“Tim Huggins is the best thing that’s happened to the Boston literary community in a long time. With his good humor, his love of the written word, and his irrepressible sense of fun and adventure, Tim opened the windows and made you realize how stuffy the room had been before he showed up. Like countless other writers and readers, I owe the man a cold beer and a hug.”
—Tom Perrotta, author of Mrs. Fletcher, The Leftovers, and Little Children.
“Tim is a rare combination of talent, experience, and wizardry. We contacted him looking for help creating our business plan. Three months later it was a living document. Tim strengthened our language and affirmed our ideas, pushing back when necessary, yet always moving us forward. He provided us with important professional contacts (architect, real estate agent, licensing attorney…) that were necessary pieces to a complete plan. He built detailed financials based on his vast industry experience that not only are required as we take the plan to lenders but that give us some solid, real life, boundaries for decision making. (Can we really afford that rent?) Tim has been, and continues to be, a trusted advisor and thought partner. He made our vision feel attainable and our future filled with possibilities we know are right for our business.”
—Patricia Hohl and Samantha Hohl, owners and co-founders of Spill Books + Wine.
“...having been founded almost 15 years ago…Just the Right Book needed focused attention to address technical upgrades and overall project management. Tim more than stepped to the plate and has, for the last two years, set JTRB on a sturdier path to success. His guidance and hands-on attention have greatly benefited JTRB—our operations are clearly defined, our financial structures and systems are sound, and our future is less murky with Tim’s levelheaded guidance.”
—Roxanne Coady, founder & owner of RJ Julia Booksellers and Just the Right Book.
“After hitting a wall on several projects that required more experience than we had in-house, we turned to Tim Huggins for help. He was able to provide both general guidance and specific templates that worked for us. And when he didn’t know the answer to something, he recommended someone who did. As a result, we made progress refining our strategic plan, developing models for budgeting and forecasting, and transitioning to an alternate accounting software. Tim proved not only a good listener and effective problem-solver but also a genial and adaptable adviser.”
—Bradley Graham, co-owner of Politics and Prose
"Tim Huggins has been instrumental in bringing our vision for a new store to life…thanks to Tim, we were able to adjust our plans, which in turn allowed us to obtain capital for the enterprise, put I AM Books on a clear path for hitting sales goals, and adhere to expense budgets. For every problem or issue we would bring to the table, Tim always had an answer or a solution that helped us move forward seamlessly. Whenever we needed outside help for something, Tim knew the right person and had the right contact. It has been a privilege to have him on board."
—Nicola Orichuia, founder & owner of I AM Books.
"Tim has been such an incredible resource as I've built my business. He has provided invaluable guidance, insights, and connections to experts in the book world, in addition to making all of my numbers add up. Tim's calm, reassuring energy, and enthusiasm for my vision has given me the tools and confidence I needed to make my dream into a reality."
—Rachel Kanter, founder & owner of LOVESTRUCK.
“Thank you so much for your thoughtful note and years of support for the Brookline Booksmith. For me you provided a steady hand at the finance helm, for the store a steward of our legacy and for our community a tremendous service fulfilling our mission to further literary connections and intellectual dreams. You guided us through years of profitability and an increasingly detailed lens on how we can do better. Wishing you and Rulla a wonderful transition to the Big Apple. You’ll always be a part of the family here.”
—Jed Smith, President & Chairman, Brookline Booksmith.
“...Tim’s love and respect for books and their authors permeated the store and its customers, and you could feel that as you read. The audience was kind and receptive and it felt like they’d been hand-picked and nurtured which, in a sense, they had. In times like ours, when respect for literature is slipping (sorry, I had to pause there to go watch ‘America’s Funniest Incarcerated Grannies,’) there’s something bracing about finding a store like Tim’s, where love for writing and reading was assumed, fostered, and taught. I want to say thanks, Tim; you and the store are more important to me, and hundreds of other writers, than you’ll ever know.”
—George Saunders, author of A Swim in a Pond in the Rain and Lincoln in the Bardo.
“When Tim Huggins was on the Red Tomato team, we laughed more in the office. Tim is, by nature, a systems thinker. So he was always scheming ways to make operations more stream-lined and cost effective. He also had clever marketing ideas. And we hired him, originally, to do background statistical research on the loss of family farms in our region—data we used to make our mission-case to funders and customers. At times when the work was most intense, Tim’s voice was there to remind us we were taking things a bit too seriously, adding humanity and levity to the intensity.”
—Michael Rozyne, Red Tomato, Founder/Evangelist (also co-founder Equal Exchange).
“I solicited Tim’s help prior to our launch in the fall 2011, and Tim took the lead in business planning, he had all the right questions to ask regarding basic business planning and budgeting. He was also instrumental in tailoring our pre-launch funding to our start-up plan, working with a dynamic cash-flow situation that could be projected forward through multiple years. Tim’s expertise was also evident each week during the first few years, as a special assistant on specific tasks and problem solving. His contributions continued post launch, with quarterly budgeting and annual cash flow projections during our first few years, and was a solid sounding board for planning and management purposes. Tim’s imprint on Mise will always be clear and defined, and I will always be indebted to him for sharing his expertise.”
—David Mitchell, Mise Wines, Founder/Owner.
"When Bookshop.org took off, we had the daunting task of having to register and file sales tax in forty different states. We brought in Tim Huggins to help us and thanks to his savvy and hard work, we got it done on time and in an organized fashion. Tim is detail oriented, financially astute, and a pleasure to work with."
—Andy Hunter, founder & CEO of Bookshop.org, co-founder and publisher of Catapult press, the publisher of Counterpoint and Soft Skull Press, the co-creator and publisher of the websites Literary Hub, Crime Reads and BookMarks, and co-founder and chairman of Electric Literature.
“I worked with Tim Huggins for the period of time that he was at Brookline Booksmith. He brought an atmosphere of professionalism to our Accounting Department. He upgraded our bookkeeping practices; He produced very timely Monthly, Quarterly, and Annual Reports; He provided a detailed analysis for all Financials with detail and clarity; And he was a clear-headed contributor at all of our Management Group meetings. In summary, he was an important member in our Company at all levels. I wish Tim the very best in his future endeavors.”
—Marshall J. Smith, Founder of Brookline Booksmith, now retired.