New York SBDC Research Network

The World Trade Organization has recently published " International Trade Statistics 2007 " on its website. For SBDC clients engaged in importing and/or exporting , Section II ("Merchandise trade by product") and Section III ("Trade in Commercial Services by Category") would seem to be the most useful. Keep it handy.

I like Entrepreneur magazine and I especially like Guy Kawasaki's column which I have mentioned here before. If you are a dabbler like myself, you will appreciate his succinct and friendly style. I am so behind in my reading that I was reading an older column and then a more recent one came to my attention, so they are both listed here: Garnering Angels "Sure, you may have ventured for VC, but raising angel capital takes a different kind of skill." By Guy Kawasaki Entrepreneur Magazine - January 2008 Explains about angel investors - what motivates them and how seeking an angel is different from looking for venture capital. Another angel investor article on Entrepreneur's site, focuses in particular on an angel network that helps women-owned businesses. Send me an Angel Can you get angel funding to expand your company? By Aliza Sherman Entrepreneur Magazine - October 2007

Whether you’re taking down last year’s calendar, or comparing lists of 2007 movies seen, it’s nice to reflect upon 2007. For those of you who love a good Almanac, Infoplease has compiled a helpful “ 2007- Year in Review .” The site offers news analysis, general and topical timelines, world statistics, sports in review, and lists to make your head spin (Top DVD sold: Happy Feet, Least Corrupt Countries (it’s a tie!): Denmark, Finland & New Zealand). So enjoy your reminiscing, and here’s to a great 2008. Oh, and my apologies for the pop-ups...

Happy New Year! This is a leap year, being divisible by four. (There are exceptions; 2100, 2200, and 2300 are NOT leap years, but most of us don't have to worry about that.) The Beijing Olympics start on 08-08-08, eight being a lucky number in the Chinese culture. The United States is holding its first Presidential election with no incumbent president or vice-president running since 1952 (unless Dick Cheney accepts a draft from the Republican convention). These folks are hitting the big 9-0 in 2008, barring events: Oral Roberts 01/24 Ernie Harwell 01/25 John Forsythe 01/29 Allan Arbus 02/15 Marian McPartland 03/20 Bobby Doerr 04/07 Betty Ford 04/08 Eddy Arnold 05/15 Nelson Mandela 07/18 Marjorie Lord 07/26 Griffin Bell 10/31 Bob Feller 11/03 Claiborne Pell 11/22 Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. 11/30 But of course the most important thing about 2008: September (or possibly October)- The New York Mets will play their last game at Shea Stadium and the New York Yankee

We have a print directory in our collection that provides contact information for nonprofit organizations around the U.S. It would be an ideal resource if it were only available online somewhere. Its layout makes identifying nonprofits in a given area a very cumbersome task. There are websites that provide this information, though they have their limitations, too. I recently suggested to an advisor that his client check out what I consider to be the best of this bunch: http://www.idealist.org/if/as/Org/npo As you'll see, the search feature gives you the option of searching by state/province, city/town, postal code, and "area of focus". Use of any or all of these fields can be used to create a pretty targeted list of NFPs in a given geographic area. Once you get your results, the name of each NFP is hyperlinked to a page with more complete contact information. Precision searching is a priority here. For example, I did a search of all NFPs in New York, and found 5,56

Not to say it is recommended, but I still like to see sites that help people help themselves, and this one is offered by the US Courts: How to handle your own bankruptcy. Even if an attorney were consulted, at least it offers a clear idea of what needs to happen. Bankruptcy Basics runs through the chapters and what they mean and includes a glossary. There is also a page of Bankruptcy Resources . FYI: Bankruptcy Filings Down for Fiscal Year 2007, Up for Quarter Bankruptcy 'tweak' could save 600,000 homes Consumer group pushes for change to bankruptcy law; others worry about negative impact on mortgage-debt markets. By Jeanne Sahadi, CNNMoney.com senior writer October 1 2007 Changes to Bankruptcy Rules (Effective 12/1/07) By Brett Weiss, Maryland Bankruptcy Attorney on Dec 15, 2007

Giving: Its the season of gift giving, including executives and their family foundations. Portfolio.com has created several features about the philanthropic habits of Wall Street family foundations, including Wall Street Family Values : Who's giving—and who's missing? and The Generosity Index . Receiving: Want to know how much they are keeping to themselves? The SEC has developed a new online tool, the Executive Compensation Reader , "that enables investors to easily and instantly compare what 500 of the largest American companies are paying their top executives."