Library & Research Services
For a business owner, obtaining the right information is as important as finding the right location, or getting the best price.
The Small Business Development Center in New York is one of only a few SBDCs in the U.S. with a full-time library (which we call the Research Network). Its services are available for free, but only to New York SBDC clients.
This is a fraction of what our librarians can offer:
- Identifying local competitors
- Ring studies providing demographic information
- Tables and maps showing consumer spending habits
- Finding relevant trade association or regulatory contacts
- Locating articles written about ventures similar to yours
- Providing financial norms and ratios for your industry
- Conducting preliminary patent or trademark searches
And much more. There are many free resources on the Internet, but a lot of critical information is beyond the reach of a search engine. The Research Network has access to many databases that clients might not otherwise have.
Since 1992, the Research Network has provided in-depth research for over 60,000 clients. Here’s what some of them have had to say:
“I want to thank you for the demographic study you prepared for me. I don’t think I could have gotten a better study if I would have hired a firm to do it.”
“I wanted to personally thank you for helping with the research that went into our market analysis and marketing strategy. You helped in our winning a business plan competition at the Brooklyn Public Library!”
“I have spent quite a bit of time with the information you sent me. It is an enormous amount of information, and I found it extremely useful for writing my marketing plan and putting together my budget. It looks to be a very promising year.”
“Thanks for all the tremendous market research.”