Fall book preview: No Man's Land

When the seasons change (and we're almost to that point here in Wisconsin), we start buzzing a little bit louder. The phones ring, the books move about the office, and we start asking each other questions like "When does that book pub?" and "Are we doing anything special with this new title?" A bunch of books are hitting the shelves starting this week, and you can will probably find an execerpt, review, or discussion for each on our blogs. Keep this book on your radar: No Man's Land: What to Do When Your Company is TOO BIG to Be Small but TOO SMALL to Be Big by Doug Tatum. Portfolio, the publisher, is really excited about this book. We first heard about it when we were in NYC in May. Here's a snippet from the introduction:

The entrepreneurs I encounter are routinely stymied by their inability to "get out of the weeds," to rise above chaotic operational firefighting and see their businesses in a new strategic light. To traverse No Man's Land, however, entrepreneurs need to become radically objective about their situation and knowledgeable about the strategic choices available to them. They also need a plan.

Tatum proposes a four-part plan which he calls "the four Ms." These are "fundamental navigational principles for managing a rapidly growing company." Here they are:

• Understand the transition that will occur in the business's Market.
• Address the changes that will be required in its Management.
• Test its economic Model to assure continued profitability as the business scales upward.
• Understand the practical requirements for attracting the needed Money.

You'll hear more about the book after its pub date, but for now, you can hear about it from Doug Tatum himself in an Inc. Magazine interview here: http://www.inc.com/magazine/20070901/welcome-to-no-mans-land.html