Mail: April 2003

Readers react to recent Inc. magazine articles.

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Moxie Matters

I applaud Inc. for tackling the subject of confidence [" The New Face of Confidence" by Leigh Buchanan, February]. Surprisingly, it is an abstract concept, as unique to an individual as a fingerprint.

Throughout my career I observed that a large percentage of successful business people had also enjoyed success athletically, often through their college years. Naturally, I concluded that athletic success bred confidence that carries through into professional life. I ran this theory by our business development manager, an accomplished collegiate athlete himself. His response will always stick with me. An athlete is successful when he or she realizes that a loss is not a failure. Confidence comes from knowing there's always another chance for victory.

Richard Drake, Director
Cove Group, Inc.
Mystic, Conn.

Leigh Buchanan's article provides great insight into an important, yet nuanced, aspect of business. However, the passing reference to Lance Armstrong gives him less credit than he's due. Armstrong actually won the Tour de France four times, not three. I suspect he is confident that he'll win his fifth this summer at the centennial race.

Chris Kendall
Attorney
Chicago

Divine Differentiation

Thank you for your excellent February article titled " Let Us Now Pray for Accu-Fab," by Susan Hansen. I am likewise an evangelical Christian trying my best to run a five-person accounting firm using the same standards as discussed in the article. Your coverage was not only respectful, but it assumed a Christ-centered approach to running a business as but one of many appropriate choices. Most magazines, on the other hand, simply will not portray Christians in a positive light. I applaud the courage and leadership of your editorial staff in doing so!

Don Leininger, Partner
Leininger & Leininger
Minneapolis

Proclaiming your Christianity has no place in the marketplace. People have many diverse reasons for doing business with you other than your faith. Leave your religion in your head and heart -- not on the front of your business.

Gary Rhodes, CEO
Luna Oceana Inc.
Phoenix

To Buy or Not to Buy?

Robert Cringely's advice [" Software for Non-Dummies," What's Next, February] "Never build. Always buy" is based on the dubious statistic that only 28% of custom software projects "were complete successes." Such surveys define success as a project done in the manner that "professional software consultants" prefer: slow, expensive, and stupid. If your software needs are the same as everybody else's, it's likely your business needs are too. If that's the case -- if you're selling a completely undifferentiated product or service -- forget software innovation. What you'll need is a bankruptcy lawyer.

Michael Olenick, President
MessageMe Inc.
Irvine, Calif.

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