Our logo consists of five circles connected by four dashes.  The logo represents the links in a chain necessary to grow a company.

The five circles are the elements always present in any successful emerging company; people, innovation, capital, shared vision and perseverance.

The four dashes are the elements that bind the links in the chain; integrity, excellence, profit and fraternity.

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The Five Circles:

The five circles are the elements always present in any successful emerging company; people, innovation, capital, shared vision and perseverance.

1. People:
Just as Conrad Hilton said that the three most important things in placing a hotel were location, location and location, the three most important things in building an emerging growth company are its people, its people and its people. Venture capitalist's have long held the belief, proved true through experience, that with the right management team, a company's products or services, technology and market are truly secondary issues. This is because successful companies have been built by creative and entrepreneurial managers even after a company's initial product line has been abandoned in favor of a completely new focus.

The necessity of good people extends to the emerging growth company's advisors. Any successful start-up must rely on dozens of people, all of whom are contributing their best work and highest dedication toward making the Company succeed. Proverbs 11:14 says, "For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many counselors ensure victory.

2. Innovation:
The successful start-up company will typically revolutionize a product or service. It is only important improvements in a product or service that will demand the attention of customers. It is only with clear technological or other improvements that a company can be anticipated to grow at geometric rates. And proprietary technology as a barrier to entry may be substituted by other forms of barriers such as an innovative marketing campaign for a specialty retailer. In any case, ideas, creativity and true innovation are critical.

3. Capital:
Although it is still possible to start a company with $5,000 and boot-strap its development, it is increasingly hard to do so. Most entrepreneurs would agree that even with sufficient capital it is hard to succeed; without sufficient capital, a company is almost doomed before it gets started.

Capital may take many sources and many forms, but the bottom line is that a company must have access to those diverse resources necessary to develop the company properly. Still, the creative start-up must sometimes improvise and those who wait for all the financing they desire, frequently never get started.

4. Shared Vision:
The managers, investors, technologists and friends in any successful emerging growth company will usually have a shared vision of the future of the company. This is true even if the vision is a relatively simple one. The vision must be strong enough and clear enough to keep the company's people going even in hard times.

5. Perseverance:
Everyone knows the quote of Thomas Edison that invention is 99% perspiration and 1% innovation. It is only through the belief in the vision and persistence on those involved in a start-up company that make that vision become reality. Usually, 3:00 a.m. is not a stranger to the founder of a successful start-up.

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The Four Dashes:

The four dashes are the elements that bind the links in the chain; integrity, excellence, profit and fraternity.

1. Integrity:
Without the highest level of integrity on the part of all those involved in a start-up company, the company cannot succeed. It will quickly lose credibility with those people vital for its success. The idea that vicious business tactics are the road to success in Silicon Valley has long been discredited. Clearly one of the quick roads to ruin is an overly hostile negotiation between a management team and its investors. Still no one would begrudge a founding team a few extremely hard fought issues.

2. Excellence:
All links in the start-up chain must have excellence as their goal. This is true from an excellent founding team to excellent technology to excellent advice. Seeking excellence may sometimes result in good performance while seeking adequacy will usually result in mediocrity and failure.

3. Profit:
It is reported that David Packard once said that profit is the reward for making a contribution. Although we believe a person would be hard pressed to find a successful emerging growth company with profit as its primary goal, profit is truly the tangible reward for adding significant value to society. No honest start-up manager or entrepreneur would deny having imagined the multi-millions of dollars that sometimes come with an initial public offering. And the shared goal of making some extra money through an investment in, or stock options granted by, a start-up should be held by the file clerk as well as the C.E.O. and the Company's investors.

4. Fraternity:
In addition to the glue of profit holding together the management team, the investors and the advisors, there must be some level of friendship or fraternity. None of us want to do a job we do not enjoy or work with people we do not like. Life is too short for that, regardless of the financial incentive. And no one will still be at work at 2:00 in the morning if we do not like the people with whom we work. A true sense of camaraderie will help hold together the necessary elements of the successful start up.

Conclusion:

Our logo represents the important elements necessary for a growing company. Applied to your business (along with some good legal advice!) we are sure these elements will help you grow too.