Soundview Business Consulting

WELCOME to SBC's New & Noteworthy page, where you will find recent news about SBC and its clients, noteworthy information regarding various business topics and trends, useful web links, and more.

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SBC NEWS 

NEW!   As part of SBC's ongoing efforts to keep abreast of the latest trends in the restaurant industry, Brendan Guastella will be attending the 2012 International Restaurant & Foodservice Show being held March 4-6 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Hope to see you there!

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Jan. '12   Congratulations to Puddin' by Clio for the grand opening of its dessert cafe located at 102 St. Marks Place in the East Village.  SBC is proud to have been their advisor since the project's inception just over a year ago.  Judging from the early reviews, the cafe is already a great success!

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Jan. '12   Brendan Guastella of SBC is pleased to have been invited to the Brooklyn Public Library's Eighth Annual PowerUP! Business Plan Competition Award Ceremony, which was held at the central library at Grand Army Plaza on January 10, 2012.   As a PowerUP! Partner, SBC will be providing ongoing support by donating free consulting time to this year's winners. Congratulations to all of the participants and supporters!

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Dec. '11  SBC was retained to assist makeup artist and entrepreneur Kristen Therese with a trademark appliation for her new product line.

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Nov. '11   We want your input!!  At SBC, we are making plans to conduct a series of informative workshops in 2012 that will address issues important to small business startups.  Possible topics include the fundamentals of financing; real estate leases; basic legal issues; and marketing.  Let us know what's important to you -- go to the Contact Us page and send in your suggestions for workshop topics!

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Oct. '11   SBC is delighted to announce its move to 53 Prospect Park West effective October 15, 2011.  The building, a former mansion built in 1900, is located just a few blocks from Grand Army Plaza and overlooks the wonderful Prospect Park.  

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Oct. '11    Brendan Guastella of SBC will be the lead instructor of an intensive, 60-hour course providing information and training for both beginning and experienced entrepreneurs.  This Entrepreneur Assistance Fall Program consists of Tuesday evening sessions commencing October 11, 2011 and running through January 2012.  For more information and registration, contact the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation at (718) 368-6790.

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August '11   Brendan Guastella, President of SBC, attended the New York Entrepreneurial Assistance Program's 2011 Annual Conference held Aug. 16-19 at the Mohonk House in New Paltz.

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July '11  This month SBC advised OAA Laundry Services, Inc. in connection with its purchase of Town Cleaners, an established dry-cleaning business in Manhattan's upper east side.

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May'11  Thanks to the BEDC for inviting SBC to pariticipate in May 4th's special entrepreneurship workshop at Daytop on State Street, Brooklyn.  

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April '11   Brendan T. Guastella, principal of SBC, will be conducting another Introduction to Entrepreneurship  workshop for the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation.  The two-hour session will be held at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, June 17.  Go to www.bedc.org for more details,

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Feb '11     SBC has just completed a project for restaurateur Rafael Palomino, involving the acquisition of a restaurant in Bethlehem, PA.  SBC handled formation of the new company, lease negotiations, and assisted in the preparation of asset purchase and partnership agreements.  The new establishment will be called Bistro Latino.  

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NEWS, IDEAS AND TRENDS

Both new business entrepreneurs and seasoned veterans can benefit from the feature articles and practical advice found in NY Enterprise Report, the award-winning business magazine, and now you can receive a COMPLIMENTARY SUBSCRIPTION!  To get your free subscription just go to www.nyreport.com/subscribe.  

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Entrepreneur magazine has just published its highly informative annual review on franchises for 2012,  In addition to a complete ranking of franchise opportunities (this year's list is headed by Hampton Hotels), readers can click on any of the listed companies and get summary information on that franchise business, including startup costs.  While those costs can be outright scary (that Hampton Hotel will run you anywhere from $3.75MM to $13.1MM), many others are actually quite modest (e.g., H&R Block for as low as $35,000).  To see the article, go to http://www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500/index.html.

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Interested in going green at your food establishment?  Not only is it good for the environment, but it reflects a positive image to your customers.  And in many instances it can reduce expenses while simultaneously reducing your business's carbon footprint!.  There are a variety of on-line resources to help you get started.  The New York State Restaurant Association (www.nysra.org) through a grant from the EPA, sponsors a Green Hospitality Initiative, which offers free audits, training workshops and other resources.  The National Restaurant Association sponsors a very useful website (www.conserve.restaurant.org) which, among other things, enables users to take a tour of a virtual green restaurant.  Other companies, such as Green Choice Vendors (www.greenchoicevendors.com), specialize in providing environmentally friendly food service packaging, smallwares and related products.  

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Launching a new business requires attention to a variety of legal issues.  Unfortunately, entrepreneurs often overlook  some of these concerns, or elect to "deal with them later," often with disastrous results.  A recent article in Entrepreneur examined five overlooked legal mistakes made by first-time entrepreneurs.  One of the most common?  You guessed it --- not putting agreements in writing!.  For the full article go to www.entrepreneur.com/article/220224.

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New York has a reputation, a deserved one many would say, for being a difficult state to establish a business.  If Governor Andrew Cuomo has his way, that perception will soon be a thing of the past.  Mr. Cuomo recently appointed nine business leaders from across the state to help develop the "New York - Open for Business" marketing campaign, which will promote the benefits of doing business in the state.  The campaign will be built across multiple media platforms, have a budget of between $10 million and $50 million, and is anticpated to last several years.

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Recent surveys show that even in business sectors that   have improved somewhat, small business owners are very reluctant to make hiring commitments -- even when they need workers.  The reasons are varied:  concern that future sales will not justify the added employees; increases in health care costs; and cash flow problems stemming from the recession.  Howwver, businesses that defer hiring at a juncture when the economy is recovering risk being unable to take advantage of opportunites as they arise.  Here are some hiring ideas that will not overly saddle your business:

• Hire an Intern - Many colleges, high schools and vocational schools have programs through which you can utilize the services of hard-working students at little or no cost.
•  Utilize Government Programs - There are many programs, primarily state-based, that offer tax breaks, grants and other incentives to small business employers.
• Hire a Part-Timer - Part-time employment gives you the flexibility to target peak hours/days and other specific needs for optimum efficiency.
• Use an Independent Contractor - Many services and tasks can be out-sourced to individuals with specialized skills, often without any geographic restrictions.

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While there are plenty of mainstream online resources geared toward assisting the entrepreneur (such as the websites operated by the IRS, the U.S. Small Business Administration and by many of the popular business publications such as Entrepreneur, Crains, Forbes, etc.), there are many lesser-know blogs and sites that the experts themselves turn to for ideas and inspiration.  Here is a small sample of some of the best of the web:

General:  www.SmallBizTrends.com, ; www.therisetothetop.com;  www.bloggertone.com

Technology:   www.smallbiztechnology.com;  www.TechCrunch.com

Marketing:   www.SethGodin.typepad.com;  www.DuctTapeMarketing.com

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