Mail

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.

In the U.S. today there are hundreds of entrepreneurial factoring firms, whose clientele rely upon their factor's ability to provide access to working capital. In the past 20 years the factoring industry has grown tremendously. I expect the factoring industry will continue to grow, even during the current credit crunch. Bottom line: Factoring is not an "unloved" form of finance. It can work for many businesses, not just those with poor credit.  

Darla Auchinachie
Vice president
Liquid Capital of America Corporation
Los Osos, California

Long Live Little Sprouts

The fact that Susan Leger Ferraro's Little Sprouts [Elevator Pitch, January] has been in business for 25 years is a testament to its continuous delivery of quality service. Markets are efficient, and if Little Sprouts' service was anything but stellar, the business wouldn't have survived a single year, let alone 25. Applause is due this group of teachers and entrepreneurs. I'll be keeping my eyes on the company as it looks to expand.

Michael D'Angelo
President
Rapid Launch
Newburyport, Massachusetts

Growth or Bust?

I respect Joel Spolsky's take on why companies should grow organically and gradually [How Hard Could It Be? January], but there are ways to effectively manage rapid growth.

Your company's culture is an important part of the process. In working with many fast-growing companies, I've found that the difference between companies that get overwhelmed by fast growth and companies that can manage it lies in keeping employees and management keyed into company values. Fast growth or slow, the best business strategy in the world will never compensate for a weak culture.

Denise Corcoran
Founder and CEO
The Empowered Business
Burlingame, California

The Art of Holiday Gifts

I laughed when I read Leigh Buchanan's description of how holiday gifts are handled [The Office, December]. I've certainly been guilty of snitching an extra, though very thin, piece of pumpkin bread. Here's a solution: When gifts come in, leave them unopened and display them in the office kitchen. Then, the week before Christmas, allow staff members to bid on the gifts of their choice. Money collected can be donated to a worthwhile cause. This gives everybody a fair chance at the gifts.

Karyn Gavzer
Springboro, Ohio

Corrections

In "Travel in Style, or Not" in January, we incorrectly stated that Expedia Corporate Travel does not book seats on JetBlue and that Travelocity Business does not sell seats on Southwest flights. Expedia began listing JetBlue flights in June 2007; Southwest flights have been available on Travelocity Business since 2003.

In "Breaking Through," in the January issue, we misstated the cities in Minnesota in which two companies have headquarters. Polaris has headquarters in Medina and has operations in Roseau, while Fastenal is based in Winona.

In the Mail section of our January issue, we misspelled the name of the company Xidey.

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