Small Business Revolution

10The Power of Email

A FEW YEARS before W.R. Hotchkiss had the idea of creating the Deluxe Corporation, a famous story went viral. That's right—even in the 1800s, news could spread about something that captured people's imagination.

The story was about a farmer named Ali Hafed, who lived in what is now called the Middle East, and who was quite wealthy by ancient standards. He was content with his substantial orchards, grain fields, and gardens, among other wealth. One day a traveler passed through his land and Ali welcomed him to stop. The traveler was an old priest, and he told the farmer a story about diamonds. Of course Ali knew about diamonds, but the way the traveler spoke about them captivated him. Ali was told that in some parts of the world, diamonds as big as your thumb were known to exist, and were strewn about for anyone to find.

That night Ali couldn't sleep, and the next day he was discontented with the thought of the real wealth he could have, if he just found a single big diamond. Long story short, Ali sold his farm and went on a quest to find real wealth in the form of diamonds. He traveled the world and after a while his money was gone. Completely dejected, Ali threw himself into the ocean.

Some years later the old priest came through the same land where Ali welcomed him all those years ago. This time he was welcomed by the current land owner. As they were sitting, the traveler noticed a rock on the fireplace mantel. He looked at it and said: “This is a diamond! ...