New York SBDC Research Network

The Library of Congress Business Reference Services has Frequently Asked Business Questions dealing with these topics: 1. Can you tell me if my old stock certificate has any value? 2. What is the cost of living today compared with X years ago? 3. How can I get a sample business plan? 4. How can I get information on foreign exchange rates? 5. Where can I find the history of a company? 6. Where can I find standard industry ratios so I can compare the performance of company X to others in the industry? 7. What are NAICS and SIC codes? 8. Where can I find information on starting a small business? I'm particularly interested in government loans and grants. 9. I am planning to start a new company and want to be sure the name I choose will be unique and protected nationwide.

I don't know. We've been doing this for 3 1/2 years now. It's about time we figured that out. Enter Typealyzer . Developed by a search optimization firm in Sweden, the site uses text analysis of any blog to determine the mindset of its author (or, in our case, authors). Here's what it says about us: "Type: The Guardians The organizing and efficient type. They are especially attuned to setting goals and managing available resources to get the job done. Once they've made up their mind on something, it can be quite difficult to convince otherwise. They listen to hard facts and can have a hard time accepting new or innovative ways of doing things." I like the bit about "managing available resources to get the job done." That's us. Not so sure about having "a hard time accepting new or innovative ways of doing things". That's not us. The blue triangle up there says that we're a left-brain group. We'll try & be more creat

This past week I was able to attend a training session at the New York Library Association's annual conference that was led by an Information Services Specialist from the Boston Regional Census Center. The next decennial census is scheduled to take place on April 1st, 2010. There have been a few changes in terms of what information will be collected through the census. The 2010 Census will only have 10 questions and every household will recieve the questionnaire. In New York State it is essential that every household fill out the questionnaire because the responses will determine the number of representatives that NYS will lose in Congress. It is predicted that the state will lose two representatives, but if every New Yorker were to be counted and surveyed, than theoretically we could only lose one seat. The long form has been eliminated entirely and has been replaced by the American Community Survey , which will provide the detailed information on housing, income, education,

In a follow-on to the post Alexis created, here is more fodder for surviving our economic times: Unpaid, Businesses Become Creative The New York Times By COELI CARR Published: November 12, 2008 In this article on how small businesses can cope in tougher times, suggestions range from bartering for services in lieu of payment and setting new policies for dealing with customers. Resilience and Recession Creative Class Richard Florida Richard Florida maps out areas at risk of recession, in recession or growing.

Here are a few items the IRS would like the small business community to know about: e-News for Small Business “e-News for Small Businesses is a free electronic mail service designed to provide tax information for small business owners and self-employed individuals. It is distributed every other Wednesday.” The newsletter includes information about upcoming tax dates for small business, tax reminders and tips, and information on the IRS website. Subscribe here. ’09 Small Biz Tax Calendar, Ready for Businesses “This 12-month wall calendar is filled with useful information on general business taxes, IRS and SSA customer assistance, electronic filing and paying options, retirement plans, business publications and forms, and common tax filing dates. Each page highlights different tax issues and tips that may be relevant to small business owners with room on each month to add notes, state tax dates, or business appointments.” And it’s free! Order your copy here . An online version of the cal

Our pals at JJ Hill Library are touting this tool developed by the Missouri SBDC: So you've got a new business idea, have you? Will that idea catch fire with your customers, or misfire? Will you blow away the competition or be overrun by them? Will your idea support your weekly grocery bill? Get help articulating important questions like these and learn how the answers can inform your nascent business idea with this business evaluation tool... The tool can help you decide objectively whether your idea is worth pursuing. Some of the other resources on this useful site are specific to MO entrepreneurs, but many are more broadly applicable. Check out this startup expense worksheet, or this detailed financial projections tool (with instructions) by way of example. And may all of your business ideas be pursuit-worthy!

Jeff Boyce, who sits on the New York SBDC Advisory Board, forwarded a link to a new report found on the Kauffman Foundation website. It's called The Capital Structure: Decisions of New Firms . It's 20 pages long, and was generated by using data from Kauffman's Firm Survey. From its Abstract: "This paper investigates the capital structure choices that firms make in their initial year of operations . . . Contrary to many accounts of startup activity, the firms in our data rely heavily on external debt sources as bank financing, and less heavily on friends and family-based funding sources." Later in the report, "external debt sources" is defined to include local bank financing, as well as that of credit cards. There's a lot more to the report, but I invite you to read it. As Jeff mentioned in his accompanying email, "This recent Kauffman Foundation report underscores the importance of microloan funds and small business lending operations like NY