As an image-shaping status symbol, they must imply the proper balance of gravity, insouciance, accessibility and authority, both inside and outside the company. But these days many business owners, seeking whatever edge they can get, are fashioning their handles into statements. Ms. Kisielewska explains that her supervisor in her first job urged her to put an employment objective on her resume that wouldn't limit her in the eyes of prospective employers. She said she'd pay for a second set of business cards for me with 'President' on it, but I told her no. Then there is Michael Zapata III, who just founded a software company, called Lips Inc., that brings lip-synching technology to 3D animators.
Some owners use the stripping down of their titles as a statement of corporate culture.
We decided right then that they didn't represent the kind of structure we wanted for our company. Employees in a small organization do fine without titles, Mr. Rose says, because everyone knows who is responsible for what. The more work we put into breaking down those barriers, the better we're going to be. The democratic impulse that leads to humble designations for owners often trickles down through the ranks. It makes it clear that I'm the person to talk to about a whole variety of issues.