New York SBDC Research Network

A gentleman from the Better Business Bureau gave an online talk to NY SBDC advisers about how BBB will get businesses in their database if ther business applies to do so, even if the business is NOT a BBB member. The obvious advantage is greater visibility. So if your business gets an A rating from BBB, it'll be listed on the BBB site right below the members who get an A. For folks in the Metropolitan New York, Long Island, and the Mid-Hudson Region, go to http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city , hover over FOR BUSINESS, click on Update Your Business Information , then click on the like-named picture . For folks in the Albany, Buffalo, Rochester & Syracuse regions, go to http://www.bbb.org/upstate-new-york/ , then click on Update Business Information . Also, check out the Non-Accredited Business Resources .

From Biz Journals : 'Tis the season for year-end lists. With that in mind, here's one you can read — about reading. It's a selection of books that have been published in the past year that caught our eye. They're books published by women authors and with women readers in mind, but perhaps for a male audience as well. The list features TV personalities and accomplished academics among the authors. Their efforts got people talking about their work and perspectives over the past 12 months. So, if you're looking for a book to read in the holiday weeks ahead — or, perhaps as a last-minute gift? — here are 10 titles you might want to check out. 1. “How to Have a Good Day: Harness the Power of Behavioral Science to Transform Your Working Life” by Caroline Webb

The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) launched an internet-based data service for the global user community. It brings UN statistical databases within easy reach of users through a single entry point. Users can now search and download a variety of statistical resources of the UN system. Users are often unaware of the full array of statistical information that the UN system has in its data libraries. UNdata addresses pools major UN databases and those of several international into one single internet environment. The innovative design allows a user to access a large number of UN databases either by browsing the data series or through a keyword search. Useful features like Country Profiles, Advanced Search and Glossaries are also provided to aid research. The numerous databases, tables and glossaries containing over 60 million data points cover a wide range of themes including Agriculture, Crime, Education, Employment,

From Marketing Profs : To many retailers today, Amazon.com seems unstoppable. The website that ate retail has overtaken a fellow titan, Wal-Mart, as the second-largest seller of consumer electronics, and it has category No. 1 Best Buy in its sights. As retail witnesses the shuttering of former retail heavyweights, including Sports Authority and Sports Chalet, and the slimming of long-term players, including Macy's, Walgreens, and the Gap, smaller retailers are often left wondering whether there is, in fact, a path to success when you don't have millions to spend on marketing. Here's the key: An underdog doesn't win by beating a giant at its own game, but by outwitting, outmaneuvering, and out-strategizing it. Offering hope to retail are the stories of nimble retailers, including Ulta, TJ Maxx, and H&M, which are continuing to grow and open new stores year after year. Those successes prove that although midmarket retailers might not be able to compete with Am

Some are barely more than a minute. Some take an hour or more. While some are highly technical, others are very user-friendly. There are talking heads; they are graphic intensive. We're talking about learning about bookkeeping online. Even if one delegates the day-to-day task to someone else, every entrepreneur needs to understand the basics about the financials of the business. Enter YouTube, which has about 66,000 videos that help businessperson with bookkeeping and accounting. Peruse at your leisure to see which ones resonate the most with you. I DO need to mention Introduction to Accounting from SBA.

From Bplans : Your logo is the key to your small business brand. Whether you are setting up shop or rebranding, designing your logo is just as important as getting things right on other aspects of your business. However, that doesn’t mean you have an unlimited budget. With today’s logo design crowdsourcing services, you still have lots of options for good small business logo design. Many startups and small businesses turn to the web for crowdsourcing their logos, so let’s start with a basic understanding of what crowdsourcing is in this context: Crowdsourcing is using the internet to obtain services by approaching an online community. A good rule of thumb is this: The designer’s work is only as good as the information and direction you give them.

From Marketing Profs Only 15% of Americans say the emails they receive from marketers are frequently or always useful, according to recent research from Fluent. The report was based on data from a survey of 1,900 consumers age 18 and older who live in the United States. Some 7% of respondents say the marketing emails they receive are always useful, and 8% say they are frequently useful. In addition, 29% of respondents say marketing emails are sometimes useful, 33% say they are rarely useful, and 24% say they are never useful. Younger respondents, those age 18-29, find marketing emails more useful in general than do older respondents (age 30+).