New York SBDC Research Network

From Disaster Resource Guide Once a crisis occurs, the bloviating begins, mostly by PR people. Most of these uninformed comments leave the erroneous impression that if you do maybe three things right, quickly; the problem is over before it begins. It’s sort of like when you were a kid, seeing a show where people were shot for the first time, and saying, “Why didn’t they just quickly jump out of the way the moment they heard gun fire?” The moment you know it’s a crisis, you have, in fact, been shot. What happens first is Mindless Crisis Management Commentary Errors, mostly made by PR people eager for the visibility such commentary provides. Seems many of our public relations brothers and sisters know a whole lot less about the patterns of crisis than they let on, including many who write and blog about the subject. Let’s start with the basic realities of crisis that the instant critics seem to miss or fail to care about. Or perhaps they are ignorant of what gives rise to crises

From AIER : Small businesses are an important part of our economy and communities, but often we incorrectly assume that their small size is necessarily a competitive disadvantage. Numerous articles have proclaimed the end of Main Street, arguing that “mom and pop” shops cannot compete with the low prices and one-stop shopping of big-box chains. Others have touted the benefits of small business to local economies, emphasizing our duty to support small firms in our communities. In both lines of discussion, small businesses are seen as passive entities, handicapped by their size in our large and increasingly global economy. This brief takes a different view, showing that the most successful small businesses prosper because of rather than in spite of their size. These businesses often combine niche product offerings, superior customer service, a detailed understanding of local markets, and other attributes that larger firms are less able to capitalize on. After looking at some of the ba

From the Bureau of Labor Statistics : The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) initiated the annual Employee Benefits Survey (EBS) in 1979, covering medium-size and large private sector establishments. Respondents to the survey provide data on the coverage and provisions that their plans offer employees, and BLS analyzes the data and publishes statistics on those plans in, among other places, the Review. Data from the EBS began coming in and, together with data from other sources, informed the Review’s pages throughout the 1980s. In 1915, when Commissioner Royal Meeker established the Monthly Review, the stated purpose of the new publication was to publish “the results of original investigations...[and] notices of labor legislation,” with attention paid to “the current work of this bureau [BLS], the other bureaus of the Department of Labor, or any other Government agencies dealing directly with labor matters.” In addition, the Review would “report [on] industrial accidents and occupat

The US House of Representatives has passed HR 5485, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations for FY2017.  This bill, which funds the US Small Business Administration, includes $130 million in support for the 63 Small Business Development Center (SBDC) networks and their nearly 1,000 centers across the United States and in DC, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa.   "We particularly want to thank Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman Ander Crenshaw for his support. This funding increase will enable SBDCs to expand and improve our ability to assist small businesses nationwide, small businesses that are the vital foundation of our national economy.  Every day small businesses face challenges with access to capital, sales, marketing, and a host of other issues. This funding will make sure that SBDCs are there to help them grow and create jobs"

From eMarketer It’s not surprising that personalized marketing is top-of-mind for many marketers. Personalization can drive engagement and conversions. June 2015 research from the CMO Council found that higher response and engagement rates were the No. 1 reason to use personalized content, according to more than half of senior marketers worldwide surveyed.

From Empire State Development The state has created several tax-free programs including START-UP NY and the Innovation Hot Spot Program. These programs assist businesses that are forming, expanding or locating to New York State for the first time. As part of both programs, businesses interact closely with universities and have the opportunity to operate taxfree for a specified amount of time in order to facilitate growth while promoting entrepreneurialism and job creation in communities across the state. New York State Certified Business Incubator and Innovation Hot Spot Program Administered by ESD’s Division of Science, Technology & Innovation (NYSTAR), the New York State Certified Business Incubator and Innovation Hot Spot Program was enacted as part of the 2013-14 State Budget and provides financial support for business incubators in the state in order to support entrepreneurial activity. Through a competitive process, ESD has designated 10 Innovation Hot Spots (one for ea

Each year the New York Small Business Development Center recognizes outstanding small businesses in a variety of ways.  This Success Story from the  Onondaga SBDC  appears in our  2015 Annual Report .  Christopher R. Resig N.K.Bhandari Architecture & Engineering Onondaga SBDC Christopher R. Resig, became President and owner of N.K. Bhandari Architecture & Engineering, P.C. (NKB) in January 2015 after his brother Jim became ill. Chris has been with the firm for 18 years and he and his brother became co-owners in 2012. The firm acquisition was a private transaction that involved both financing by the seller and cash provided by the client. The seller also financed working capital with the client and the client secured a line of credit from Key Bank.  The sale saved 9 jobs and created 4 new jobs. Since becoming the owner, Chris has focused on growing and diversifying the business, and has been working with Advisor Joan Powers at the Onondaga SBDC on an ongoing basis