Editor's Letter

 

One of our goals at Inc. is to provide smart, useful, well-written service stories for our readers (busy entrepreneurs, all of them). We like articles that help readers save time and money, as well as those that introduce them to thoughtful experts and CEOs whose strategies of leadership and business are worth emulating. If we can throw a hot trend and a compelling narrative into the mix, then we feel that a good part of this magazine's mission has been fulfilled.

In this issue, you'll find a number of really helpful articles. The finance section includes a case history of a company that completely rethought its approach to cash flow; through streamlining its processes and attending to details, it managed to improve its cash flow by $1.1 million. Two technology pieces also stand out: one on all the free software you can get for your office -- from phone service to security filters -- and another on how to trim your IT budget without making sacrifices. Joel Spolsky, in his column, weighs in on smart pricing.

This coverage reflects the current economic climate. No one wants to spend carelessly when the economy is wobbly. But for entrepreneurs, there are upsides to down times. It's an ideal time to start a company (Starting Up in a Down Economy). It's a perfect time to look for talent (see How To Find and Hire Good People ). And it's an excellent time to start planning an over-the-top reward for yourself and your employees once sunny times return (see the Q&A with Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Entrepreneur). Hawaii, anyone?