Soldiering on with military greats

Alexander the Great is a big hero of Mr Stolle

Bryan Stolle was in at the beginning of Agile Software.

Mr Stolle co-founded the group in 1995, and took on the posts of chairman and chief executive.

The company is not the first he helped to launch, he also helped to set up Rexcom Systems.

He came to the firm with a broad background in technology businesses, including various marketing roles at Sherpa Corporation, a developer of enterprise product data management.

What was your first car?

A 1967 Ford Econoline van, when I was 17. I was really into motorcross racing, and that was the only way to haul my bikes and other gear.

What I really wanted was either a Datsun 240Z or a Corvette.

What was your first job?

I worked at Dante's Pizza in San Antonio, Texas. I did a bit of everything: prep work, cooking, bussing tables, manning the cashier. I was paid $3.25 an hour, which was minimum wage.

We made everything by hand, and to this day, I wish I had the recipe for that pizza dough. It's still some of the best pizza I've ever had.

What was your first house?

A small, three-bedroom house with a rose garden in San Jose, California that I bought for $187,000.

The house was built between 1915 and 1918, so it still had charm and character. And the surrounding area felt like a real community.

We lived there for a year and a half, until 1988.

What's the best bit of business advice you've had?

"Wall Street is just Las Vegas covered in mahogany."

Who is your biggest inspiration?

There isn't just one person. My parents, obviously.

I also respect military figures - Alexander the Great, Patton, Montgomery, Rommel - because of the indelible impact they had on world history. They were leaders, successful at what they did, who overcame tremendous challenges, and ultimately, succeeded.

I also admire Klaus Von Clausewitz, who wrote "On War", which is one of two definitive books on military strategy. What I find so interesting is that it has also become a tome for understanding contemporary political strategy.

I also admire Teddy Roosevelt. He wasn't just a politician, he said what he meant, and meant what he said.

What can the government do to boost business?

Minimise regulations, and take a 'do no harm' approach.

Regulations are costing companies millions, and are making it very difficult to do business in the real world.

The ultimate consequence of such heavy regulation is lost jobs and lost tax revenue.

And in a global, competitive economy, companies cannot pass on the cost of regulation onto customers, so the only way to pay for the regulations is to cut costs - that often means employees.

What business story is grabbing your interest at the moment?

It has to be Sarbanes-Oxley (new corporate governance laws passed in 2002 after a wave of corporate scandals).

SarbOx's impact equates to the single, largest cost to companies, and I believe, could equate to the US not being able to compete in the world economy.

At Agile, for example, SarbOx won't make financial reporting any better than it was previously: despite implementing loads of new, well-documented financial processes and controls, our reporting quality - which was already very accurate and of high quality - will not get any better.

What's the biggest challenge facing business now?

There are two, the first is adjusting to, and dealing with the fact that we're in a tough, global economy.

Regardless of where you are, you have competitors in other parts of the world who can access your customers and leverage your suppliers - almost as easily as you.

If they have a better or cheaper product, you are suddenly in a real fight with a competitor several thousand miles way.

The second is government regulation. This, and overall bureaucracy, are doing real harm to business. The government is trading short-term benefits for long-term consequences, such as companies' inability to create jobs, hire, and have a real, positive impact on the economy.

What was the proudest moment of your career?

When the company I co-founded, Agile Software, went public, because it changed the lives of hundreds of employees.

We all worked very hard, delivered a great product, did the best for our customers, and were able to reap the rewards of our labour. It was very gratifying.

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Agile Software helps companies to cut down on the mental gymnastics involved in getting a product from the drawing board to the shop floor.

Through its product lifestyle management software its customers' employees, departments and partner companies can collaborate on design, manufacturing, marketing and distribution.

The group listed on the Nasdaq in 1999 at a price of $21 a share, and saw its revenuesrise to $96.3m in the year to April 2004, from $70.5m a year earlier.