New York SBDC Research Network

From the Dreamspeaker : All successful business leaders realize that, although things are quiet at the center, much like hurricanes, it’s always at the edges where the destructive winds are blowing. Management has learned to always be wary of all decision making systems that have been designed to work in conditions of low risk, stable environments and continuity. Like Newton’s eureka moment, which led to his famous theory of gravity, leaders know that stable circumstances never last and what they have created they must eventually destroy or a competitor will do it for them. Their eureka moments have led them to be the destructive forces at the edges of their own organizations.

SizeUp Allows Business Owners to Research Data and Analytics to Start or Grow a Business Small business owners and start-ups across the country can now take advantage of a new business tool to help them compete and grow. The free tool, called SizeUp , helps businesses identify new customers and compare their performance against other businesses in their industry with data collected from hundreds of private and public sources. “Market research and analysis is critical for the success of any small business owner or entrepreneur. Tools like SizeUp deliver data right to the fingertips of business owners to help make smart decisions and have the greatest opportunity to start, grow, compete and succeed,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills. “In today’s challenging economic environment where small businesses create nearly all net new jobs in the U.S., help for small businesses is more important than ever before.” SizeUp works by analyzing a business in comparison to other similar

The Census of Governments identifies the scope and nature of the nation's state and local government sector; provides authoritative benchmark figures of public finance and public employment; classifies local government organizations, powers, and activities; and measures federal, state, and local fiscal relationships. The data are available by: * level of government (state, local, or state and local combined), * type of government (state, county, city, township, special district, school district), and * category of governmental activity (more about governmental activities).

From SmartData Collective With over 30 years in retail site location strategy, I used Census data every day to analyze business critical issues. Where do our customers live? How has that changed in the past decade, and what’s likely to happen in the next 10 years? What is the projected return on this investment? How skilled is the labor force? Can we predict sales behavior? How do customer demographics align with shopping preferences? How does community economic vitality impact company growth? Shopping centers, hospitals, housing developments, and infrastructure are built for the long-term and require careful location analysis and insights. Our Economy Runs on Fact-Based Decisions Businesses match goods and services to consumer demand. Being in the right place at the right time with the right product is critical to business success. It’s not about luck... Why is This Issue Important? This is very important now because the public data that business uses for analytics and

Startup Rates Where are the jobs created? New or existing businesses? What is the level of availability and coverage of health insurance in small firms? Do economic or industry factors affect business survival? What is the difference between self-employment nonemployer businesses and sole proprietors? Credit Card Financing and Small Business Read all about these topics HERE .

The IRS office of Federal, State and Local Governments (FSLG) will address the requirements for submitting Form 1099-G electronically in a FREE one-hour phone forum on Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. ET. No Continuing Education [CE] credits are available for this session. This Phone Forum offers an overview of the requirements to assist you in maintaining compliance with reporting standards. You will learn how to: Comply with requirements for reporting unemployment compensation , tax refunds, taxable grants, agricultural and certain other payments Comply with electronic payee affirmative consent requirements Assist recipients in receiving their information documents electronically Following these procedures will satisfy the affirmative consent reporting requirements, save valuable time and resources, and improve customer service. You can pre-register electronically at the FSLG Phone Forum Registration site . Please register as soon as possible because sp

How much do you know about American small businesses? Did you know, for example, that there are 27.9 million small firms, and that about half of all new establishments survive at least five years? In keeping with its mission to examine the contributions of small businesses to the U.S. economy, the Office of Advocacy has expanded and redesigned its most requested publication, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business (FAQ). The new edition includes twice as much data as previous versions, as well as charts and tables showing key small business statistics and trends. “Advocacy’s team of economists is constantly on the lookout for new and robust sources of statistics, while continuing to follow the trends evident in the government’s ongoing databases,” said Chief Counsel for Advocacy Winslow Sargeant. “We’re pleased to provide timely and actionable data on the key questions asked by small business people, policymakers, and the media.” Many key small business statistics remain vir