Starting (or revamping) a small business? Three good books

I have operated a small (very small) business for more than 30 years. I am now in the process of revamping some of what I do and sell.

The three books listed below are proving very helpful to my ongoing efforts. If you are starting or restructing a small business, you may find them useful, too.

Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinmeir Hansson - A refreshingly snarky alternative to those how-to biz books that have you start out with market studies, mission statements, business plans and rounds of meetings.

The New Rules of Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott - The recently issued third edition covers digital trends in marketing and public relations. Even if your business will be run from a single laptop or smartphone, you will find good and useful information in this book.

The Long Tail by Chris Anderson - Yeah, everyone and his dog mentions this one. But have you actually read it and considered how and what it means to "Make everything available" and "Help me find it"? within the context of your enterprise? Do you agree with him that "the future of business is selling less of more"? How could you make that concept work in your business?


– Si Dunn‘s latest book is a detective novel, Erwin’s Law. His other published works include Jump, a novella, and a book of poetry, plus several short stories, including The 7th Mars Cavalry, all available on Kindle. He is a screenwriter, a freelance book reviewer, a manuscript editor, and a former technical writer and software/hardware QA test specialist.

Help Save Main Street! Spend Money Now!

By Si Dunn

None of us can stop the current worldwide economic disaster. But just by repeatedly spending a few dollars each, we can at least help keep our local businesses afloat, save a few jobs, and maybe keep a few friends and neighbors in their homes.

Go out this weekend and buy a meal at a family-owned restaurant. Or, get a haircut at a locally owned barbershop or hair salon. Or, hire a lawn service to trim the scraggly hedges that have been on your to-do list for weeks. Or, buy something from a neighborhood bookstore or thrift shop or plant nursery. Pick one or two things to do and make a deliberate effort to follow through with some focused spending.

Next week, take a pair of shoes to be fixed at a local shoe-repair shop. Or have a garage attendant change out your car's overdue air filter. Or, get a few donuts or a couple of ice-cream cones. Or get a suit cleaned and pressed.

Don't sit on all of your money. Protect most of it, yes. But part with a little bit of it, too, in a steady and controlled manner.

Encourage friends and neighbors and fellow church parishioners to do the same. Don't panic; just spend a few spare bucks each week in considered ways that benefit your own neighborhood and community.

We all have friends and acquaintences who manage or own small businesses that provide their family income. They need our help now.

So do churches, especially small ones, and the local agencies that help the poor and the afflicted in our communities.

A dollar here, ten dollars there. It won't break us, but it can all add up in this crisis, especially if a lot of us truly will remember to "Help thy neighbor."

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