Now hear this: Motorola dealer keeps firm small.(Blanchard Communications Inc)

David Blanchard probably has the most straightforward business philosophy in the world:

* Bigger is not necessarily better.

* If you can't do the math in your head, the deal is probably too complicated.

* If you are making a profit, that is good.

"The way this business started was, I sat down over lunch one day and figured out if I could just make five sales each month, I could make the payments on my town-house," said Blanchard, 35, who founded Annapolis-based Blanchard Communications Inc. nine years ago.

This year the firm will gross about $1 million. Its founder owns a few cars, half a dozen investment properties and a boat. And last month he brought in $30,000 on a single contract, when he rented out some 500 two-way radios to a low-key, little event in Miami: the Super Bowl.

Not too shabby for a guy who started his business with a $6,000 investment …