New York SBDC Research Network

Each year the  New York Small Business Development Center  recognizes outstanding small businesses in a variety of ways.  This Success Story from the   Buffalo SBDC  appears in our  2016 Annual Report .  Kerry Beiter   Alpine Made Buffalo SBDC Bieter & Sons’ Farm LLC is a certified organic goat dairy farm and Ms. Kerry Bieter is the sole owner of the business. In 2012, Kerry founded Alpine Made LLC, a soap and skin care company, through which she sells goat milk soaps and skin care products at farmers markets in Western New York, wholesale to local retailers, and nationally through a website. Bieter & Sons’ farm uses sustainable and organic farming practices to raise alpine dairy goats. The business is certified organic through the northeast Organic Farming Association of New York. The farm is located in the town of Wales in an agricultural district 30 minutes south of Buffalo. Kerry began working with Buffalo SBDC Advisor Andrea Lizak in 2011 when she was in the pl

From  Entrepenuer Every state in America picked one small business owner as its small business person of the year as part of National Small Business Week. Each one of them was up for the national award as well. These people are doing amazing things , from contracting with the Department of Homeland Security to making silver-gallium nanoneedles. Max Nisen,  Guidance Aviation  is a high-altitude flight school and John Stonecipher just won  Small Business Person Of The Year .   One piece of advice for small business owners: "Surround yourself around the best people you can and give them an opportunity to do what they love to do best. Each one of my staff and faculty are leaders themselves. I cannot succeed without them."

From:  Medium Marketing is  really  about how customer values translate into aspirations, insecurities, fears and motivations. Marketing, at the end of the day, is not just about a company’s values — it’s about understanding what these mean  to a customer , and getting that meaning to be felt strongly enough that they buy. The success of a business — and its marketing message — is partially figuring out what people want. And partially the promise of fulfilling it. There are a number of companies popping up that sell clothing with elephants on it and donate part of the proceeds to “saving the elephants.” They’re popular. And they’re popular not because donating makes people feel good, but because  elephants make people feel good. It’s not accidental. These companies aren’t donating to, say, endangered Amazonian spiders or rock moss. No. It’s elephants. Why? It’s simple. You want to sell some fast-fashion casual clothing?  Look at who’s buying it. Once yo u know who’s buying it (

From:  MarketingProfs Writing can take a lot of time. Sometimes that's because research needs to be done; sometimes the business owner you're working with may have unexpected changes; and sometimes you can be your own worst enemy by making your writing process inefficient—especially if you're a perfectionist. Trying to create a "perfect" piece as you write can hinder creativity and slow you down. But the good news is that you are in control of making your writing process faster and more productive, and today's  infographic  by  Enchanting Marketing  offers tips to help. "Perfectionism becomes unhealthy when you mix it with self-doubt and undermine your creative productivity," the graphic begins. "To speed up and enjoy your writing, become a writing pragmatist." For example, a perfectionist wants to use perfect sentences in a first draft, whereas a pragmatist simply puts down ideas on paper that can later be finessed, the graphic explains

From: eMarketer Brick-and-mortar retailers often gripe that they are at a competitive disadvantage against online retailers because of their relative inability to map a more complete view of their customers are and their traffic, browsing and purchasing behavior. As malls, department stores and other retailers struggle to drive traffic, some players are considering sharing data. Mall developer Westfield, the owner of 35 shopping centers, is seeking to persuade retailers, brands and even competing malls to share data such as what consumers have just bought to allow partners/rivals to better target potential customers for related sales.

Each year the  New York Small Business Development Center  recognizes outstanding small businesses in a variety of ways.  This Success Story from the   Brooklyn SBDC  appears in our  2016 Annual Report .  Doris Ulysse Brooklyn SBDC The story of Doris Ulysse is testimony to the grit and talent of a determined African American woman entrepreneur. Doris specializes in network design and administration. She is particularly adept at configuring and integrating hardware and software for a full spectrum of client types. She first consulted the Brooklyn SBDC after years of working as an IT professional to “test the waters” of entrepreneurship.  Advisor Janet Page expertly guided her through the business planning process and MWBE certification protocol. Doris became an MWBE subcontractor through the NYC Office of General Services and a contractor for the NYC Housing Authority. She learned that having certifications had little to do with getting contracts as a Prime or sub-contractor

From Digg : In August, the U.S. Small Business Administration found that self-employment is ticking upward, but hasn't yet reached the heights it reached before the 2008 financial crash. Now, using census data, the office estimates that just over 15 million Americans are self employed. The SBA also reported that in 2013 there were 28.8 million small businesses — that is, a business, or firm, that employs less than 500 employees.3 Which might explain why the U.S. Census Bureau found that small businesses employed 56.8 million people, about 48 percent of the private industries. The new face of a small business is the perpetual freelancer, which means we have to start considering what this means when this entire generation retires — or, more likely, can't afford to. We already worry about how we'll provide for the population as more and more people live longer but are unable to work. If there's a place for mid-level earners on the internet, does that carved-out space incl

From MarketingProfs : Remember those mobile phone carrier commercials that used colored balls to represent the four big carriers? It was red for Verizon, blue for AT&T, yellow for Sprint, and pink for T-Mobile. Consumers didn't need explanations about which color represented which brand, because we made the associations automatically. That goes to show the power of color when defining your brand. Vistaprint worked with Dr. Sally Augustin of Design With Science to analyze color popularity among the print company's customers, define the feelings those colors elicit, and explore which colors are popular in which industries. That information was summarized into a graphic. Should you choose a color that your competitors use, or should your brand stand out? That's a decision you'll need to make, and the tips in the graphic might help you out.

From  Small Biz Ahead Many long-time small business owners would agree with the line from the 1970s song by the band Faces: “I wish that I knew what I know now.” Over years of running a small business, owners inevitably gather many lessons about how to grow and run a business more effectively. Thankfully, many of these owners are more than happy to share their insights.  Here are seven tips from several successful small business owners that are worth paying attention to:  1. Build a Support Network For Laura Kelly, being a business owner can be an isolating experience at times. “Especially if you’re a solo business owner, you can lose touch with other business owners,” says Kelly, who 15 years ago started The Handwork Studio, a Narberth, Pennsylvania-based company that runs needlework camps and classes for kids in 10 states along the East Coast.

From Bureau of Labor Statistics : After reaching its historical peak at 67.1 percent in 2000, the labor force participation rate for all workers (age 16 and over) is projected to decline to 61.0 percent in 2026. The decline in the rate is largely the result of the aging population, as more and more workers move into higher age groups that tend to have lower participation rates. The overall labor force participation rate has been declining since 2000, dropping sharply following the 2007–09 recession and reaching 62.8 percent in 2016. The continued shift of the population into older age groups will have long-lasting effects on the labor force and the overall labor force participation rate. In 1996, the entire baby-boom generation was in the 25-to-54-year-old group, with a labor force participation rate of 83.8 percent. In 2001, the first of the baby boomers moved into the 55-and-older age group. Although the 25-to-54-year-old group shows the strongest attachment to the labor mark

From Small Business Bonfire Working in a pleasant environment helps people feel positive and motivated. If employees enjoy their time at work, they will be less likely to take long breaks or go on sick leave. The benefits for business owners include increased productivity and reduced staff turnover, leading to lower recruitment and training costs. Here are some ways to create a pleasant work environment for your employees.

The problem: You worry that members of your sales team are not following the right messaging guidelines in their cold outreach to prospects. The solution: You can give them templates to one-click insert. Giving cold-email templates to your sales team guarantees two things: (1) You can rest easy knowing they're using the right positioning; and (2) Sending emails with proven copywriting techniques will increase their open and reply rates. Remember: cold emails aren't about the sale; they're about initiating conversation and getting the ball rolling. Sounds familiar to what you do every day, right?

From: eMarketer Despite the struggles of brick-and-mortar- retail, the purchase of physical gift cards has grown for three consecutive years, according to new survey data. Digital gift card purchases also has risen sharply this year. Consumers spent an average of $38 more than the value on their gift card this year—up $10 over 2016. And 44% of respondents said having a card caused them to go to a store they would not have visited otherwise.

From eMarketer : Growth of the private-label market in recent years has been driven by demand from lower-income shoppers as well as budget-conscious millennials. But these products are attracting wealthier consumers, creating yet another challenge for national brands. According to an IRI survey released last week, over half (52%) of consumers with household income of more than $100,000 said they expect to buy more private-label products over the next six months. For those earning $55,000 to $99,000, 62% planned to do the same. Those percentages are still smaller than the responses among consumers making less than $35,000 and millennials in general (76% and 74%, respectively). However, the private-label buying plans among the more affluent were higher compared with previous findings, according to IRI.

From:   U.S News Access to credit can be difficult to come by and expensive for small businesses. Small business credit cards can be flexible, invaluable tools for business owners facing short-term cash crunches. Interest rates can be lower than they are for other convenient sources of credit, such as advances against accounts receivable or credit card receipts and unsecured loans available from small business lenders on the Internet. Thanks to credit card incentive and rewards programs, it may make sense for business owners to route as much of their normal expenses as possible through their business credit card. If you spend a significant amount on business expenses each month, you should consider applying for a business credit card. However, it’s important to understand the benefits and drawbacks of business credit cards as well as the wide array of offerings on the market. Business credit cards provide business owners and entrepreneurs instant and convenient capital they c