Letters

Readers react to articles from the November and December 1999 issues of Inc., including Harriet Rubin's last installment of her Solo Diaries; "The Nonprofit's Motive," by Samuel Fromartz; and Steven Berglas's November Entrepreneurial Ego column.

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Spring cleaning is on the way, but our readers were in no hurry to dispense with either our November or December issues. They were particularly vocal about the final chapter of a soloist's diaries and continued to debate a column on workers' capacity for change.

100 Weeks of Solitude

In the last installment of her Solo Diaries column, " The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Soloist," Harriet Rubin explained her decision to conclude her two-year stint as a sole proprietor and take a job with the dot-com iVillage. This reader understood Rubin's return to corporate life and used her own experience to elaborate on Rubin's point that organizations are not incompatible with the soloist mentality -- it's just a matter of finding the right corporate job.

Having gone in-house myself after seven-plus years of being solo, I would like to expand on something Harriet Rubin said.

When I was first recruited to go back in-house, I was courted by the person with whom I would be working, who had given very specific requirements to the headhunter. He needed a second-in-command whom he could trust to work not only intensely with him but also independently as needed. Having spent nearly five years on my own, I was ready to return to a regular job. I was burned out on accounts that did not pay on time, on selling myself to crowds with one or two new accounts being the slim result, and on all the minutiae of running a business. Going in-house would be like a vacation.

And for the first year it was, as I could concentrate on doing what I do best without worrying about billings or getting the next client. I no longer had to worry about insurance payments and premiums, or producing enough of a work cushion to take a four-day weekend.

After the first year, a new person took over our group and started reorganizing. That was in July, and by March I had been shuffled among three groups and had reported to a total of five people. I was insulted when the latest one told me that I couldn't take a continuing-education course because "you don't need to learn that." When I pointed out to him that I wanted to keep current in the topic of my master's degree, I discovered that he was unaware of my educational and professional background. At that moment I realized that instead of being viewed as a valuable contributor to the team, I was no more than a warm body filling a chair.

Before another year had passed, I was leaving my old job for a new one -- working for a company that specifically wanted someone with my degrees and years of experience. The change has been wonderful. Instead of being one of more than 300 persons in a division, I am one of six. Instead of being surprised by new policy decisions, I help make them.

My point is, all of this can make a critical difference if you are a soloist going in-house. Be sure to check out the culture of your new workplace. If the culture is bloated and you turn out to be just a chair warmer, don't be afraid to look for a job that is closer to "being solo," even if it remains within an organization.

Margo Lynn Hablutzel
Trademark Attorney
Global Legal Resources
Mary Kay Inc.
Dallas

Viva Las Vegas

Our December cover package, " Hot Zones," included listings of the best metro areas to start and grow a business in. This native was restless, despite his hometown's high marks.

As a Las Vegas resident, I was excited to see our city ranked #1 as the best small metro area to start and grow a business in. Sadly, there was absolutely no commentary on Las Vegas and why it made the #1 spot. As I ponder entrepreneurial opportunities, I would like to get more information on Las Vegas and why it is the top area. Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta were profiled in depth. While that information was interesting, it will not help me in starting and growing a business here.

Gary Gilman
Financial Consultant
Resources Connection
Las Vegas

The editors reply: For a full story on why Las Vegas is one of the best places to start and grow a business, see " The Most Entrepreneurial City in America," by Joshua Hyatt, which appeared in our 1998 State of Small Business issue.

Tales of the City

In " The Nonprofit's Motive," which appeared in our December issue, Samuel Fromartz wrote about the Greyston Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Yonkers, N.Y., that in many respects resembles a for-profit business. The president of Greyston took us to task for our description of Yonkers.