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Readers react to recent Inc articles, including Anne Stuart's "The Pita Principal," D.M. Osborne's "Dear John," Norm Brodsky's "Groundhog's Day," and David Bayless's "Know Your Place."

Skip the staggering expense of hiring a therapist, for this month's mail spilleth over with sound counseling: wear a tie and pay for things in cash. That's homespun wisdom that even our own entrepreneurial Ann Landers -- Norm Brodsky -- can appreciate. Who needs a shrink, when you've got Inc?

Look Respectable, Sonny
Senior writer Anne Stuart's August feature, " The Pita Principle," described a company that's downright spartan in its efforts to grow. Is cheapness in one particular area a budget-trim too far?

Mark and Stacy Andrus should be commended for their efforts to keep their business alive. But I was put off when I saw, in a photo in their story, a sign in their office that read, ENTREPRENEURIAL ZONE! NO TIES ALLOWED. I, for one, am getting tired of the down-home, casual T-shirt, Dockers, and Rockport look. I started my first business at 17, putting on a suit and tie to look presentable for my customers and creditors. I'm only 48 now, but I have forgotten more than most businesspeople will ever know about being entrepreneurial. My advice: get rid of the casual, touchy-feely stuff, put on a business suit, and stand out. Then, maybe your bootstrapping days won't be long and painful.

Kevin B. Vann
President
Entrepreneurial Services Division
Fisher, Tilton & Vann
West Springfield, Mass.

Slow and Steady, Sonny
Do clothes make the businessman? This correspondent prefers cash.

"The Pita Principle" is a good story and reminds me of my business. We don't like to finance capital purchases, so we buy with cash in hand. And in most cases we buy used equipment. Sure, it slows down our growth, but at least we're still in business after 40 years. We expect to be around for another 40, too.

Warren Loewen
General Manager
Loewen Manufacturing
Altona, Manitoba, Canada

Sleazy VC Deals
In her May feature story, " Dear John," contributing editor D. M. Osborne reported on CEOs that successfully court venture capital only to have investors replace them. While the story cited a company that had benefited from such a move, this Silicon Valley reader thinks executive shuffling has more to do with back-scratching than merit.

Your article tells only half the story. A darker scenario is possible: a VC pushes out a competent founder, installing a puppet CEO who does not have the vested commitment of a founder. In some cases I believe that VCs will even have a tacit contract with the CEO. "Don't worry," the VCs seem to assure. "If this doesn't work out, we'll get you another job." These backroom arrangements are detrimental to the founders, employees, and other investors.

Cynthia Typaldos
President and CEO
RealCommunities Inc.
Cupertino, Calif.

Stick to Basics. Repeat.
Norm Brodsky's July Street Smarts column, " Groundhog Day," explained how entrepreneurs, lacking self-awareness, can find themselves making the same mistake over and over and over again.

Brodsky's "Groundhog Day" hit me between the eyes like a two-by-four. I am the owner of a niche consulting business that has experienced tremendous growth in the last three years. This past year, however, I started to take unnecessary risks -- using my available credit to hire people and to aggressively go after different markets. Sadly, the results have been disappointing. Now we're back to the basics of our core business -- I "protect the pot," as Brodsky says. It's been tough, but we'll pull through with the help of that Street Smarts column, which is now hanging on my bulletin board.

Robert C. Mattern
President
Mattern & Associates LLC
Wilmington, Del.

Home Is Where the Tycoon Is
David Bayless's August feature, " Know Your Place," explored the question of what makes one location boil with entrepreneurial vitality while others merely simmer. This reader argues that success is less a matter of geography than biography.

Behind thriving local economies you will often find a single entrepreneur. The only real "economic" reason Detroit became the center of the automobile industry was that it happened to be near Dearborn, Mich. -- the birthplace of Henry Ford. Look also at Seattle. Bill Gates's choice to move Microsoft to a Seattle suburb allowed that city to become a high-tech hotbed. A foray into the world of economic geography teaches us that people don't behave rationally, and thus economic development remains an art more than a science.

Christian Schock
Urban and Regional Planner
Boston

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