New York SBDC Research Network

Happy 2006! Here are some ways we can better serve you in the new year: When you have a reference question, please call the Research Network at extension 149 or e-mail the Research Network . Each of us have days that we do telephone coverage. We really prefer that, in most cases, that you call us with your reference query. It may be a bit of an interrupter in terms of working on questions, but the tradeoff is that we believe that we get a better understanding of the query. However, when you call an individual librarian who may be out, or may be trying to work on getting the reference out, it slows up the process, for the librarian, and ultimately, for you. If you have a complex reference question and no one is available, please leave a number so we may call back. It is a rare occurrence that none of the librarians are available, but it does happen: staff meetings, building fire drills, or occasionally, when we're all already on the phone. Leave us a message; we will call you back.

I'm not a strong believer in waiting until January 1st to create a list of tasks whose completion is to be a test of my resolve. Challenge and self-improvement are year-round endeavors. However, sitting here in an empty office on January 2nd, with nothing but an iPod to keep me company (an old Jackson Browne song is playing, for those keeping score), I can't help but feel reflective. Starting tomorrow, the whirlwind begins again in earnest, and workday reflection won't be available for a long, long time. With that, here are some long-term items that the Research Network strives to accomplish in 2006: 1. Reduce the turnaround time. For a variety of reasons, it's hovering around three weeks right now, which is unacceptable to all of us. Talk about a year-round endeavor - this has been at the top of our list for several years running. 2. Finish the signage Web site that preoccupied all of 2005 (this is near & dear to me especially). 3. Explore what it takes to

"Upscale." "High-end." Advisors seeking information from the Research Network often use these terms when they make their requests at their clients’ behest. But do your clients have any sense of what these terms mean when they say them? High-end does not merely mean that the items or services provided sell for a higher price, an assumption I’m getting when an advisor merely "passes through" the clients’ question (not a good idea, by the way.) Upscale means that the product being sold is not only more expensive but also of a higher quality than the average product of its type. In the service sector, it means a greater amount of time and effort being exerted. The client cannot just slap a higher price tag on what they are doing and expect to receive it, at least over the long term. There are some industries that are more mature, so that the sense of upscale is well-defined. The restaurant industry has codified upscale. Restaurants are divided into limite

The Small Business Development Center at LaGuardia Community College helped a couple from the Philippines achieve their American Dream: a veterinary clinic. More than 1,100 budding entrepreneurs were assisted by the center, which was created following 9/11. View the CUNY-TV segment . (Requires Real Player or equivalent.) Running Time: 3:24

Back in September, Jan Pisancyzn spoke to a reporter from the Democrat & Chronicle. Jan offered advice for business owners whose children do not want to take over the business. Look at a trusted employee or two who have demonstrated some skill in running the business. In the case of a restaurant, the head chef might want to take over. Talk with competitors - and in the case of restaurants, suppliers - who may be interested in buying it. Look into hiring a business broker who does for businesses what real estate agents do for home sellers. Be realistic with expectations of how much the business is worth. Ask yourself, what is the current demand for this kind of business and what is a realistic price for the business. Regarding item #4, the Research Network can help, too. We have a few sources in our reference collection that contain valuation formulas and rules of thumb plus chapters describing methods of determining a fair price. The titles we have are: Handbook of Business Valua

The Research Brief from the Center for Media Research ran an article today on how mature audiences (35 to 54 year olds) are more likely to be watching streaming video than the average consumer. The article states that according to comScore Networks " State of the Consumer Streaming Market ," “the research confirmed that 35 to 54 year-olds are 20% more likely to watch online video than the average Internet user, and 25 to 34 year-olds are 12% more likely than the average Internet user to watch a stream online.” This flies in the face of the widely held belief that streaming video is the domain of the younger age brackets. This should tell advertisers something: they need to be creative to speak to this important consumer demographic. As this article attests, this presents a great opportunity for advertisers to put their best foot forward and present their products and services in innovative ways.

As I mentioned back in July , the American Community Survey is now the new source of Census data. Go to the Data Sets section of the Census page . Click on any of the tabs to the right (data profiles, detailed tables, e.g.) Pull down the counties of New York. You'll only find 15 of the 62 counties for the state: Albany, Dutchess, Erie, Monroe, Onondaga, Orange, Rockland, Westchester, plus the counties of New York City and Long Island. Why is that? Because this is data based on sampling, and only the locations that have 250,000 people have data that are "statistically significant" in this round. You'll also notice that the data are presented differently than you may be used to, with a lower bound and an upper bound. In fact, these parameters have been calculated before, but not shown. Next year, the threshold will be 65,000, as the Bureau expands the process. The places with 20,000 to 65,000 people will be calculated based on a rolling three-year average, so there w