Consulting and Small Business

If your small business has grown enough that you can’t personally relate your company’s vision to every employee, it has probably grown to the point where you would benefit from the services of an outside consultant, according to the latest article by Financial Post. Small businesses going through a growth spurt are actually in a better position than larger ones, however. The article advises that owners of small businesses have to deal with the challenges of a tight budget and are generally unwilling at first to spend money on outside services or consultation, but that these services are an important part of the growth process. 

Understanding of a company, the industry in which it operates, and the company’s place in it are key traits of a consulting service that will give these small businesses maximum value. By networking and being active in its field, often times, a small business will be able to find an individual or company which is uniquely suited to provide advice at a fraction of what larger businesses pay. 

Regardless of the method business owners use to acquire quality advice, one thing seems clear: Businesses which do not seek consultation as they move out of the beginning stages of their life are much less likely to succeed.

“The bottom line is great ideas make for great startups, but great companies require something more. And those great startups who think they can become great companies without any help from outside their own walls are risking the very lifeblood of their business,” says Rowley Mossop, principal of independent consultancy Innovia Partners Ltd.

Mr. Kill

Soho Crime’s longest-running series, featuring George Sueno and Ernie Bascom, will get a seventh book this December.  Martin Limon’s latest work, Mr. Kill has been described as “a not-to-be-missed addition to the growing library of novels about Southeast Asia by people who know what they are talking about,” by John Burdett, New York Times bestselling author of Bangkok 8.

Mr. Kill immediately surrounds Sergeants George and Ernie, U.S. Army Investigators, with hostile citizens, difficult superiors, and dangerous contacts when a young mother is discovered brutally raped on a train into Seoul.  Korea’s people are outraged by news of the attacker, described by witnesses as an American serviceman.  George and Ernie arrive too late to catch the offender in the area and are instead forced to pick their way through the city on his cooling trail, dealing with American officials who want nothing more to deny the involvement of their men and the blond bombshell lead singer of country western act providing more than musical entertainments to the local men in uniform.

A second murder lights a fire under the sergeants and finally draws the attention of the ruthless Korean homicide investigator known by those who stand in his way as Mr. Kill.

Limon’s new book promises to serve up the levels of action and intrigue readers can expect of a seven-title veteran.  Look for it in December for a great read or perfect gift.

MTV and More

This month has been a busy one for our clients and favorite publishers, with several deals to report and of course more on the horizon.

The Literary Group International continues to prove both well connected and capable of closing titanic deals, landing MTV Chairman and CEO Bill Roedy’s What Makes Business Rock for Koerner & Kronefeld Partners. What Makes Business Rock will relive Roedy’s experience crafting the world famous, hugely successful entertainment network.

Fans of history should enjoy The Overlook Press’s two newest acquisitions, Martin Sixsmith’s Russia: The Wild East, A History and Joseph Kelly’s America’s Longest Siege. Both review the troubled past of one of the world’s largest nations and explore how old problems continue to affect their populations today. Sixsmith’s book covers a broad arc of time, from Russia’s birth in the tenth century to the present day, and reveals the complexities of its modern incarnation. Kelly’s America’s Longest Siege will highlight a Southern sin older even than slavery: the suppression of dissent.

Michael Tucker’s Like Life was also signed to Overlook last week. According to Publisher’s Marketplace, Tucker’s latest is “a novel about love and loss between soulmates Herbie and Annie, set among a diverse cast of characters that support the couple with humor and guidance.”

Finally, Granta has struck a deal with Guardian journalist, Patrick Barkham, author of The Butterfly Isles, to publish a natural history of the badger in 2013.  Apparently there are more badgers in Britain than anywhere else in the world. This fact combined with Barkham’s mother’s legacy as a champion against the mass-slaughtering of badgers, makes the journalist uniquely suited to tell the territorial animal’s story.

So keep an eye out for all of these titles to appear on bookshelves in the near future.

Twitter to Capitalize on Site

Everyone’s favorite microblogging and message site, Twitter, has been eyeing Facebook’s financial success for a while now and appears to be ready to follow in the social media giant’s trend-setting footsteps by offering branded pages. True to its 140 character concept, Twitter isn’t saying much about how these deals will work.  Business news sites and interested parties on the internet are speculating, however. Twitter’s branded pages will likely look and function like Facebook Pages, allowing brands to create their own profiles, attract followers, and post updates.

Twitter has had its toe in the water for a while now with its Promoted Accounts offering, allowing companies and individuals to hand over a wheelbarrow full of dollars for the opportunity to appear in a list of accounts suggested to users based on which other subjects and people they follow.  While pricey, the tactic allows businesses to target their promotions much more effectively.  Twitter’s algorithms ensure that the promoted accounts appear to users who have a demonstrated interest in the promoted subject, or accounts tangentially connected to it.  At the same time, it prevents, say, OrganicWheatProducts from being stuck awkwardly in the sidebars of devoted fans of RefinedSugar.

The effect is to allow advertising and promotion that is both more effective and less likely to be perceived as spam.  If Twitter’s Promoted Accounts service is any indication, we can expect their branded pages to offer the same basic features as Facebook Pages, but with a more user-conscious demeanor.

For those businesses who already use Twitter or are looking for a new venue for promotion, the development of these new branded pages will be worth watching.

3 Tips for Small Business

Entrepreneur’s Daily Dose has several great tips for small businesses today. Among them are three common pitfalls businesses fall into when preparing their taxes. Avoid simple mistakes that can cost your company money by following these rules:

Keep meticulous records. When using your own credit card or cash for business expenses, track that spending in an accounting program, keep receipts, or better yet, hire an accountant or business management company, like Benay, to go over your records periodically to make sure every purchase is accounted for.

Properly classify all workers. When making use of independent contractors, remember that these costs should be classified as outside services and that if the amount paid to them exceeds six hundred dollars in one year, you will still need to file the appropriate 1099 forms. Costs that should be classified as wages are subject to payroll taxes and could easily inflate your estimated tax if misclassified. Consider a professional service to review these numbers.

Don’t assume that your businesses taxes are paid on the same schedule as your personal taxes. Rather than a single payment on April 15^th, businesses must make quarterly payments throughout the year based on their estimated taxes. Neglecting to make these payments on time increases your risk of being audited and may qualify you for penalties and interest charges.  

Running a successful small business is challenging enough without losing profits to simple tax mistakes that could have otherwise been avoided. Follow these rules and with the help of a good accountant or bookkeeping service, you can focus on what really matters: growing your business.

Potsdam Station Takes Downing to the New York Times

David Downing, author of the World War II novel series beginning with Zoo Station, has delivered his fourth book via Soho Press. Potsdam Station brings us to April of 1945, as the journalist-turned-spy John Russel races to meet with his NKVD contact. The goal? Get back into Berlin before the Soviet Red Army's advance finishes the city - and Russel's family. Then, somehow, he'll have to save them and escape. He'll need to secure secret Nazi documents that could further Soviet atomic research to even earn his trip into Berlin, the last stronghold of the Third Reich, and if he's able to do all that, he'll still have to survive an NKVD assassin sent to keep the arrangement quiet.

Mike Ripley, novelist and contributor to January Magazine, writes "that David Downing knows his stuff is not in doubt. In addition to his fiction, he has also written Sealing Their Fate (2009), an excellent popular history of World War II.... His skill as a novelist is not in doubt either, after the Station Quartet. Downing’s grasp of atmospheric historical detail is amazing, quite as impressive as that of Alan Furst, and he plots his way through the convoluted byways of espionage with the confident tread of a Len Deighton or a John le Carré."

That's not all - Downing has gotten himself on the pages of an upcoming installment of the New York Times Book Review. Watch for it April 24th!