Linode is Great!
I now think that the little Linode will suffice. It's a wonderful training tool, but it also provides all I need for the virtual company. This might not be true if we were a retailer, but it's fine for all company internal stuff and light-duty web presence. Even if we grow, I will probably retain the small Linode and simply add a dedicated server or (or a bigger Linode if I can get one at an alternate site for diversity.)
So far, My Linode has re-booted three times: Once on purpose when I changed distributions, once when the host hardware was accidentally unplugged, and today when the UPS failed. It has never failed due to Linode or host software.