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This CEO's Life

David H. Freedman's story on Bob Cramer ["Inside the Mind of a Serial CEO," January] may have been the most interesting article I've ever read in Inc. Freedman's details about the characters involved in Bob Cramer's deals--little things like the reactions of the venture capitalists, the body language of Cramer's associates--were all exquisite. The piece seemed more like a short story than a normal journalistic report.

Micah Patisall
Operations director
Magnet America
Pfafftown, North Carolina

David Freedman joined me as I searched for the "next big thing." I found the article engaging and accurate, but I feel compelled to offer a few additional points. First, I remain a strong believer in Patrick Faucher, Phil Antoniades, and the Nimbit vision. Nimbit's business is doing very well, so much so that I continue to personally fund it. Second, angel investors play a crucial role in funding both big, expensive ideas and smaller start-ups. (This is one reason I'm an active member of the CommonAngels investment group.) Finally, my latest company, Tervela, is about to change the world of message-based networking. To me, there's nothing more interesting and exciting than building a billion-dollar company.

Bob Cramer
Boston

Political Bias?

Clay Risen's piece about the entrepreneurs behind the presidential candidates ["Political Animals," January] opens with a half-page photo of Barack Obama. Of the eight entrepreneurs profiled, five support Democrats. All three of the candidate campaign photo buttons are of Democratic candidates. Of the eight candidate photos, including the campaign buttons, only two are of Republicans. And the GOP photos are very small, unlike the large images of Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Bill Richardson.

If you think I'm picking at nits, just sit back and scan the article and its images without reading it. Any reasonable person would quickly conclude that this article is slanted in favor of the Democrats.

Bill Collier
President
Collier Business Advisors
High Ridge, Missouri

Regarding the Editor's Letter in the January issue, I'd like to inform Mr. Miller, the CEO who claimed Inc. has a liberal bias, that not every Inc. reader is a die-hard Republican. Who made the decision that all entrepreneurs must be wedded to one party? That's insane.

Actually, I expected Inc. to be a right-leaning magazine. But the content seems to be objective and nonpartisan. There are plenty of right-wing magazines to choose from. I prefer Inc.'s style.

Dave Clark
Vice president
News-2-You
Huron, Ohio

Rushing to Export

I definitely agree that exports are a great way to go now that the dollar has plunged in value ["Riding the Export Wave," January]. But I would go even further and say that exporting has several advantages that don't depend on the dollar's performance. For one, exports provide a new lifeline for existing products and help you spread your bets, especially during an economic downturn. Also, focusing on exporting can help fend off domestic and foreign competition.

When it comes to working with a distributor, you need to do your own homework and find out for yourself what each foreign market is all about. Relying on others to feed you information on a new market means giving up control of your destiny. Before you begin selling in another country, you have to be able to judge firsthand whether your distributor is giving you the right advice and making the best choices for your company and for your product.

Christian B. Chahine
President
MDT International Irvine, California

Factor This In

I was extremely disheartened that your article on The Receivables Exchange ["Short on Cash?" January] said factoring is seen as "the corporate equivalent of a check-cashing storefront in a battered neighborhood." Factoring is one of the oldest forms of finance in the world, with roots back in the Roman Empire.

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