The Small Blog

Fri, January 27, 2012 - 6:00:00

Small Can Stall A Campaign

In this year’s hotly contested race for the Republican presidential nomination, little details are already proving to make a big difference. In fact, something as seemingly insignificant as a candidate’s facial tic can speak volumes to potential voters and, in the worst cases, even stall a campaign.

Recently, when Newt Gingrich asked opponent and Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney to disclose his tax return, Romney replied with a hint of a smile: “maybe.” And as we’ve seen over the course of the past week, that one little word had quite the fallout.

Posted by Linda and Robin
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Wed, January 25, 2012 - 12:30:18

Meet Smarter

In a recent piece for the Harvard Business Review Blog, Paul Hammerness and Margaret Moore, authors of Organize Your Life, Organize Your Mind, discuss why focusing on one task (a practice we call “minitasking”) rather than multi-tasking, is the most effective way to get things done. As two passionate practitioners of mini-tasking, we’re in full agreement with their philosophy—and, as you know, it’s easy to make minitasking a part of your everyday routine.

But, in a modern workplace filled with distractions—from binging BlackBerries to dinging Twitter alerts and the occasional phone call or two—getting your fellow coworkers together to really focus on one issue can be a challenge. In fact, it’s one of the biggest problems we see in meetings today.

So, what do you do?

Posted by Linda and Robin
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Tue, January 17, 2012 - 12:32:34

Little Ring, Big Interruption

On Tuesday night, one might have thought the New York Philharmonic had added a new percussion instrument to the final movement of Mahler’s ninth symphony. The real culprit, however, was a concertgoer’s iPhone alarm.

As the Wall Street Journal reports, to the audience’s shock, the owner of the phone did not immediately silence the alarm, but instead let it sound for several minutes…until the conductor stopped the orchestra.

Posted by Linda and Robin
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Tue, January 10, 2012 - 10:09:11

Are Letters the Next Big Business?

There is no question that we’re living in an increasingly paperless world. As we all become more digital, and rely more and more on computers, tablets, and smartphones to relay and acquire information, many question if print is still a viable business. Well, one new company, believes so and their product just might surprise you. No, it’s not a magazine or newspaper. It’s a letter, and as AdAge reports, successful publisher Stephen Elliott of The Rumpus believes it could be a profitable business venture.

Posted by Linda and Robin
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Fri, December 16, 2011 - 4:19:44

The Wall Street Journal Reports: Small Foundations Make a Big Difference

Yesterday, one of our Twitter followers forwarded us a great article from The Wall Street Journal. As you might imagine, with a title like “The Power of Small,” the piece immediately caught our attention. And as we read their report on how small charitable organizations can affect outsize change, we found ourselves nodding our heads in agreement.

The Wall Street Journal’s Ruthie Ackerman writes that small foundations “may not have the financial clout of some larger peers, but many have shown they can pack a big punch by making quick decisions on grants, collaborating with other groups and developing expertise in certain areas that gives them credibility with the politicians and community leaders who can shine a spotlight on important causes.” Moreover, she explains, they
“tend to be nimble because of their size, meaning they can respond quickly when a need arises.”

But, this isn’t only true of philanthropic organizations. In business, SMALL can put you at a real advantage—and we know from experience. Today, our advertising agency is hailed as one of the fastest growing in the nation—and we owe much of our success to a company culture we call “the spirit of the brownstone.”

Posted by Linda and Robin
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