New York SBDC Research Network

Did you know that most entrepreneurs were married and had children when they started their businesses? Would you guess that a little more than half of new business owners had interest in becoming entrepreneurs during their college years? How about that the average birth order of entrepreneurs is 2.2 and the average number of siblings is 3.1? These are just some of the interesting factoids from the July 2009 Kauffman report, “ The Anatomy of an Entrepreneur : Family Background and Motivation .” This study examined the backgrounds, life histories and motivations of 549 company founders from a variety of industries, generating a different perspective on today’s entrepreneur . But what’s the future of entrepreneurialism in the U.S.? We’re counting on small businesses to help us out of the recession, but the age distribution of our population is getting older. What’s going to happen to entrepreneurialism in this country when there are fewer young people to start businesses? Do

"What was once known colloquially as Cash for Clunkers has been given the official government name of CARS – Car Allowance Rebate System . As soon as President Obama signed the bill, scammers were already thinking up ways to take advantage of the system. Here’s an explanation of how the new law works and how you can take advantage of it legally." Also From the official website - primary color, not shockingly, is green. While the CARS Act makes transactions on and after July 1 potentially eligible for credits under the CARS program, interested dealers and consumers may want to wait until all of the detailed issues that must be addressed in the implementing regulations are resolved and the final rule is issued. Issuance will occur around July 23. Important Things to Know *Your vehicle must be less than 25 years old on the trade-in date *Only purchase or lease of new vehicles qualify *Generally, trade-in vehicles must get 18 or less MPG (some very large pick-up trucks and cargo

For many months after learning about the social networking tool Twitter, I failed to see its benefit for small business owners. I have since developed a new outlook on Twitter and its usefulness. In the past, when I discovered information that was not only incredibly pertinent to our clients and business advisors but also time-sensitive, I would ponder ways to distribute the information in a useful and timely manner. Now I "tweet". Below are articles that will help you "tweet" to the maximum effect. How to Tweet to be Useful, Helpful, and Get Re-Tweeted" Social Media is How You Need to Communicate A Businessperson's Guide to Using Twitter

I read an article in USA Today Written by Edward C. Baig, " Google vs. Bing: Bing holds its own in search-off ." In the article, Baig compares Bing and Google and identifies some pros and cons of each. He admitted he " Googled 'Bing versus Google'" but it did not occur to him to Bing the search. It seems Google users are conditioned; Googling is a way of life. It is, after all, a verb in the Merriam-Webster dictionary . When Bing entered the playing field, about a month ago, I ignored it due to my instinct to Google and my comfort with Google's familiarity. After reading Baig's article, I decided to take a closer look at Bing. To start, I Binged "Bing versus Google" and came across www.google-vs-bing.com . This site offers a side by side comparison of each search engine for users. After some time on both Google and Bing, Bing is starting to grow on me. I prefer the layout of Bing over Google; it is easy to navigate with fewer

Inc. Magazine has a tool called the Profitability Report or How Does Your Company Stack Up?, a calculator to determine whether or not your company is measuring up as compared to their compiled financial data on privately held companies across a number of industries. Put in your annual revenue and it will calculate what your numbers should look like. If you click on any of the industry links, it will run down gross profit margin, EBITDA margin, return on equity/assets, accounts receivable days, operating profit/sales. It is guide created by Sageworks who do benchmarks for private companies.

"Do I love books or do I love reading?" That's the question Ann Kirschner asks herself in this piece, " Reading Dickens Four Ways " published in the Chronicle of Higher Education. When discussing Little Dorrit in her book club, the author decides to experience the book in four ways: paperback, audiobook , Kindle, and iPhone. You'll have to read the article to discover her preferences, but what are yours? This discussion also reminds me of how we get information out to you all - how do you like to read what we send? How about your clients? I've done a lot of reading from the computer screen (grad school = no money for printing articles I only needed once), but not everyone is comfortable with that. Do you have the capability of just saving a few of the PDFs we send instead of the whole package? You probably do, but if you're not sure how, please give us a call. Do you find that you're printing out a lot of information for less techno- s

Each of the 94 federal judicial districts handles bankruptcy matters, and in almost all districts, bankruptcy cases are filed in the bankruptcy court. But if you were trying to figure out which court had jurisdiction over which county in states that have more than one court, such as New York, which has four, you won't find the info in the bankruptcy section, only an annoyingly overbroad map. Instead, look in the general federal district court section where you'll find this link for all counties in a district. The Eastern is Long Island plus three NYC boroughs. The Southern is Manhattan, Bronx up to Dutchess, but not Ulster County. The Northern extends due north of there. The Western is the, er, western part of the state.

Here's an interesting article from a researcher who also founded two different tech firms. He argues that, in certain industries, getting venture capital funding for startup firms isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Even if the funding helps a business achieve its self-identified funding goal, there's pressure inherent in receiving the money - pressure to hire an A-list (and expensive) staff, and pressure to produce *right now* (in lieu of pursuing long-term growth). He argues that there's virtue in being undercapitalized, in that it forces a company's management team to be that much more creative (and honest) in what it needs to kick-start growth. I cite this article because, as I've written recently, we've seen a bump in the number of requests seeking venture capital firms for our clients. There are certainly merits in seeking out this type of financing. However, obvious as it might sound, have your clients be careful what they wish for.

The sun is shining (finally), the grass is plush and as green as green gets, and now is the perfect time to grab a book and head to your local beach, lake, river, or pool. Below are lists of great reads for you to bring with you when you go. Summer Reading for Business Students - For the perpetual student at heart. 100 Best Business Books of All Time 5 (More) Great Books on Entrepreneurship 2009 Summer Reading Lists for AbeBooks.com - For thos of you who would like to spend your down time not thinking about business. Enjoy your summer reading!

I was reading an article about how Booz Allen & Hamilton have created an "Enterprise Facebook" social networking site called Hello for their employees that is enjoying a high adoption rate. Years ago I worked for BAH and they were very forward thinking in the area of knowledge management with information professionals dedicated to developing a system for sharing expertise. They also had a very simple tool that I've wished for in other jobs - they used to have a ring-bound, paper, book with a page for each employee, with a photograph, a brief resume and contact details. Such a simple tool that was so useful. I can see how this early face book could develop into an intranet maintained by the individuals with the infromation they wish to share - personal profiles, wikis, RSS feeds, blogs, or potentially a list of publications that consultant has been involved in creating, skills, etc. Many organizations have intranets but I wonder if those begun recently giving users

Today we have two bits of Twitter /social media news for you: From USAToday: “ Businesses use Twitter to communicate with customers ” We all know that many companies are on Twitter. But what are they doing there? This article provides some nice examples: Comcast let viewers know that their cable coverage of the Stanley cup was interrupted by a lightning storm in Atlanta, Dell says they’ve sold more than $2 million in PCs through their @DellOutlet Twitter account (with over 710,000 followers) since 2007, and a variety of companies use Twitter for problem solving consumer questions and/or complaints. But what about the CEOs? Are they tweeting for their brand? If they are included in Fortune's list of the top 100 CEOs, probably not. According to a report from UberCEO , only 2 in the top 100 had personal Twitter accounts. While there is some discussion about how these leaders are missing opportunities to increase their own visibility and communicate with their customers, there’s also t

I happened to answer the phones one Friday afternoon and someone, who had been obviously been talking to other people, wanted a definitive answer to a simple question, "How is a small business defined?" I said, "Well, it depends." If we're talking about New York State law, then you'll want to look for the state laws under COM: Economic Development Law, Article 4-B, § 131. Definition of a small business. For the purposes of this chapter, a small business shall be deemed to be one which is resident in this state, independently owned and operated, not dominant in its field and employs one hundred or less persons. But if we're talking federal law, it's a bit more complicated. If one were to look at TITLE 13 of the Code of Federal Regulations, one would want to go to Part 121--SMALL BUSINESS SIZE REGULATIONS , with a plethora of information about the process. Still, for the bottom line, go to §121.201: What size standards has SBA identified by North Amer

A few weeks ago, just before the annual Staff Training, we in the library lost access to a great database that enabled us to manipulate all kinds of demographic data, with a great deal of geographic precision. Many of you had been recipients of the data that it contains. Good news, then. As of last Wednesday, we re-subscribed with the publisher of this database. Of particular relevance is the ability to draw a radius around a specific address (either a given mileage, or driving time). Within that radius, you can then get detailed population demographics, as well as annual expenditures on a wide variety of products and services. So, if you're looking for annual household spending on, say, restaurants within a 15-minute drive of your client's proposed location, then we now have the resource to provide that information. Very cool!

Recent changes at the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance include those below, as well as others. The Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Mobility Tax is a new tax imposed on certain employers and self-employed individuals engaging in business within the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District (MCTD). The MCTD consists of the five boroughs of New York City and the counties of Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester. For more information, see the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Mobility Tax web page and the newly issued TSB-M that explains this tax. Sales Tax Imposed on Certain Transportation Services - Effective June 1, 2009, New York State and local sales tax will apply to transportation services provided using limousines, black cars, and certain other motor vehicles with a driver. However, the sales tax will not apply to taxicab and bus services, scheduled public transportation services, services provided in connection with fun

Filling out Google's already extensive list of products, is Local Business Center , a dashboard for businesses to control their online persona and get some metrics on their potential customers. Locate your business on the map with a free listing so customers can find you when searching Google. List hours of service and other details about your business including coupons and collect data from Google to see who is looking for you. When customers search for a business name, the listing can be controlled by the owner with up-to-date information. Business owners can see what search was used to reach them, and what zip code the customer orginates from. You can visit their site to watch a video explaining how they've packaged this service.

Who said that building a website has to be a complicated thing? I was interested to read Jennifer Shaheen's article at Entrepreneur.com, " Build a Website in Blog's Clothing ," where she discusses how using a blogging platform can be used to set up a small business web presence. The blog format can offer just about everything a website needs: up-to-date content, search engine visibility, a way to communicate with customers, and plug-ins and add-ons a plenty (for an example, look at all the extras we have running on the right side of this blog.) Best of all, it's free. The blog format takes the newest posts and pushes them to the top, which is great for providing upcoming news and events. But you can also create posts with more permanent content, for example, your contact info. Just build a link to that post into one of your sidebars, and it will always be visible.

The librarians at the RN are often asked for information which straddles dangerously close to being legal advice. Since none of us have a law degree, we look to provide information that will answer the question without interpreting it. My favorite ploy is to provide the actual law, such as can be found at the state consolidated laws site. Richard Stim is an attorney and writer with the legal book publisher Nolo, who moderates the Nolo podcast . He addresses everyday legal topics in a "plain-English style". One can learn about business from startup to patents to tax deductions, plus topics as diverse as eBay disputes and same-sex marriage. The segments run 6 to 20 minutes each, mostly around 13 minutes. This format, of course, has its limitations. Sometimes you just need to go out and get a lawyer

The research network at the NYSSBDC has updated a document that can be used as a guide and information source for our clients in today's rough economy. Originally created in July 2008, this is the fourth version of the paper. The guide combines facts and figures regarding the current state of the economy as well as tips and strategies for surviving in down times. In order to create the document, we visited major and business news websites and found the most recent articles and blogs that are applicable to our client base. We would be happy to send the document to any advisor or NYSSBDC employee who requests a copy. Feel free to call, email, or leave a comment and we will send you what we are calling the "white paper".

Chances are, after reading the title of my blog, you think I am insane. That's okay. The numbers that we see printed everyday in the business section show that not only are we in a recession, but very few economic indicators have started to turn around and become positive. I would like to argue that the same numbers that make most people cringe are the reason why you should start your business right now. Unemployment is at 9.4% for the country and there are 5.4 individuals for every job posted. So why don't you change from being someone who is unemployed and applying for the same job as 4 and a half other people, and start your own business. Starting Over — as an Entrepreneur (Wall Street Journal) Laid Off in 2008 - Start a Business in 2009 (Entrepreneur) - Stories from three entrepreneurs who have started their own businesses during a recession. How to Start a Business During the Recession (eHow.com) Best Small Businesses to Start in a Recession (About.com)

It was only last year that Facebook surpassed MySpace in Web popularity, but MySpace’s visitor count has totally leveled off, while Facebook continues to grow (at the end of 2008 Facebook had 220 million visitors, MySpace had 125 million). Is there any hope for MySpace? Can a site this big reinvent itself and survive? History says no. Can you even remember the search engines you used before Google? Still, MySpace is making an effort, and perhaps focusing on the music scene where its unique music player has an advantage over the other social networking sites. Read more from CNN: Can once-cool MySpace stage a comeback?

The National Small Business Association's 2009 Small Business Credit Card Survey (12 pp PDF) "provides a detailed view of how small businesses are utilizing their credit cards , how their credit-card companies are treating them, and the impacts of deteriorating credit-card terms on their business. Small business credit-card usage is on the rise..." SMALL BUSINESSES Using credit cards in the past 12 months to finance their firms December 2008-49 percent April 2009-59 percent. Reporting worsening credit-card terms December 2008-69 percent April 2009-79 percent reported worsening terms Experiencing credit-card issuers reducing credit lines December 2008-28 percent April 2009-33 percent Paying off their credit cards each month December 2008-50 percent April 2009-40 percent "In past recessions , economic recovery has been led by the creation of millions of new, small businesses. However, unlike previous periods of economic uncertainty, today’s entrepreneurs are severel

This article appeared a few months ago, so my bad for not getting it out there earlier. It's written by a public librarian in the Detroit area, and it chronicles how libraries have become such a vital part of a community that has experienced a great deal of economic turmoil. In many ways, what her library - and her role within it - reminds me of our centers, and how they can become a pathway to opportunity for our clients. Both librarians and business advisors act as willing providers of ideas, services, loan programs, etc., to an audience badly in need of hearing about them. Hence, this article. Hope you like it.

This week I’ ve had a few instances where I was troubleshooting technology issues or trying to explain how to use an online tool over the phone. All this, “Do you see the blue box in the upper right corner?” made me long for a tool where I could show someone else what’s happening on my screen. Hardly a new idea, screencasting might be just what I need to create some digital tutorials. Stephen Abram (Special Libraries Association Past President, SirsiDynix ) has put together a handy blog post (dated June 4, 2009) on screencasting for the newbie, with lists of free software and advice on making good tutorials.

At the conference, someone at some point taught me about a valuable online resource for both our clients and us titled Small Business Television. SBTV.com "is the first television network on the web devoted 100 percent to the small business market - from business start-ups to established enterprises." Topics include Green Business, Reinvent Your Career, and Wellness in the Workplace, as well as typical topics such as Marketing, Management, and Franchising. The hompage also has links to small business articles and information provided by "experienced business advisors".

Asheesh Advani, president of Virgin Money USA , gives hope for entrepreneurs looking for angel investors during the recession. In an article from Entrepreneur " You Can Still Find an Angel Investor ," Advani offers three keys for entrepreneurs looking for angel investors: resilience, patience and persistence. By focusing on those three keys when pursuing prospective angels and keeping in mind that “ In 2009, angel investors want to hear you tell them about earnings growth, and the decision to invest is based on how much affinity they have for the business concept and the principal owners,” entrepreneurs will likely strike the angel’s interest. Another bit of hope comes from Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban . He states in an article from the Dallas Morning News , “ In this environment, there is a great opportunity to start small, build slowly and, as the economy hopefully gets better, accelerate your growth.” He recently launched his “ Mark Cuban Stimulus Plan

About.com: Management Developing an Internet Strategy For Your Company Here is a series of articles on how companies can think about the Internet presence, as an important aspect of any marketing plan, better to in advance determine what approach to take. With all the various Web 2.0 tools about, it pays to plot a course with goals in mind so that you're stumbling out on the scene half-dressed. There are many books written on the subject, but just dabbling into the many blogs and magazines online to see what is going on. A couple of places to check out: Danny Demichele, Internet Strategist Now, New, Next : The Monitor Talent Group Blog Harvard Business Publishing

Earlier today, I spoke with a very helpful woman at R.S. Means . Some of you might know that this company compiles & publishes a wide variety of publications that provide construction cost data. They're well-used in the construction and contractor industries. I called looking for a product that might help provide a client with a rough estimate of a commercial construction project in a specific part of New York State. Instead of being told about a book costing several hundred dollars, I was surprised to hear that R.S. Means offers their Quick Cost Estimator on their website. It requires you to register (also free). Once there, you enter in the "Building Type" (there are 75 types of commercial structures listed in the drop-down menu), then the square footage, then the ZIP code of the project's location. Clearly, the results are a rough estimate (and they are ONLY pertinent to the building itself - there's no consideration for the cost of building, say, a par

Image via Wikipedia "Is Recession Sex Even Better Than Makeup Sex?" That's the intriguing title of this article from Advertising Age by Jack Neff, subtitled "Or Could Analytics, Marketing Be Behind Rising Sales of Personal Lubricant, 'Sexual-Enhancement Devices'?" "The recession hasn't taken any edge off the sexual-accessories trade and may well have helped: Data show that such things as his-and-hers lubricants and mass-market sexual-enhancement devices are producing fireworks in supermarket and drug-store aisles." It is considered a Bright Spot: "Opportunities for the marketing and media industries in an otherwise bleak year." "First-quarter sales of personal lubricants soared 32% to $41.2 million, according to Information Resources Inc. "

To echo Roger's post earlier this week, I wanted to mention that the Consumer Product Safety Commission recently released a handbook meant for owners of resale and used merchandise stores. It was written in response to the recent passing of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (which Amelia wrote about here last February). According to the CPSC, it was created to help sellers of used products understand the new law and existing regulations. In their words, "[t]he purpose of this Handbook is to help you to identify the types of products that are affected and to understand how to comply with the law, so you can keep unsafe products out of the hands of consumers." It's only 28 pages long. If you have clients in this industry, it's best if they read this.

It has been a few weeks since I've stimulated you with stimulating information about the stimulus, so today is your lucky day. Of course, there is so much new information coming out everyday from the SBA, local and national business publications, and government websites that it would be impossible for me to keep you constantly updated. The information below is what I believe is most valuable to you, the business owner or advisor. As always, please feel free to comment with links to information you would like to share on the stimulus and small businesses. Q&A: New SBA Administrator Karen Mills on the Stimulus Small Business Administration - America's Recovery Capital Loan Program Stimulus gives SBA Loans a Boost Sign Up for Updates from the New York State Recovery Website Interest Groups, Legislators Call for Transparency on Stimulus Money

I guess we can look forward to the release of Bing, Microsoft's new search engine due out June 3rd. Everywhere I look today there is more speculation about Bing. This is meant to be a response to the shortcomings of web search and competition for Google, the lion of the search market. Microsoft is describing Bing as a "decision engine" apparently well suited to comparisons. The reviews I've read are saying good things about it, even that it is giving Google a run for it's money by helping searchers distill information, pulling it together in the search screen. In a couple of days you can decide for yourself whether it really is an alternative to Google or Yahoo! You can check out the teaser site here .

Here's an unsurprising bit of info from the U.S. Census Bureau Used merchandise stores employed more than 131,000 people with $2.1 billion in annual payroll and nearly $9.3 billion in sales in 2007, according to new economic census data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. As part of the 2007 Economic Census Industry Series, these new figures for the retail trade sector provide data on the number of establishments, sales, payroll, number of employees, value of product line sales and other data items at the national level by industry. Other findings include: * Women’s, juniors’ and misses’ clothing product line sales accounted for more than 15 percent ($1.4 billion) of total used merchandise store sales. Sales of antiques made up almost 13 percent ($1.2 billion) of the total sales of the 17,779 used merchandise stores in the United States. * Total sales from used merchandise stores increased $1.5 billion (nearly 20 percent) since 2002, while the number of used mer

Think that Twitter is all about people announcing what they ate for breakfast? Well, it is. But it also offers more interesting artistic possibilities. Want to know how your favorite author feels about their process? While lots of authors just use Twitter to promote their book signings, the following list includes more than 100 authors who use Twitter to carry on a conversation with their readers and offer some insight: Literary Tweets: 100+ of the Best Authors on Twitter And believe it or not, there are non-celebrities on Twitter with huge followings. They have mastered the story-telling possibilities of 140 characters and manage to make their tweets more useful for the reader than the author. Read more in this Washington Times article: " Short(est) Stories: The Art of Twitterature Means Making 140 Characters Count "

Alexis pointed out to me that there have been several articles in recent issues of the Capital District Business Review regarding the upcoming changes in qualifying for business tax credits under New York's Empire Zone program. Here's what's happening, in a nutshell: 1) Recent legislation states that businesses that qualified under the 2008 provisions of the law will now have to re-apply in 2009 under new guidelines. 2) There are roughly 9,000 companies in New York that currently qualify. The new legislation a) will remove companies that fail to meet a ratio of at least $1 of wages & investment for every $1 received as a credit from the state; b) requires new applicants to meet a $20-to-$1 ratio ($10-to-$1 for manufacturers); and c) ends the program on June 30, 2010 (a year earlier than previously scheduled). Empire State Development has been charged with verifying which companies among the current 9,000 are still eligible. ESD plans to have much of this process finish

During staff training this past week, I attended the session titled "How the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will Impact the Small Business Community - IRS Online Small Business Resources." While I learned useful information from Mr. Richard Torres from the IRS and Suzanne Reusch from the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance about tax breaks that are included in the Stimulus Act, I also learned about an extremely useful website for our Spanish-speaking customers. GobiernoUSA.gov "offers up-to-date official information in Spanish on government programs and services at the federal, state, and local levels." The website is the Spanish language version of USA.gov . Both are portals to "all official transactions, services, and information that the U.S. Government has to offer."

Whuffie Math April 16, 2009 – 4:22 am Tara Hunt writes a blog and now a book on marketing using social media. In this blog, she appreciates how social relationships work, using the promotion of her book as an example. The key is getting your product into the right hands so they will blow your horn for you. For those hold-outs resistant to this new climate of information sharing, Tara Hunt illustrates clearly and colorfully what effective marketing looks like. Check out the articles on TheWhuffieFactor.com

As you may know, 2000 is scheduled to be the last decennial Census that will gather "long-form" data. The information gathered from the long form of the census covered income/poverty, language, ancestry, education, homeowner/renter status and expenditures for same, plus much more. Data users were frustrated about having nine-year-old figures in 2009. Thus was born the American Community Survey , which will eventually provide numbers every year starting in 2010. Because there are different size requirements for geographies, this creates what might be confusion for the user. 2006: 2005 ACS - statistics for entities of 65,000 2007: 2006 ACS - statistics for entities of 65,000 2008: 2007 ACS - statistics for entities of 65,000 PLUS 2005-2007 statistics for entities of 20,000 2009: 2008 ACS - statistics for entities of 65,000 PLUS 2006-2008 statistics for entities of 20,000 2010: 2009 ACS - statistics for entities of 65,000 PLUS 2007-2009 statistics for entities of 20,000 2005-2

Good Ways to Deliver Bad News By: Curtis Sittenfeld Wed Dec 19, 2007 During the course of Staff Training, I heard a few people mention the counselor's role as the voice of reason. Jim mentioned that advisors must be there to tell the truth because most likely most others will find it difficult to do so. The fact it is, it is difficult to deliver news that is painful to hear. Dr. Robert Buckman, a cancer specialist having been through delivering the worst kind of news, developed a protocol. The protocol that Buckman developed has caught on. He teaches it to doctors, to medical students -- and to businesspeople, including executives at IBM, Andersen Consulting, and Upjohn. "Begin a difficult conversation by listening," he says. "And end it by summarizing: Review the ground you've covered, identify a plan, agree on a 'contract' for the next contact." You can read about how to apply the protocol in this article. Maybe we can take something from this to h

Here are a few sources of data about the non-profit: One primary source is the Economic Census. For 2002, it can be accessed either through a series of PDFs or via American FactFinder . The EC identifies establishments that are "not subject to federal income tax" in several of the service sectors, specifically 54-Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services; 61-Educational Services; 62-Health Care and Social Assistance; 71-Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation; and 81-Other Services (except Public Administration). These reports show the receipts for these establishments at the state, MSA and county level. There is even some place data, but the smaller the geography, the more likely it will be suppressed in order not to reveal confidential information. Also, public schools, colleges and universities, governments, and churches are excluded from the Economic Census. The 2007 data won't be out until late in 2010 and will be available only via American FactFinder. The NYC N

Most of the news that I read in the Business Review and other business-oriented periodicals and websites detail the extreme losses that many major companies have experienced in their first quarter for 2009. Luckily, the more time that I spend reading up on the Stimulus Act, the economy, and even the recession, the more hope I have that things will turn around, possible even soon. 2009 Industry Outlook - Challenging Times, Emerging Opportunities (Deloitte) Report: National recession to end by Sept. (Albany Business Review) The 2009 Economic Landscape - How the Recession Is Unfolding across Four U.S. Regions (FDIC)

The latest Trendwatchers mentions an innovative use of Twitter for small business: keeping them posted for time-sensitive updates like when the next loaves come out of the oven at the bakery or when the ice cream truck is coming round. Of course they also cover a lot of other interesting ideas for business. Check it out.

Flu information from the US Centers for Disease Control and the NY State Dept of Health The Web 2.0 Guide to Swine Flu from Salon Should You Fear Swine Flu? from About.com."No, but a healthy respect is called for." Apparently, pork producers were peeved that the original appellation was problematic in promoting their product , partially causing the name change. Others were bothered as well. How to Wash Your Hands From the techies at UAlbany: As the Swine Flu story unfolds, we anticipate that scammers and cyber thieves will try to take advantage of the interest in this topic by sending out phishing messages and malicious attachments that purport to contain information and updates about the illness. The US-Computer Emergency Response Team has already issued the first alerts about such messages being circulated. In this case, the message contained a malicious .pdf file called "swine influenza frequently asked questions.pdf."

"On May 11 the price for a 1-ounce First-Class Mail stamp will increase from 42¢ to 44¢. Prices for other mailing services — Standard Mail, Periodicals, Package Services (including Parcel Post), and Extra Services — will also change." "Prices for mailing services will continue to adjust each May. Prices for most shipping services, including Express Mail and Priority Mail, were adjusted in January and will not change in May." More info here . Now would be a good time to buy some of those Forever stamps. I wonder what the significance is that the rates go up just after Mother's Day, but before Father's Day? First-Class Mail Price Letters – first ounce $0.44 Large envelopes – first ounce $0.88 Parcels – first ounce $1.22 Additional ounces $0.17 Postcard $0.28 Stamped Card $0.31 Stamped Envelope $0.54

There are simply so many tools popping up all over the place, I don't know where to look. I seldom have the need to make presentations but lately have been introduced to a few tools that can help make any presentation pretty. LoevlyCharts.com is one such application that allows you to create fowcharts and diagrams to add to your presentation or publication. You can check out examples here . This is a free service but for a fee you can also incorporate your own logos and graphics. The diagrams you produce are private unless you choose to share them.

Sometimes the requests that we receive here at the research network are incredulous. There have been a few requests where I thought "How could anyone think that this could be a successful or profitable business?" But as the articles below prove, sometimes weird business ideas aren't just good, they are fantastic. For example, in the 1960's, who would have thought that bottled water would become such a phenomenal industry that by 2011, it is predicted that have 86.4 billion dollars in sales globally. We all know now that bottled water is a lucrative industry, but forty years ago, who knew? 'Bacontrepreneurs' Building Bacon Empire - From Bacon Salt to Baconaise, Bacon-Lovers Catapult 'Uber-Meat' into $1.4 Million Business 10 Unconventional But Successful Online Homebusiness Ideas Weird, but Successful Business Ideas Blog The point of this blog is that no matter how weird or strange or even stupid your business idea is, don't let someone like me

Lately, I've had frequent occasion to use the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) to search for financial and tax incentives related to energy efficiency and renewable energy. This site from the North Carolina Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, provides a "comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency." It has been updated to reflect incentives in the Recovery Act, and I feel pretty confident in their coverage. There's also a page of links with the major renewable energy, green building, & government sites, and a library of "green" energy policy papers, reports and presentations.

From the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service In an effort to expand information available to exporters, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) has added country pages to its Web site. Grouped into four regions – Western Hemisphere, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and Asia and Oceania – these country pages provide essential demographic, economic and political information. The new country pages will allow users to find comprehensive links, all in one place, on import requirements for each country, as well as travel and market information, the status of trade negotiations, trade development and important contacts. In addition, the FAS Web site includes many searchable databases providing export, import, production, supply, and distribution data, as well as export sales reports and market reports from U.S. agricultural trade experts stationed in 97 offices around the world.

I'm not sure how many of y'all read Entrepreneur magazine, but here's an article from their April issue that describes how GPS is used as a money-saving device. Bar owners use it to keep track of just how their inventory is being used. Those with vehicle fleets use it to track how efficiently their sales & maintenance calls are being run. Restaurants use it to maintain proper portion sizes. Companies exist that provide this service to businesses, and they have found a niche that seems to be growing. It might be worth looking into for some of our clients.

Forgive my late blogging – I’ve just gotten back from the spring meeting of the Upstate New York Special Libraries Association meeting, right here in Albany. Our topic was “Career Building and Staying Relevant in Trying Economic Times" and we had a great variety of speakers, focusing on professional growth and managing your career. We had an information professional focus, but these topics are helpful for anyone, no matter what industry or employment status. These aren’t new totally new ideas, but it’s nice to be reminded and reinvigorated. Here are just a few things that I came away with today: Say “yes” to new opportunities, even if they are scary. Volunteer for them even. Spend a small amount of time, one hour a week, focusing on career development and building your network. Evaluate your skill set and compare it to what today’s job postings are looking for, even if you’re not on the job market. Determine professional development opportunities to fill in your gaps. Be p

On April 16, the New York State Department of Labor released March 2009 statistics on unemployment. Below is information from the website, along with links to valuable reports. "Since March 2008, the number of nonfarm jobs (private plus public sectors) in New York State decreased by 165,900, or 1.9 percent, and the number of private sector jobs decreased by 161,600, or 2.2 percent. Additional industry detail is presented in the table below." Industries With Job Gains: Educational & Health Services (+ 30,100) Other Services (+ 1,300) Industries With Job Losses: Trade, Transportation & Utilities (- 51,300) Manufacturing (- 37,000) Professional & Business Services (- 36,400) Financial Activities (- 30,200) Construction (- 24,300) Information (- 9,300) Government (- 4,300) Leisure & Hospitality (- 4,300) Natural Resources & Mining (- 200) "New York State's unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) was 8.1 percent in March 2009, down from 8.4 percent