New York SBDC Research Network

The Federal Trade Commission has charged a Florida man and his company with bilking at least $1.3 million from newly-opened small businesses by pretending to be a federal government agency, and threatening that the business will be shut down or fined unless they purchase occupational safety and other government regulation posters for their premises. At the FTC’s request, a federal court has temporarily halted the operation. The agency seeks to permanently stop the alleged illegal practices and obtain refunds for the victimized businesses. According to the FTC’s complaint , the defendants call business owners, pretending to be the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or some other agency. Using names that sound like government agencies, such as “Occupational Safety and Compliance Administration,” “US Corporate Compliance Office” and “Occupational Compliance and Safety Administration,” defendants tell the businesses that they are not complying with federal law and that the g

So you want to/maintain a business? And now you know why you aspire to achieve these goals. The next enivetiable question is-How do I make this happen?

From AIER : The common narrative about small business usually goes in one of two directions. First, many predict doom for “mom and pop” firms in America, arguing small businesses must be protected from giants like Walmart, who can charge lower prices. The second narrative focuses on the benefits these businesses bring to our economy and communities, stressing the need for consumers to “support” small and local business. Notably gigantic firm American Express, for example, sponsors Small Business Saturday every December, encouraging people to “rally their communities” to shop at local stores. In reality, small businesses are profit-driven entities in our capitalist economy. While regulatory protection and goodwill from consumers may help on the margin, what small businesses need are working strategies to offer the market something of significant or unique value.

From the Albany SBDC: Does your business need financing, but the bank will not fund your venture? Do you or someone you know have a great idea for a business, but no capital to get things started? Are you looking to expand your business, but lack the necessary capital? The SEED Program may be able to help! SEED is a character based micro-loan program that is funding entrepreneurs based off of character of the entrepreneur and capacity of the business. Program Components  Loans up to $35,000 Entrepreneurial Training Classes One on One Business Counseling Interns to Assist with Business Plan Development Peer Support Network Since the program was established, SEED has successfully funded 54 entrepreneurs that would not have been eligible for traditional commercial loan programs. Applications for the Summer Session of the SEED Program are now being accepted.    For more information: Contact Kate Baker 518-380-5073 http://www.albany.edu/seed/ SEED is possible

According to the Wikipedia, a disruptive innovation is "an innovation that creates a new market and value network and eventually disrupts an existing market and value network, displacing established market leaders and alliances. The term was defined and phenomenon analyzed by Clayton M. Christensen beginning in 1995." Here are some recent articles describing disruptive technologies:

Each year the New York Small Business Development Center recognizes outstanding small businesses in a variety of ways.  This Success Story from the Stony Brook SBDC  appears in our  2015 Annual Report .  Elena Yakubovskaya Mindwick, Inc. Stony Brook SBDC Elena Yakubovskaya, a research scientist in the Pharmacology Dept.at SUNY Stony Brook, received her Ph.D. in the field of molecular and structural biology from the Institute of Molecular Biology in Moscow. About ten years ago, she was one of the founders of School Nova, a Stony Brook University program that provides supplemental STEM instruction on weekends for elementary school students. Elena is currently the director of a summer STEM educational camp for gifted students.  During 2014, Elena decided to sharpen her focus on STEM education by starting Mindwick, Inc. to promote early science education among public elementary school students (grades 1-3). When she needed assistance with her venture, Elena was pleasantly su

From MarketingProfs When businesses accept credit cards as a payment option, they run the risk of being faced with chargebacks: when credit card users dispute charges on their accounts and demand to be reimbursed for the purchases. Chargebacks were designed to help credit card customers protect their accounts, and they still do, but they can also become a nuisance for businesses: Dealing with chargebacks can take valuable time away from employees, and it can be costly. Moreover, frequent chargebacks can affect a company's ability to maintain a merchant account and accept credit card or ACH payments. Also, merchant account providers can impose steep fines associated with high chargeback rates, or they can put funds on hold. All of that makes reducing the occurrence of chargebacks crucial. The first step in doing so is to determine the causes of chargebacks. Sometimes, unhappy customers issue chargebacks in an attempt to get their money back without having to communicate wi