New York SBDC Research Network

From the Federal Trade Commission : Your phone rings. You recognize the number, but when you pick up, it’s someone else. What’s the deal? Scammers are using fake caller ID information to trick you into thinking they are someone local, someone you trust – like a government agency or police department, or a company you do business with – like your bank or cable provider. The practice is called caller ID spoofing, and scammers don’t care whose phone number they use. One scammer recently used the phone number of an FTC employee. Don’t rely on caller ID to verify who’s calling. It can be nearly impossible to tell whether the caller ID information is real. Here are a few tips for handling these calls: If you get a strange call from the government, hang up. If you want to check it out, visit the official (.gov) website for contact information. Government employees won’t call out of the blue to demand money or account information. Don’t give out — or confirm — your personal or financial inf

ZIP Code Business Patterns provides data on the number of business establishments by employment-size class for detailed industries. Statistics are provided for about 40,000 five-digit ZIP codes, including nine new ones nationwide and include the total number of establishments, employment and payroll. In addition, the number of establishments for nine employment-size categories is provided by detailed industry for each ZIP code. Here are the 2014 data from the US Census Bureau .

IEN's exclusive report, "The State of Manufacturing & Digital Commerce," is now live. Download the report, for free , to read: • How manufacturing companies fail at online sales. • How real-time pricing can help close the deal. • How to identify online competition. • How tech investment can improve sales. • How dynamic content enhances website performance. • How to make sure you're not leaving money on the table.

From the FCC : Benefits and Risks of a Wireless Network Many consumers and small businesses use wireless (Wi-Fi) networks to enable their laptops and other wireless devices to access the Internet. Wi-Fi networks generally include a wireless “router” connected to a broadband Internet service via a modem that is attached to the cable or telephone network. Sometimes the wireless router and the modem are integrated into one device. While Wi-Fi networks provide many benefits, an unprotected network can result in unauthorized use and potential harm unless certain steps are taken. In some cases, unauthorized users may be able to access your private information, view the content of transmissions, download unlawful content using your network or infect computers with viruses or spyware. Unauthorized users may also cause harm beyond your computer or network, such as sending spam, spyware or viruses to others, and the activity can be traced back to your network. How to Secure a Wireless Networ

Each year the New York Small Business Development Center recognizes outstanding small businesses in a variety of ways.  This Success Story from the  Jamestown SBDC  appears in our  2015 Annual Report .  Jim Pullan Jamestown Mattress Jamestown SBDC Jamestown Mattress, a manufacturer of quality handcrafted bedding, was founded in 1886. The Pullan family, the current owners, purchased the business in 1982. Three generations of the Pullan family work for the business, which employs a staff of 35. Jamestown Mattress has an extremely strong and growing wholesale and private label business with nine factory direct retail showrooms across Western New York and Northern Pennsylvania. Customers include institutions, colleges, hotels, other bedding retailers and several internet companies. Jamestown Mattress has been a client of the SBDC since 2012 working with Advisor Curt Anderson. The primary goal was to establish a new website and then to institute a strong Internet marketing initia

Every week, millions of Americans work more than 40 hours but do not receive the overtime pay they have earned. President Obama is taking action to fix that: In a note to signers of a We the People petition, the President announced that tomorrow the Department of Labor will finalize a rule to extend overtime protections to 4.2 million more Americans. Check out the President's note . If you work more than 40 hours a week, you should get paid for it or get extra time off to spend with your family and loved ones. It's one of most important steps we're taking to help grow middle-class wages and put $12 billion more dollars in the pockets of hardworking Americans over the next 10 years. For generations, overtime protections have meant that an honest day's work should get a fair day's pay, and that's helped American workers climb the ladder of success. That's what middle-class economics are all about. But after years of inflation and lobbyists' effor

This is the second post in our " Contracting Corner " series from Judy Wolf, Government Contracting Coordinator, Mohawk Valley SBDC & NY SBDC Procurement Assistance Center   If you’re like most small business owners, you’re drawn to the idea of government contracting, but don’t necessarily know where to start. Perhaps you’ve heard talk of small business set asides or minority-, women-, and service-disabled veteran-owned business utilization requirements, which can make it sound as if winning government contracts is a given for companies owned by individuals who are eligible for certification. Don’t be fooled. While there can be some benefit to being a small business, particularly one owned by members of certain historically under-represented groups, government contracting is not an easy row to hoe. The following questions cover some cornerstones you’ll want to make sure form a solid part of your foundation before you start building your business in this comp