New York SBDC Research Network

WASHINGTON – Fifteen individuals from across the country have been appointed to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Council on Underserved Communities (CUC). Building on SBA’s core programs and Recovery initiatives, the CUC will provide input, advice and recommendations on strategies to help strengthen competitiveness and sustainability for small businesses in underserved communities. These strategies will be focused on increasing entrepreneurship and technical assistance, creating new and strengthening existing outreach and training, and raising awareness in underserved communities of SBA programs and services. The CUC is chaired by Catherine Hughes, founder and chairperson of Radio One and TV One, and will have 20 members who represent a diverse range of backgrounds and geographic areas. “One of SBA’s core missions is to support small businesses in traditionally underserved communities, including minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities and in rural areas,”

From export.gov Are you an exporter seeking a market where the United States has an existing competitive advantage? Are you spending time looking through pages of legal texts to figure out the tariff under a trade agreement for your products? Would you like to feel empowered to perform instant and at-a-glance searches for trade and tariff trends in one easily accessed location online? The FTA Tariff Tool has the answers to these and many other trade-related questions. America’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) partners offer attractive markets for many U.S. companies looking to expand into new markets or export for the very first time. Through these agreements, the U.S. has negotiated the elimination of tariffs, the removal of non-tariff barriers, and secured non-discriminatory treatment of U.S. goods and services. Originally trade and tariff information could only be accessed by sifting through the actual text of the agreements. The FTA Tariff Tool streamlines the search process... Additio

From BNET , by Jon Gelberg: So you’ve decided you need to blog. As the owner of the business, you want to put a human face on the brand and become a source of valuable information for customers. Good for you! The big question now is, what the heck are you going to write about? And, more importantly, will anyone read it? Obviously you’re going to have to get a feel for what your target audience wants to read. That will come with time. Right now you just need to start writing. To give you a jump start on your blogging efforts, I’ve come up with 10 specific post ideas that I’ve found work well with most any audience.

Three in ten men are single, and of those, 80% are the decision-makers in their households. I know what you’re thinking – that’s logical. But it is, in fact, an overlooked aspect of many male lifestyle situations, and a hidden gem that many advertisers keep missing. This segment buys small and big-ticket items like automobiles, clothing and more at levels equal to or greater than women in most cases. Even women agree that men should have major input in decisions about buying big-ticket items. Six in ten women say that a recommendation from a spouse or partner is a deciding factor when making these purchases. So when you’re just buying women, you’re missing key influencers – men. And six in ten men say it's their call or that they have a key role in big-ticket purchases in their households. Times have changed and men have stepped up and are more engaged than ever. MORE HERE .

Inspired by the front page story in today's Albany Times Union, Food ready to eat on a plate? It's taxable In New York State: Food Item is/// Tax Exempt if///Taxable if Cold cuts /// sliced and sold by weight ///arranged on food platter Pizza /// frozen, refrigerated, unheated ///heated Hot dog /// refrigerated (packaged) ///served on a bun or heated Fish /// sold unheated ///heated or served in a sandwich Bread /// sold by the loaf (whole or sliced) ///served with a bowl of soup Bananas /// sold whole, individually or by the bunch ///peeled or sliced as part of a fruit platter Bagel /// sold by quantity (whole or sliced) ///toasted, buttered, or with cream cheese Salad mix /// packaged in bag ///from a self-serve salad bar or prepared and arranged on a plate Ice cream /// sold in a container by weight (including hand-packed pints, quarts, etc.) ///made-to-order cone or sundae Macaroni salad /// packaged and sold by weight ///served with a sandwich, served in a tray as a side

Case study from Step-by-Step Marketing : Why Groupon.com pleases even customers who are wrong Groupon.com, one of the fastest growing companies on the Internet, emails its members daily offers to buy discounted deals in their residential areas. One recent deal, for example, offered members in New Jersey an opportunity to buy $40 worth of food at an Italian specialty store for $20. It's a great business concept, but it places unusual demands on Groupon.com's customer service. Here's an example...of taking the long view.

One of our NYS SBDC advisors has a new client who paid wasted $24,000 (no, we didn't misplace a zero!) for a TOTALLY USELESS business plan! Yet another reason to come to your nearest SBDC first.