Posts

IRS Alerts Payroll and HR Professionals to Phishing Scheme Involving W-2s

The Internal Revenue Service today issued an alert to payroll and human resources professionals to beware of an emerging phishing email scheme that purports to be from company executives and requests personal information on employees. The IRS has learned this scheme – part of the surge in phishing emails seen this year – already has claimed several victims as payroll and human resources offices mistakenly email payroll data including Forms W-2 that contain Social Security numbers and other personally identifiable information to cybercriminals posing as company executives. “This is a new twist on an old scheme using the cover of the tax season and W-2 filings to try tricking people into sharing personal data.

Small Business Success Story - ButaPub

Image
Each year the New York Small Business Development Center recognizes outstanding small businesses in a variety of ways.  This Success Story from the  Brockport SBDC  appears in our  2015 Annual Report .  Ed Mott & Asa Mott ButaPub Brockport SBDC The father and son team of Ed and Asa Mott came to the SBDC with the dream of opening a restaurant. Ed, a retired contractor, and Asa, an executive chef at several of the Rochester areas finest dining venues, found what they believed would be the perfect location. The restaurant housed a dining room, a theater, and private banquet room under one roof, and was located in the heart of the city’s newest up and coming South Wedge neighborhood. Finally after months of deadlines, reconfiguring financials and planning with Advisor Jim Soufleris at the Brockport SBDC, the place was theirs. Ed and Asa were able to obtain a $260,000 SBA 7a loan to purchase the business. They also made a $120,000 personal investment to get the business off

Is Your Small Business Mobile Ready?

More and more people are browsing, shopping, and doing business on their phones and tablets. Currently, 11.3% of the digital population uses mobile  only , compared to 10.6% desktop only use*. This may not seem significant now but these numbers will continue to grow as mobile capabilities advance and mobile devices become more and more integral to day-to-day life.  Seriously, if you are not mobile ready you are missing an opportunity to connect with mobile users who may be future customers and partners. So how do you get started? You see, mobile is really about your audience. Here are some tips to help you get started. Click  HERE  to learn more!

OPERATION: START UP & GROW Veteran Business Conference, Syracuse, NY 3/16/16

Image
Do you want to start a business? Expand your existing business? Find all the resources in one location at this FREE conference for veteran entrepreneurs! Operation: Start Up & Grow is the premier veterans business conference in Upstate New York for our veterans and members of the military community who want to start or expand their own small business. The half-day event includes breakout workshops, networking sessions with guest experts and exhibitors, award ceremony, free breakfast and lunch. Online registration is now open: REGISTER HERE. Flyer (PDF)

Advocacy Report Examines Foreign-Born STEM Entrepreneurship

The Office of Advocacy, an independent office within the Small Business Administration, has released a report investigating the differences in STEM entrepreneurship between U.S.-born and foreign-born college graduates. The study finds that differences in educational attainment along with differences in the distribution of U.S.–foreign-born demographic characteristics explain most of percentage the gap.  Among immigrants who earned their highest degree in the United States, the rate of STEM entrepreneurship is almost 4 percentage points higher than for otherwise-similar native-born citizens. The report is titled Imported Entrepreneurs: Foreign-Born Scientists and Engineers in U.S. STEM Fields Entrepreneurship and is written by the noted economist, Margaret Blume-Kohout. It suggests several opportunities for policymakers interested in spurring new business creation and startup employment in new ventures focusing in STEM fields. The  full report  and  research summary  are located

2012 Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners, Company Statistics Series: Characteristics of Businesses and Characteristics of Business Owners

These  reports  provide selected economic and demographic characteristics of U.S. respondent firms and their owners.  Data aggregates are presented by gender, ethnicity, race and veteran status of majority owners at the national level by 2012 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), and employment size and receipts size of firm. Characteristics of Businesses and Business Owners statistics for both employer and nonemployer firms include, but are not limited to, types of workers, year the business was originally established, if the company owned a website, age of owner, owner’s highest level of education, and whether the owner was born in the United States. Internet address:  < http://factfinder.census.gov/ bkmk/navigation/1.0/en/d_ program:SBO/d_data_orig_year: 2012/text_search:SB1200CSCB* >.

Fast Food Restaurants Lead Franchised Businesses in Employment

Image
Franchised limited-service restaurants (NAICS 722513 ), sometimes called fast-food restaurants, employed 2.6 million people in 2012 and had sales of $129.2 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reports. New car dealers (NAICS  441110 ), an industry solely comprised of franchises, employed 973,745 people and had sales of $672.5 billion in 2012. The  2012 Economic Census Franchise Report  is only the second comprehensive and detailed report by the Census Bureau on this segment of the U.S. economy, with the first being released for the 2007 Economic Census. The report presents data for selected industries on the number of businesses with paid employees engaged in franchising, annual sales for these businesses, and employment and payroll. These data are broken out by industry in three categories: franchisor-owned businesses, franchisee-owned businesses and all businesses. The data are primarily national level, although state-level statistics are provided for limited-service rest

How to gain more positive results from your website

Image
 Does your website seem to lack something?Maybe your'e not receiving the feedback or traffic on your site as you envisioned... well there are some simply ways to add more substance and glamour SBA  has 7 ways to do so- giving you the tools to reinvent yourself

5 Ways to Keep Your Small Business Growing

Image
by Felix Tarcomnicu at Bplans.com This article offers a number of ideas on concrete steps to take to grow your business with some real world examples of successful businesses who survived their expansion. Running a small business is a daunting challenge. Statistically, less than 50 percent of small businesses are still operational after five years. Globalization has increased the level of competition and introduced more turmoil to the business environment. If you want to take your business to the next level, you’ll need to be open to the current realities of the new global economy, and get more creative. Read more at Bplans

Small Business Success Story - Insulation Man

Image
Each year the New York Small Business Development Center recognizes outstanding small businesses in a variety of ways.  This Success Story from the  Binghamton SBDC  appears in our  2015 Annual Report .    Susan Gahagan & David Currie   The Insulation Man   Binghamton SBDC When her boss at The Insulation Man told Susan Gahagan that he was going to retire and sell the business, she resisted the urge to panic and instead began to envision herself as the owner of the company that had employed her for 20 years. As Office Manager, Susan knew every one of the hard-working employees and had seen the business grow exponentially over the years. Susan shared her entrepreneurial thoughts with co-worker David Currie and they decided to buy the business.  Susan and David knew that they could continue to provide residential spray foam insulation services. They also saw potential increased revenues and capacity if they expanded the business by selling to commercial custo

How do I get certified as a minority or woman owned business?

From the Mid-Hudson SBDC : In an effort to promote the integration of Minorities and Women owned business into the State’s procurement process, the Governor’s Office on Minority and Women’s Development was incorporated into the Department of Economic Development in 1992. This office is responsible for implementing the certification program to which any established business owned by women or minorities can apply. One important criterion for determining eligibility is that the business must be independently controlled by a minority or woman and must have been in operation for a year. Any legal form of business is eligible be it a single proprietorship, partnership, or corporation. Out of state entities may also apply. What constitutes “ownership” in this case is defined as having at least 51% ownership by citizens or permanent resident aliens who are:  African American, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islanders, Native American, Alaskan Natives or women. Completing the certification proce

SBA Disaster Recovery Still Available for Hurricane Sandy

Image
If your business was impacted by Hurricane Sandy, you may still apply for disaster recovery assistance from the SBA. Whether your business is small, large or non-profit, SBA CAN HELP! SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Centers The Three Step Process: Disaster Loans

5 Bad Decision-Making Habits That Can Destroy Your Business

Image
Decision-making may not be something that we look at closely. Something so important shouldn't be taken for granted. Larry Alton of Entrepreneur.com offers a run-down of bad habits that business owners can fall prey to: "Decision making is like any other skill. When you first engage, you’ll be inexperienced, and as a result, your performance will suffer. But if you can gradually eliminate your bad habits and replace them with positive practices, you’ll set yourself up for much greater overall success." Read more at Entrepreneur

Establishing Values for Your Business

Image
The values and culture of your company have a direct effect on your employees, customers and ultimately your bottom line. What are you doing to establish, cultivate and grow this precious commodity? This course will introduce you to the processes of implementing company values for your company by including input from stakeholders and customers. Learn about the steps in the planning process, potential problems you may face, and how to implement your company’s values using a strategic plan. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COURSE

10 Essentials of A Marketing Plan in 2016

Image
Clearly, technology has changed marketing a lot. We fast forward through ads on television and block them on our devices. We have amplified word of mouth in social media. We pour over analytics and metrics. But what about the marketing plan? Has technology changed marketing planning? One thing for sure: The fundamentals still apply. As much as ever, marketing is still getting people to know, like, and trust your business. As much as ever, marketing still needs defining target markets, knowing those market segments, reaching the right people with the right message. Pricing is still the most important message, and the lowest price is – as always – not necessarily the best price. Another thing for sure: the marketing mix, the tactics, are changing rapidly. Goodbye to the yellow pages, hello Facebook. Goodbye public relations, hello social media. Goodbye advertising, hello content marketing. And where is the marketing plan, in all this? Let me suggest x essentials of a marketing plan

11 Tips for Focused, Effective (and Inexpensive) Startup Marketing

Image
by Briana Morgaine   Critical issues and decisions for start-ups are discussed: "In a recent article, Palo Alto Software founder Tim Berry equates startup marketing to throwing darts at a dartboard. While existing companies can get away with throwing their “marketing darts” a little aimlessly, a startup has to be more careful and precise. The established company just has to worry about hitting the dartboard; the startup needs to hit the bullseye. If precision and focus are the name of the marketing game for startup companies, what is the best strategy for marketing your startup? I asked the members of the Young Entrepreneur Council for their advice on how to market startup companies most effectively. All these entrepreneurs advocated for employing focus, consistency, and using a variety of unexpected sources, many of which are low cost—always a plus for a new startup. Read more at: bplans"

7 Ways to Improve Your Website Homepage

Your website is your virtual place of business.  Just like your regular place of business, you want it to be neat, clean, attractive, inviting and professional looking. Here are 7 low cost ways to improve a homepage to meet today's standards -- and they may be easier than you think. 1. Freshen the Content Regularly 2. Make Sure It Has a Call to Action 3. Add Contact Information Prominently 4. Add Images and/or Video 5. Update Your Design to Current Standards 6. Improve Page Speed 7. Make it Mobile Responsive Learn more at:  SBA

Small Business Success Story - Scorpion Fitness

Image
Each year the New York Small Business Development Center recognizes outstanding small businesses in a variety of ways.  This Success Story from the Midtown Manhattan SBDC   appears in our  2015 Annual Report .  John Shams Scorpion Fitness Midtown Manhattan SBDC  John Shams is a strength-and-conditioning coach and personal trainer. He has worked with New York's elite and is on the list of Gotham's annual 100 most successful bachelors list. In other words, John's expertise in the fitness arena has been well documented and he is not new to the fitness game. With the fast growing trend of boutique gyms in New York, which includes the likes of Soul Cycle and Barry's Bootcamp John saw there was an opportunity to provide a service that was not being offered by most boutiques. He found that the most successful boutiques offered a great experience but there was minimal focus on what really matters - results. With a wealth of expertise unmatched b

Tax Tips: Many Happy Returns

“I am proud to be paying taxes in the United States. The only thing is – I could be just as proud for half the money.” — Arthur Godfrey, entertainer With tax season among us it can become a chaotic time of the year for business owners. Provided is a surplus of articles to remedy the potential hectic  process,  easing you through what many business owners dread- lending you an extra hand. Get It Right The First Time:   Five Basic Tax Tips for New Businesses . Never Miss An Important Deadline Again:   IRS's free Tax Calendar for Businesses and the Self-Employed     Keep Up On The Latest Tax Code Changes:   changes for the 2015 tax year here .  Don't Leave Money On The Table:   frequently overlooked tax deductions and credits     taxe s and credits tool   Make Sure Your Returns Are Error-Free:   eight tax mistakes .  Avoid Getting Audited:   red flags that can trigger an audit   here's what to do .

How to Write an Executive Summary

Image
Tim Berry at Bplans.com  offers a clear and concise explanation of what an executive summary is and is not with links to related articles. It offers good advice on how to go about it and straightens out some confusing terms. Your executive summary is your pitch. You’ve heard of—and probably even given—an “elevator pitch”; write your business plan’s executive summary like it’s an elevator pitch that you’ve had the time to edit to perfection. It should introduce you, your business, and your product, but the purpose of writing an executive summary is also to deliver a hard sell. Convince your reader here that you have a great idea they should invest their time and money in. Read more at: Bplans