Two small-business gurus start blog

David Dirks, a sales and marketing man based in Orange County, and Rick Bronder, a business consultant who lives in Ulster County, are collaborating on a book that would outline and explore effective strategies in sales, marketing and communications, based on the best practices of profitable companies. To help glean insight into the topic, get feedback and meanwhile provide a valuable service to the business community, they”™ve started a blog, Running with the Big Dogz.
“The problem is there are a lot of great strategies and tactics a small business can adapt from high-performing companies, but the word doesn”™t get down to the person with a small store in Middletown,” said Dirks. “We”™re trying to reach out to small businesses, to help them become more profitable and grow.”
The two started the blog in February. Now that they have “a lot of meat on the table,” they are going interactive. “Any business owner can respond to our blog or e-mail us with issues,” said Dirks. “We understand how difficult it is on a limited budget to get that kind of live expertise.” He added, “The failure rate of small businesses is so high, our intention is to help combat that.” The three areas the two will address are sales, marketing and human resources, he said.
Dirks has worked with retail, financial services, consulting services, manufacturing and nonprofit organizations. As past CEO of the Orange County Partnership, he founded the Orange County Capital Development Corp., designed to help startups locate financial capital. He is a graduate of the Garvin School of International Management”™s global marketing program and its strategic marketing program at the University of Michigan Business School. 
Bronder operates and owns a small consulting practice, Possibility Plus. He has worked with such companies as BlueCross/Blue Shield, Capital One, Charles Schwab, Dell, Home Depot, Prudential and Sears. He is a graduate for the United States Military Academy at West Point.
The blog is reachable at: www. HYPERLINK “http://growingmybusiness.wordpress.com” growingmybusiness.wordpress.com.