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Give Yourself a Raise Already!

I don't understand the mindset of these business owners who pay themselves peanuts ["Are You Paying Yourself Enough?" November]. Independence from bosses and having the freedom to make your own decisions won't put your children through college or pay a major medical bill. And any business owner who accepts less than his top-paid employees is nuts. If those employees are so good, then sell them the business or take them on as partners. And I would not accept any so-called help from a millionaire venture capitalist who expects me to work for peanuts while he takes an equity position and then blathers about how I should do things. I am willing to make sacrifices to build my business, but I'm not willing to live in poverty to do it.

Bruce Jorgensen
General manager, Interlog
Santiago, Chile

This Is Your Company Off Drugs

I agree with Norm Brodsky's column on employee drug testing ["Just Say Yes," November]. Many of my clients have confided they have trouble finding and keeping enough employees that can pass a drug test. At a time when the nation needs more jobs, employers are disheartened that a growing part of the work force is using drugs. Also in that issue, I enjoyed David J. Dent's "Coming to America," about the StartSmart program that helps immigrants start their own businesses. What a country we live in! People can come here with nothing and become successful through hard work, determination, and innovation. I just wish all of those born here understood how wonderful and fragile that freedom really is.

Kathi L. Case
Assistant vice president, First National Bank
Hobbs, N. Mex.

I love people who inspire. So I would like to thank Bruce Howard for having the courage to turn his life around and for having the courage to stand up and tell his story. I have no doubt that it will inspire others to follow his path and carve new lives.

Mike Rhodes
Owner, SnuggBoot.com
Sydney, Australia

I'm excited that Norm Brodsky came to the same conclusion about random drug testing that I did. I've been randomly testing my commercial drivers, as federally mandated, for years. But when I called the drug-testing firm to set up random tests for my entire company, they told me that, unless it's legally mandated, I'm required to give at least 48-hours notice. With that much time, habitual crack, methamphetamine, or heroin users can test clean. It would mainly target marijuana users. But, it is possible to enforce a broad drug-testing policy if you have reasonable suspicion that safety violations or accidents were caused by drug use.

Gordon P. Miller CEO, GPM Sealrite Newbury Park, Calif.

Script for Disaster

If you were to use Keith Rosen's cold-calling script ["Warming Up to Cold Calls," November], you'd strike out in the first three questions. He says to ask, "Did I get you at a good time?" The answer would definitely be no. You should never ask a question that can be answered with no. And if you want results, don't ask if you can ask a question -- just ask. It's a mistake to say, "Everything we talk about will be held in the strictest confidence." Even mentioning "strictest confidence" would set off warning bells that all of the customer's information would be sold as soon as he got off the phone. The rest of the script is irrelevant, as the sound of the phone hanging up would immediately follow the third question. Never read a script. Instead, listen to the customers, and they will tell you how to sell to them.

Howard Fine
CEO, Tourism Development International
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Corrections

Jack Stack, CEO of SRC Holdings, pays himself a salary about 12 and a half times that of his average employee. The ratio was misstated in November's "Are You Paying Yourself Enough?" In the 2004 Inc. 500 issue: Target was incorrectly identified as a customer of Vocollect; Petco as a customer of Khimetrics; and the CIA and NSA as clients of Conduant. Websurveyor was incorrectly listed as Websurveyor.com. The names of ServiceMagic co-CEO Michael Beaudoin, Florida State Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden, and ShopKo were misspelled. The correct age of Handango CEO Randy Eisenman is 29. Florida is home to 39 Inc. 500 companies. Its total was misstated.

This table shows corrected total growth numbers for the following Inc. 500 companies:

An updated Inc. 500 list is available online.

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