of $2.3 trillion in 2013 – and 98 percent of American companies that export are small businesses. Despite the statistics, many small businesses still face big challenges when it comes to financing and managing their export business. A recent trade seminar, hosted by the Department of Commerce and several other federal agencies,  identified three commonly cited financial obstacles  small businesses have to going global: Don’t know how to obtain working capital and financing to support export transactions Don’t know where to seek assistance for entering, growing and succeeding in global markets Don’t know how to get paid by foreign buyers overseas Helping entrepreneurs overcome such challenges are key priorities for the  SBA , Business.USA.gov , and the  International Trade Administration  (which supports the President’s  National Export Initiative ).

Every February, movie industry greats from around the world gather in Los Angeles to salute the year’s best films.  In that same tradition, we’d like to offer up our list of some of the best online business films – okay, videos -- culled from  our expansive online library  of instructional videos.  Sure, our videos weren’t directed by anyone named Scorcese or Spielberg, but our videos can help you with whatever strategic decision is on your plate. Without further ado, the nominees are:

By  Maria Contreras-Sweet , SBA Administrator If there’s broad agreement that small businesses are the engine that powers the American economy, shouldn’t it be easier to fuel the tank? Access to credit continues to bedevil too many U.S. entrepreneurs. Eighty percent of small business loan applications are rejected, according to some industry estimates, and more applications than we can count are never filed because of the difficulty of getting an appointment with a loan officer. There’s a hunger among entrepreneurs to find financing to get their business off the ground or take the next big step in their expansion plan. Across the country, thousands of small business owners pound the pavement every day looking for term loans, equipment financing, lines of credit, invoice financing, and real estate loans to help them hire and grow. But too often, they’re wasting time they don’t have cold-calling and door-knocking their way to a lucky break. It shouldn’t be this way.  If you hav

In addition to 179d, the energy efficient building tax deduction, there are four green building incentives you should know about. These include the Business Energy Investment Tax Credit (ITC), MACRS — Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System, Residential Energy Efficiency Tax Credits and Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing. Read more from Poplar Network .

From the Census Bureau : A new report presents industry and geography highlights from the Statistics of U.S. Businesses program. These data allow comparisons between business establishments that do similar work but are part of different-sized enterprises.

Washington's Birthday or Presidents' Day honors U.S. presidents, including George Washington, our nation's first president. There are 261 counties that bear the name of a U.S. president, but not all are named in honor of the president whose name they share. Reagan County, Texas, had the highest average weekly wage ($1,201) among all counties bearing the name of a U.S. president in June 2014. This county, near Midland, was not named for President Reagan. Two counties named in honor of President Washington, one in Oregon and one in Alabama, were the only other counties with presidential names that had average weekly wages greater than $1,000 in June 2014. The average weekly wage was $1,183 in Washington County, Oregon (part of the Portland metropolitan area), and $1,179 in Washington County, Alabama (near Mobile). Average weekly wages in the remaining 29 counties named for Washington ranged from $428 in Washington County, Missouri, to $940 in Washington County, Pennsylvania