Mail

1 | 2 NEXT

The Inc. 500 Name Game

Your annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies not only is great reading, but it also contains many imaginative and distinctive company names [The 26th Annual Inc. 500, September]. Sure, there were some boring ones that will never be household brands, like Hospital Partners of America at No. 3 and Image Solutions at No. 500. But Red F Marketing, No. 106, is fun. The company says it's short for Redefining the Future. (Not the red F you got in class?) Solid Cactus, No. 255, made me wonder if an Arizona cactus is hollow. Leading the weird name award category is Urooj at No. 399. Imagine being a sales or marketing exec and having to call 50 people a day--and tell them you are from Urooj! But the big disaster is No. 422. Coolibar contains a word that some Indians would find rude and offensive. I am staggered that no one recognizes this.

Athol Foden
President
Brighter Naming
Mountain View, California

Editor's Note: Coolibar's co-founder, John Barrow, who was born in Australia, says the company is named after a tree mentioned in the Australian folk song "Waltzing Matilda."

Website Makeover

I was very disappointed with your article about Web design ["Turning Browsers Into Buyers," September]. The examples chosen had designs that were circa 2000, and the redesigns were terrible. The Stamps.com redesign uses a huge header to deliver the mission statement, which overpowers the brand identity. ("Postage on Demand" looks like the company name.) And the call to action is hidden at the bottom of the page. The Jigsaw Health example was just as bad. Removing the navigation bar from the page is a user-interface no-no. That creates a confusing and frustrating user experience.

James Touhey
Owner
Touhey Design
San Diego

I was hoping your story about improving conversion rates online would have strategies for B2Bs, not the same old cosmetic changes for B2Cs. I would be interested in learning how B2B marketers are capturing leads from increasingly indifferent business customers.

Dale Underwood
President
Federal Appliance
Frederick, Maryland

When It Gets Personal

Norm Brodsky's advice about getting out of personal guarantees left out an important distinction ["Free at Last," September]. Personal guarantees aren't the same as blanket liens. Personal guarantees allow lenders to file a judgment against the guarantor in a default situation, but that doesn't mean they can liquidate assets. With blanket liens, on the other hand, lenders can repossess assets.

Brett Hawton
Senior account manager
Cypress Financial Corp.
Kent, Washington

Power to the People

By giving entrepreneurs a forum to express their views about venture capital firms, TheFunded.com is a great example of how modern technology can be used to restore the balance of power ["Who's Behind TheFunded.com?" September]. A minority group could use a platform like this to share success stories, bash corporations with discriminatory hiring practices, and put pressure on firms to hire a more culturally diverse work force.

Matthew Beltrano
Hamilton, Ontario

1 | 2 NEXT

Try a RISK-FREE Issue of Inc. Today!

Renew | Contact Us | Current Issue

Select Services