Mail

Learning to Enjoy the Small Things

The stories of Jay Goltz and the other entrepreneurs who chose to "be great instead of big" hit close to home ["There Is a Choice," February]. With a new venture and three others going, reading about the "new big" was an eye opener for me. I have a family, and I probably don't spend as much time with them as I should. I think my new goal will be to continue to grow, but grow wisely. My father always taught me about enjoying the small things in life. I guess he was right all along.

William Dudley
president
Germophobic.com
Brighton, Michigan

Does big mean better? I've never thought so, and Inc.'s stories this month confirm it. Some companies aren't designed to be big, but that doesn't mean they can't be successful. At my company, we're committed to making sure that we send our employees home in better condition than when they came to work. I want my employees to be involved in the work they do and in taking care of each other on the job, so that when they go home it's in a good frame of mind. Good home lives will produce great employees, which leads to better production and a greater possibility of profit. And then we all win.

Ricki May
Owner
RSM Painting
Franklin, Tennessee

Inc. Goes to Washington

While writer Clay Risen provides a much-needed focus on Washington, D.C., and the unfair advantage given to big corporate interests, he seems to have a bias for Republican officials ["Who Loves You in D.C. (and Who Doesn't)," February]. Perhaps programs proposed by Democrats that don't see the light of day in this Republican-controlled environment weren't considered. It's hard to imagine why Senator John Kerry should be the only congressional Democrat whose efforts are recognized when the list includes someone like Karen Kerrigan, who is in lockstep with ideologue Grover Norquist. The unequal tax cuts and budget cuts are the biggest threat to entrepreneurs and the domestic economy.

Luis P. Reyes
Los Angeles

More Political Punches

Oh, sweet irony! First, I read Rob Larimer's bombast on "starry-eyed liberals" [Mail, February]. Then, in your story about the best friends of small business in Washington, D.C., I read this comment by Lloyd Chapman, head of the nonpartisan American Small Business League: "John Kerry is the biggest friend small businesses have in Congress." And, oh yes, then I read that "the SBA's budget has been cut 36 percent since 2001--more than any other federal agency's." With conservatives like President Bush behind us, who needs liberals?

William L. Speizman
President
P.I. Profit Builders
Los Angeles

I am always amused when a letter or article in your magazine mentions the concept of liberal American politics, particularly when it is a complaint that Inc. is "leaning too left," as Rob Larimer claimed in the February Mail section. As a Canadian reader, examination of American politics leads me to conclude that what is determined to be liberal in the United States would definitely be deemed conservative in Canada. From where I am standing, Inc. provides a balanced American viewpoint on both domestic and global entrepreneurship.

Benjamin Hunting
President
Repent Tokyo Records
Montreal

Where Heroes Are Made

Steve Sabol's NFL Films is a great enterprise [How I Did It, February]. We can't help but feel in the presence of heroes when those films begin to roll, that music starts to flow, and the narrators begin to speak. Thanks for the insights into the company's history and inner workings.

Eric Watkins
San Diego

The New Business Card

After having self-published my own book, The C.A.R.L.A. Concept, I'd like to add a few lessons I learned that may benefit readers ["Written Any Good Books Lately?" February]. First, don't skimp on cover design. While it's important to have great content that's well organized, the cover design truly presells the book. I'd also recommend getting a small run of galley copies printed first. That way you can test the market, gather feedback, and make revisions for your next production run. And as part of your promotion, create a website dedicated to your book, just as filmmakers do when they launch a movie.

Laura Benjamin
President
Laura Benjamin International
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Publishing Pointers

The suggestions Norm Brodsky gave Rob Levin about his new magazine were right on ["The Most Important Resource," February]. Brodsky warned him that the 10 percent response rate he was expecting for his direct mail campaign was too high. Even a 1 to 2 percent response rate on direct mail would have been high.

Mark C. Zweig
Vice chairman
ZweigWhite Information Services
Natick, Massachusetts

Know When to Upgrade 'em

The fundamental problem with upgrades is that many companies don't beta-test before they go live ["Upgrade Madness," February]. David Freedman gave many examples of why: Just because a company releases a product with a big price tag and the promise of 24-7 tech support for its fabulous new features, that doesn't mean it's ready to be used at your company. The best way to know when it's smart to buy is to use an evaluation version of the software.

In general, I believe that there is a forced upgrade cycle, but Microsoft's dominance of the operating system market changes the reason for upgrading. Now it's all about security. If there are businesses still running Windows 98, then God help them. Those computers are the vulnerable, virus-ridden ghettos of the IT world. I am a systems administrator for a large university, and security updates and patching are part of my main daily tasks. I would never knowingly do business with a company that held my data in machines running anything before Windows 2000.

Also, as a proud owner of an Xbox 360, I must tell you I have not a single issue with the device. My family and I took turns waiting in line at Wal-Mart for 14 hours to get it, and it was worth it.

James Prior
Systems administrator
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Hoover, Alabama

Making Big Allowances

I do agree that laptops are becoming more like quasi-personal property, but giving an employee an allowance for a laptop is problematic ["Laptop Allowances for Workers," February]. Most companies' IT departments are already stretched thin supporting current business systems with patches and upgrades. Allowing a user to purchase a laptop of his or her choosing will only exacerbate the problem. If a business is currently using Dell systems, for example, and an employee buys a different brand, the IT department now has to become familiar with this new system and learn to support it. Controlling the software licensing costs would also be enormous.

And there are legal concerns. What if the IT department discovers porn on the laptop? It's a personal laptop, so how is the IT person supposed to respond? What about an employee's personal information that may be stored on the laptop? An unscrupulous IT person could gain access to that.

Damon Allen
Senior consultant
D.S. Allen & Associates
Ocala, Florida

Gay Gaddis Get Your Gun

The photo of Gay Gaddis, president of T3, at her Double Heart ranch blew me away ["Ah, Wilderness!" January]. A picture of a real, live, unapologetic, rifle-totin' woman--I couldn't believe it. In this age of squishy, mealy-mouthed, namby-pamby political correctness gone mad, I never thought I'd see a civilized modern gal proudly displaying her shootin' iron in my favorite business magazine.

Greg Post
Owner
Business Development Group
Cameron Park, California

Correction

In the December cover story, we incorrectly identified the space shuttle that was evaluated using technology from Ping Fu's company, Geomagic. It was the space shuttle Discovery, which landed safely last summer.

To alert us to an error, send an e-mail to corrections@inc.com. To submit a letter, write to mail@inc.com or Inc. Letters, 375 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Letters may be edited for space and style. Submission constitutes permission to use.