I just read with great interest your article on the next
generation in family business ("It's
All Relative," March). The Family Business Center at
Stetson University has invested the last eight years in creating
what we believe is the nation's best development program for
the next generation in family business (www.stetson.edu/family).
I would like to raise an issue: Why don't more colleges
address the crucial career decision of when, how and why people
should work with their families. We have not only published a book
on this topic, but also created the first family business major in
the country.
Greg McCann
Director, Family Business Center
Stetson University
DeLand, Florida
Giving Right
I was delighted to read "Charity
Check" by Scott Bernard Nelson ("Personal
Finance," March). As the owner of Giving Advice, a business
that helps companies create giving programs, I have to say, Scott
cited very resourceful websites for business owners who want to do
good. As a giving consultant, I emphasize it's not just the
check, or that the charity checked out. What is important is the
purpose and connection of the gift to the business's objectives
and vision.
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Companies need to consider long-term strategies to giving that
ensure effectiveness--in other words, a giving program that is
results-oriented and accountable, managed and measured the same as
all other business operations. Go beyond the charity check and
focus on your company's positioning and strategy for
giving.
Maggie F. Keenan
Owner
Giving Advice
Savannah, Georgia
Design on the Frontline
I was pleased to see that the Editorial Director, Rieva
Lesonsky, understood the importance of design enough to initiate a
design overhaul and then praise the designers for their work
("Editor's
Note," March). However, I was not pleased when she
described crucial design decisions as "decoration."
The editor pointed out that choice of font, color and leading
were cosmetic changes. Though these changes qualify as formal,
there were functional reasons for the choices. When a designer is
choosing a typeface and then a size and leading setting, he or she
is considering the legibility factor above the cosmetic factor. The
ultimate goal is for form and function to work together seamlessly.
The choice must be appropriate for the readership and able to fit
the needed word count for the average article. Design is too often
misunderstood and unappreciated in business. For a magazine devoted
to promoting business, the design community would appreciate some
proper recognition.
Lorelei Grazier
Designer
Rocket North Design Studio
Arlington, Massachusetts
Is the Price Right?
Your article "E-Tail
Therapy" (January) by Heather Clancy mentioned that the
owners of Salt-Works were hesitant to spend the "$50,000 to
$100,000 it can take just to design a site." While larger
e-commerce projects can certainly reach those costs and much
higher, many small-business owners can get the job done for
significantly less money. Our simplest solutions for small
businesses start around $10,000 and go up according to the
complexity of the client's requirements. If the average cost
for site design for your readers starts at $50,000, either we are
grossly undercharging, or those readers are getting ripped off.
Jay Lynn
Vice President
The High Bridge Design Group
Farmville, Virginia
Heather Clancy replies: I think we are both correct, which
proves that the word design can be ambiguous in the e-commerce
world. Certainly, a nice, basic website can be built starting at
$10,000 if an entrepreneur chooses to use off-the-shelf design
templates and other cookie-cutter modules. However, SaltWorks has a
completely custom-built site because the company predominantly
functions in the online world, prompting the higher price tag.
Naomi Novotny points out that the database and back-end interface
are custom and there was no "real world" precedent.
Moreover, the site is completely integrated with SaltWorks'
other business systems to handle large volumes of orders and the
high website traffic the company receives. In addition, the
shopping cart had to support complex shipping requirements to
charge accurate shipping costs. The site can handle retail and
wholesale orders (again, adding more complexity), has its own
customer-relationship management feature and so on. And when it
comes to looks, the owners were also pretty particular.
The bottom line: Every entrepreneur will have his or her own
requirements; the more custom the site, the higher the potential
price tag.
Correction
Suzanne Mulvehill's website is www.profit-strategies.com ("Fear
Factor," April).