ASSUME = THE WORST
So you’re family. So you’ve known each other since you were tots. So you’re closer than two business partners could possibly be.

Even so — assume nothing.

“It’s one of the biggest pitfalls family businesses can fall into,” says Fritz Black, who runs Cowboy Leaders in Birdseye with his two nephews. “They’re family, so it’s easy to assume you know what they’re thinking. And then you jump to conclusions based not on fact but on what you think. It’s not a good place to be.”

IT’S ALL A BLUR
Jessica Devenish lives, works and breathes family.

“Oh, the lines are totally blurry,” says the founder of Provo-based Checknet, who works with her parents, her husband and two of her sisters. “But we are learning to set boundaries in a clear way so we’re not always working.”

In actuality, blurry is A-OK — it would be unrealistic NOT to have crossover. But that other, more difficult B (boundaries) needs to be equally present.

“Feel free to go home and talk about issues related to the business. That’s not the problem,” says Gibb Dyer, a professor at the BYU Marriott School and a consultant to families in business. “The problem comes when there are frustrations at work and you let those frustrations affect the quality of your family relationships.”

COMPENSATION CONTEMPLATION
Bluefin Office Group is no family business amateur. The Orem-based company has been in the Benson family since the ’60s, and the kids practically grew up in the store.

These days, the kids are grown —and running Bluefin with their father, Dean, and mother, Pat. And when it comes to tackling sensitive issues like compensation, they know the challenge — and are up to the task.

“Compensation is a tricky, complicated area,” says Dale Benson, Dean’s son and CEO of Bluefin. “It’s obvious you need to look at performance and contribution, but there are added layers in a family business. Should salary also be based on how many children someone has? Should it be based on who’s been there the longest?

Getting everyone on the same page is difficult. So to keep things fair, we’ve left that to my dad — he handles compensation relative to family members.”

The lesson? When it comes to a sensitive matter like compensation, pick a person or policy everyone agrees upon and is comfortable with.

THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Family knows best — but a little outside perspective can give you some much needed direction.

“One of the most important pieces of advice I can offer is to have a board of directors that includes non-family members,” Dyer says. “It’s the best way to get unbiased advice, critique and support.”

ENTITLEMENT SCHMITLEMENT
At a young age, Devenish learned an unforgetable lesson from her father: Earn respect — don’t demand it.

And so when it comes to Checknet, entitlement is never an issue.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re family or not — you start from the bottom and work your way up,” Devenish says. “All of us have earned our respective positions on our own merit. And having that kind of attitude goes a long way.”

Neal Dastrup couldn’t agree more.

“Family members will become stronger if they have to start from scratch,” says Dastrup, who owns Dastrup Insurance and currently works with five of his seven children. “Handing your kids a job on a silver platter will send your business down the tubes before you know it. But if they have to build it, they will respect it.”

FORMALLY SPEAKING
In a family buisness, it’s revenue one minute and Thanksgiving dinner the next. But while those two worlds can exist (see: B, It’s All a Blur), be wary of keeping the company too casual.

“There are certainly situations where family businesses have lost all formality and are neglecting to discuss the important issues at hand,” Dyer says. “Have official discussions, take minutes, vote on issues that are important. Your business needs some semblance of formality.”

GO FOR GOALS
A family business can’t succeed without family goals. So sit down together and come up with a shared vision — and a plan to get you there.

“To have a shared vision that is bound by our family bond is a fun thing,” says Chris Dexter, who founded the Orem-based law firm Dexter & Dexter with his brother, Bryan.

HOME FREE
Every once in a while, when you’re home and feeling extra daring, talk about something other than the business. Potential topics may include — but are not limited to — the weather, music, movies, sports, politics and Betty White (she’s very in right now).

IN YOUR BEST INTEREST
You know that good old fashioned self interest? It’s time for a new perspective.

“The first law of economics is everyone acts in their own self interest,” says Dale Gunther, chairman of the board of Bank of American Fork, a family business. “But we need to rise above that and say, ‘I’m doing this for the good of the whole. It’s not for me. It’s for the good of the customers, for the good of the employees and for the good of the shareholders.’ Manage with that philosophy, and you’ll be more successful and have more joy in your business life than you can imagine.”

Dr. Brian Trapnell, who founded his Utah Valley orthodontic practice with his three brothers, is on the same page.

“Our No. 1 priority is the client and our employees,” he says. “If those needs are met, everything else will fall into place.”

DO YOURSELF JUSTICE

Equality is a tricky topic in a family business. On the one hand, family members should get some preference. It is a family business, after all.

But on the other hand, you don’t want your non-family member employees to feel like outsiders looking in.

“The truth is, family businesses can never really be completely fair,” Dyer says. “All things being equal, family members should have preferential treatment because they are members of the family. The problem comes when a family member is incompetent and promoted above others. Don’t hire incompetent family members.” (Someone should really needlepoint that on a pillow.)

To make it a win-win, strive to create a family environment for everyone at your business. Since you’re a family company, it should come pretty naturally.

“This is a tough one, because with so many of us at the company, I can see how non-family members could feel like everyone is their boss,” says JaNae Harrison, who works at the Orem-based McGee’s Stamp & Trophy with her father, Jesse McGee, and her six brothers and sisters. “But we have consciously tried to make everyone feel like family. That’s been our motto from day one.”

KID AROUND
When Neal Dastrup built his insurance business more than 30 years ago, he kept it all in the family.

“When my kids were little, their job was to clean the office,” he says. “They would come in on the weekend to vacuum, dust, clean the restrooms — you name it. And when they were in high school, they’d work here in the summer.”

Eventually, those odd jobs turned into full-fledged careers.

“They grew up having a relationship with the agency, and now every one of my children but one is either in the business or planning to be,” Dastrup says. “It’s the best feeling in the world.”

In short? Involve your kids in the business from a young age. That familiarity will serve you (and them) well.

FOR THE LOVE
In the midst of business plans and spreadsheets, don’t forget the all-powerful motivator: love.

“I love my family,” Bluefin’s Dale Benson says. “It’s wonderful to rub shoulders with them every day. It’s the best benefit I can imagine.”

“There’s nothing better than being able to work with people you love,” Fritz Black, of Cowboy Leaders, says. “I’m fortunate they are my family, and I’m even more fortunate they are my associates.”

“I honestly love working with family,” Checknet’s Jessica Devenish says. “It’s a great pleasure of my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

MAD SKILLS
Oh, conflict. It’s inevitable in every business.

But family businesses have the added bonus of history. Oh, history.
“Drama can tear a company apart,” Devenish says. “So we really work at that. Learning to agree to disagree has been our biggest key to success.”

And when conflict does arise, know when to talk it out and when to seek help.

“If it’s a complex conflict — conflict rooted in history like, ‘My brother sat on my face as a kid,’ get some counseling,” Dyer says. “A family therapist can help you work through those issues.”

But if it’s simply a difference of opinion? Make like Devenish and her family and get rid of the drama.

“With simple conflicts, face the issue head on as a family and solve it,” Dyer says.

A HOUSEHOLD NAME
Chris Dexter drives around town with a personalized license plate — and he’s a different driver because of it.

“Realizing that people know who I am and know my last name reminds me to behave myself,” Dexter says. “Knowing our business has our name on it makes us acutely aware of how we do business. It’s a great reminder that we should always act with integrity.”

Trapnell Orthodontics also knows the power of the family name.

“Anytime a family owns something, there is more personal attention,” Dr. Brian Trapnell says. “Our name is on every smile that walks out our door, so there’s an added incentive to make sure it turns out great.”

CALL TO ORDER
Rather than shoot from the hip, set up a structure to measure performance and keep family members accountable.

“One of the most common pitfalls is failing to setup a clear mechanism to monitor performance — to reward family members when they do well and to discipline them when they don’t,” Dyer says. “This is one area you can’t play by ear.”

PINK SLIP
In our Spring 2006 cover story, Hal Wing, of Springville-based Wing Enterprises, was clear on the family business plan: “Work or get fired. And I’ve had to fire some family members.”

Obviously, no one wants to be the fired family member (or the one doing the firing, for that matter). But just knowing it’s in the realm of possibility might strike motivation into the hearts of family members everywhere.

QUARTERLY CHECKUP
Once a quarter, sit down for a reality check. Revisit your goals, evaluate your progress and talk through any unresolved conflict (although after this article, we obviously expect said conflict to decrease exponentially).

ROLE OF A LIFETIME
One of the first — and most vital — steps in creating a family business is defining the roles of each family member. Be clear about who does what and what is expected of each person. Try and cater to each family member’s strengths (your business will appreciate it), and get specific, people!

Because when everyone is working to their potential in a family business, no one can touch you.

“What I love is everyone brings different talents and skills to the table,” Devenish says. “We all have different strengths and weaknesses, so the division of duties has been really natural. It’s been, ‘You love legislative? You get it. You love financial? You get it. You love operations? You get it. You love marketing? You get it.’ It’s been a natural road map for our company’s success.”

SUCCESS-ION
In 1966, Jesse McGee was working at the post office when he had the opportunity to buy a stamp machine.

And buy it he did.

Forty-four years later, he’s running McGee’s Stamp and Trophy with his seven children and two grandchildren.

The next question, then, is who’s next?

“One of the biggest challenges is how do you pass it on to the next generation,” JaNae Harrison says. “There’s seven of us McGee kids, and each of us have worked for the business at different times and in different capacities. Things can get tricky, so it’s extremely important to have a plan in place.”

Harrison couldn’t be more right.

“Having a succession plan is the No. 1 piece of advice I can give, ” Dyer says. “And you need to have two plans — a short-term contingency plan in case the head of the family passes away unexpectedly, and a long-term plan where the head of the family identifies a successor to the business and a timetable in which they will retire.”

This is a non-negotiable, folks.

THE FAMILY TRUST
When you’re working with family, it doesn’t get better than trust.

“What I love about being in a family business is I trust them completely,” Fritz Black says. “We all know what our life goals are and there are no hidden agendas. In our family business, everything is on the table.”

A UNITED FRONT
In the immortal words of Sister Sledge: You are family — get up everybody and sing.

VENT-ILATION
Remember when you blew up at your brother in his office and then went home to your wife and vented about it? And then remember when your wife didn’t talk to said brother for weeks?

Remember when it’s all in the family, it’s all in the family.

THE WRITE WAY
In your efforts to up the formal factor (in a cool and casual way, of course), put your essential and sensitive agreements in writing. Handshakes can certainly be trusted, but it never hurts to give that hand a pen.

“It simply makes things more clear, which is always a good thing,” Dyer says.

Dale Gunther is a firm believer in the “write way” of doing things, and he practices what he preaches at Bank of American Fork.

“It’s a necessary thing to do,” he says. “After you’ve defined your policies and procedures, get them in writing and familiarize employees with them.”

XTREME COMMUNICATION
(Editor’s Note: Yes, we just spelled extreme with an X. You try coming up with an “X” word that’s not Xerox or xylophone.)
Ahem. Now that that’s settled, let’s talk talk. Because bottled up feelings? You’re not welcome here.

“Communication is the key. And I’m talking quality communication,” says Bluefin’s Dale Benson. “I wouldn’t give us an A on this yet, but we’re working on it all the time. It’s that important.”

“Communicate, communicate, communicate,” Checknet’s Devenish says. “And if you still don’t get it, communicate a little bit more.”

YEARS GONE BY
Whether your family business is five generations old or whether you started it in your living room last week, appreciate your company’s history and document all you can. Your kids and grandkids will be better for it.

FOR ZEAL
“There’s nothing better than working with family,” Dastrup Insurance’s Neal Dastrup says. “I’m a happy man.”

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For three years running we’ve featured the groundbreaking growth of local companies.
And for three years we’ve been swept off our feet.
The UV50 — which features the county’s 25 Fastest-Growing Companies (measured by percentage growth over a three-year period), 15 Top Revenue Companies and 10 Startups to Watch — has enjoyed another year of record-ranking success.
Meet all 50 winners, and go inside six companies that share how they did it — in their own words.

BY BRIANA STEWART | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRYANT LIVINGSTON PHOTOGRAPHY

UV50 CONTENTS
Fastest-Growing Companies
Top Revenue Companies
Startups To Watch

FEATURED WINNERS
KS Marketing
One on One Marketing
Little Adventures
RBM Building Services
Clyde Companies
Blue Lemon

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MAGAZINE ONLINE

Not only do they post clever content and marvelous musings, they wield virtual power at their fingertips — and use it for good.

Plus, these keyboard kings and queens include the “first family” of Utah Valley’s blogosphere — Phil Windley, Paul Allen and Kelly King Anderson.

“I started blogging because of you,” Allen said to Windley at our August photo shoot.

“And I started blogging because of you,” Anderson said to Allen.

To which Windley concluded: “So that makes you my blogging granddaughter!”

Talk about a blog roll.

WINDLEY’S TECHNOMETRIA
(www.windley.com)
Blogger Phil Windley — “The Pioneer”
Blog Focus Information technology, enterprise computing, software development, computer science and academia, interspersed with occasional forays into other technical and non-technical matters
Blogging Since June 2002
Day Job CTO of Kynetx in Lehi
Other Forms of Social Networking Used Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn — with an emphasis on Twitter

Why did you start the blog? In 2001, I attended a conference where Dan Bricklin, the inventor of the spreadsheet, was the keynote speaker. The first thing he did when he stood up was take a picture of the audience and say, “This will be on my blog later today.” That was the first time I had heard the word “blog,” and I immediately went out to his Web site to see what he was talking about. I was fascinated, and even went so far as to buy the same software Dan was using (which wasn’t well suited for the purpose) to give blogging a try; but I couldn’t figure out what to write about and I didn’t understand why anyone would want to read it. So, after one entry, I stopped. Fast forward to May 2002. I’m the CIO for the State of Utah and looking for a way to better communicate my thoughts on eGovernment with citizens and my ideas about IT to employees of the state. I was reading an article by Jon Udell where he mentioned his blog. This time, I immediately saw the utility and understood what to write about — my work. I started my blog and even bought 100 licenses to Radio, an early blogging tool, and gave them to anyone else who worked for the State of Utah and wanted to start a blog. I love the idea of people narrating their work.

Why do you keep blogging? As I get older, it’s the only way I can remember what I was thinking about and working on last month. That may sound flip, but it’s the truth. I blog for me. It’s a selfish act that hopefully has some utility for others. I’ve met hundreds — maybe thousands — of people because of my blog. I go to conferences and run into people who I’ve never met in person, but nevertheless know well, because we read each other’s blogs. I know more people and have a richer life because of my blog. Finally, I blog because it’s a good way to make money. I’ve never made a dime on my blog, but I’ve made quite a bit of money because of it. There was a few years when I was mostly consulting, and my blog was a great way for me to meet and engage new clients. Now that I’m CTO of a startup, Kynetx, my blog is a great way to tell people what we’re doing.
Favorite post? I’ve done more than 3,600 posts since I started blogging, so picking a favorite is hard. If I had to pick one, it would probably be a post I did in July 2002 called “Enabling Web Services.” The post contains 12 principles that all government agencies should follow when putting anything online. The list is a little dated now, but the idea isn’t: Government needs to be open and transparent and the Web is the best tool for achieving that. The post received wide redistribution, a lot of comments and was linked to by many people. I credit that post with much of my blog’s early popularity.

Favorite comments you’ve received on your blog? The ones that teach me something and lead my thinking in new directions.

Key to a reader-friendly blog? Don’t put ads in my face. Be interesting and write well.

Biggest mistake bloggers make? Thinking it’s a place to put press releases. Send press releases to the press — not your customers.   Blogs need to have a human voice and be interesting.

STARTUP PRINCESS
(www.startupprincess.com)

Blogger Kelly King Anderson —”The Princess”

Blog Focus A networking and educational forum for women entrepreneurs

Blogging Since July 2006
Day Job Mom, founder of StartupPrincess
Other Forms of Social Networking Used Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

Why did you start the blog? I wanted to reach out to other women entrepreneurs and learn how they were balancing life, family and startup. At the time I had a new baby and two other young children and wanted to launch a startup (which I had won recognition for at national business plan competitions), yet I was seriously struggling to raise funds for it. I wanted to create my dream business but didn’t know what to do next. Then I went to a brainstorm lunch with Paul Allen and other entrepreneurs in startups. Paul talked about the power of blogging for marketing purposes and I was intrigued, so that night I read his blog and was inspired. I wanted to write about my experience as a first-time entrepreneur and share with other women in the startup phase, and I hoped somehow we could help each other succeed. As I started thinking about the blog and what it could be, I had the idea to develop the concept into an organization rather than just an online resource/blog. And then the name came, which has since become our magic … StartupPrincess.com.

Why do you keep blogging? We have momentum now, so that helps! We have a wonderful, tight community that I love serving and sharing insights with.

How do you come up with post ideas? After two years of blogging, I started to learn about having guest bloggers — and I’ve never looked back. I love our team of 30 Fairy Godmothers who write for us and share their expertise. Now I get to write when I feel passionate about a topic or motivated by a presentation, book, concept or resource I want to share.

Favorite post? My favorite post was my very first one because I didn’t know what I was doing and it was such a moment of joy and fear all wrapped up in one when I hit “publish” and shared it with the world. I’ll never forget that moment.

Best comment you’ve ever received on your blog? I wrote a post last Fall called “How to Get Someone To Review Your Book,” and I mentioned that people like Seth Godin or Guy Kawasaki don’t have to ask top bloggers to review their books, but for the rest of us we need a strategy to know how to properly approach bloggers. Shortly thereafter, I received a comment from Guy (who must have been notified from his Google Alerts) requesting I review his next book, “Reality Check.”Very smooth and endearing.

Favorite blogger? If I had to pick one that would be tough. I always read Courtney Kendrick’s blog, blog.cjanerun.com, and her sister Stephanie Nielson’s, www.nieniedialogues.com. But for business-related topics/inspiration, I love Seth Godin and ZenHabits.net.

Key to a reader-friendly blog? Great headlines, interesting images, bullet points in posts, clean design, a friendly image of the author and a clear niche.

Advice to bloggers? Answer your readers’ e-mails or questions. Your readers want to be heard — they hear you. Don’t hire someone to write your blog for you (or to do your updates in social media). The point of blogging is to share one’s voice, to be authentic, and to encourage and foster a community. If you need to hire someone to work with you in your blog, then share the space together and give them recognition as a blogger for your company.

SHMULA
(www.shmula.com)
Blogger Peter Abilla — “The Observer”

Blog Focus Technology, business and operations
Blogging Since March 2006
Day Job Employed at Backcountry.com
Other Forms of Social Networking Used Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

Why did you start the blog? I needed an outlet for my overly-busy mind, so I started the blog as a hobby.

Why do you keep blogging? My mind remains quite busy, and I haven’t found a better outlet than blogging.

How do you come up with post ideas? Lean and design thinking principles can be applied in any situation — my ideas come from everyday experiences.

Best comments you’ve received on your blog? The mean comments — I learn from them the most.

Number of blogs you follow? Less than 10.

Favorite blogger? My wife — www.angieabillablog.blogspot.com.

Keys to a reader-friendly blog? Be interesting, accessible and help the reader quickly apply the concepts in order for them to be successful.

Biggest mistake bloggers make? Businesses sometimes view blogs as another public relations channel, when they are clearly not. PR is asymmetric communication; blogging and other social media are symmetric — a conversation. Unless a business is ready to speak with their customers, businesses shouldn’t blog, use Twitter or Facebook.

PAUL ALLEN
(THE LESSER)
(www.paulallen.net)
Blogger Paul Allen — “The Mentor”

Blog Focus An Internet marketing blog with splashes of religion and politics
Blogging Since November 2003
Day Job CEO of FamilyLink.com
Other Forms of Social Networking Used Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

Why did you start the blog? I was inspired by Phil Windley.

Why do you keep blogging? 1) It creates conversations with readers who make me smarter, because they often know more than I do. 2) It creates transparency about who I am and what I think, which leads to trust from people I do business with. 3) It generates business opportunities as like-minded people find my blog and contact me about working together. 4) It is the best recruiting tool we have. 5) Forcing myself to write makes me think more clearly about important topics.

How do you come up with post ideas? I have them all the time while reading or having conversations. I write them into a memo on my Blackberry whenever they pop into my head, and then I review them later. I usually have 10 ideas for every one that I actually write about.

Favorite post? May 2007, the day of the launch of Facebook Platform. I wrote for about two hours on how Facebook was going to be the largest social network in the world. I got more readers on this post than any other as well as a link from Marc Andreessen, who founded Netscape and more recently founded and funded Ning.com. He’s a Silicon Valley legend, and it was amazing that he read my post and linked to it from his blog.

Number of blogs you follow? I subscribe to 110 blogs, and I actually pay to get three important blogs delivered wirelessly to my Amazon Kindle every day, even though they are free online.

Favorite blogger? Fred Wilson from A VC and Nick O’Neill from Inside Facebook.

Key to a reader-friendly blog? Stay on topic, which is something I don’t do, because I cover too many personal interests on my blog. I ought to split it into three or four topical blogs, but I don’t write enough to justify doing that. So I ought to categorize my posts better. My readers about Internet entrepreneurship probably don’t care about my political or religious posts.

Biggest mistake bloggers make? Boring. Corp-speak. Not from a real person.

GIVE AWAY TODAY
(giveawaytoday.blogspot.com)

Blogger Emily Cushing — “The Giver”

Blog Focus Highlights local companies by hosting daily giveaways
Blogging Since December 2008
Day Job Mom, founder of Give Away Today
Other Forms of Social Networking Used Twitter, Facebook

Why did you start the blog? I liked visiting a popular site, which hosted giveaways every now and then. One day while visiting this site I thought to myself, “It would be cool if there was a site that gave something away every single weekday. You would check the blog each day to discover the new giveaway item, receive a discount from the featured company and see if you were the previous day’s winner.” I started sending e-mails to companies and wah-lah! Give Away Today was born.

Why do you keep blogging? I love discovering new products and sharing them with the readers of Give Away Today. I also enjoy working with the companies I feature. It’s rewarding when I feature a company and they sell out of a certain item or the total visitors to their shoppe triples the day they are on my site. And of course, I love the readers of Give Away Today and all of their great comments.

How do you come up with post ideas? My posts coincide with the product or the company that is being featured that day. With each company I feature, I work hard to write a post that will show their products in a way that will be appealing to the readers of Give Away Today.

Favorite post? One of my favorite posts was about Hand Picked Daisy — it is a local company that makes cute journals. In the post I explained how each night before going to bed, I write my five favorite things that happened to me that day in my journal. I asked the readers of Give Away Today to share in the comments section their five favorite things that happened to them that day. The responses were really positive and fun to read. My sister later told me that her friend ordered some journals and gave one to her mother-in-law, who has terminal cancer. She asked her mother-in-law to do the “Five Favorite Things” journaling method. I was happy to know that a simple idea I shared was adopted by someone else.

Favorite Comment? I often ask the readers of Give Away Today to answer questions about themselves. Their answers are my favorite comments to read. Some answers that have made me laugh were when readers shared their most embarrassing moments, bad clothing and hairstyles they’ve worn in the past, and the one beauty product they would want if they were stranded on a deserted island with a really hot guy.

Favorite blogger? Why CJane and NieNie, of course. I also love The Pioneer Woman. So witty, so real, so well-written.

What makes for a reader-friendly blog? A blog that is so witty, so real, so well-written.

Biggest mistake bloggers make? Businesses need to make sure their overall blog design and the images of their products are of high-quality and appealing to the readers.

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by BRIANA STEWART
photography by INSTUDIO BY KENNETH LINGE

It should have been a sure thing.

After all, Scale Eight, a Silicon Valley-based provider of scaleable storage software technologies, certainly had the resume. During its four-year run, the company raised more than $60 million in venture capital; had more than 200 employees; had offices in San Francisco, New York, Virginia, Tokyo and London; had contracts with multibillion-dollar companies like Microsoft, Viacom, and Fujitsu; and had Red Herring magazine name it one of the “50 privately-held companies most likely to change the world.”

But 10 years later, Scale Eight is a shoulda, coulda, woulda.

The beginning of the end

It was the summer of 1999 — the height of the dot-com bubble — and 25-year-old Josh Coates had a product, a pitch and a plan. His idea? Now-patented technology that would revolutionize data storage and change it from a hardware business to a software business.

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It’s back — in all of its growing green glory. The UV50 — which features the county’s 25 Fastest-Growing Companies (measured by percentage growth over a three-year period), 15 Top Revenue Companies and 10 Startups to Watch — has enjoyed another year of record-ranking success.

Meet all 50 winners, and go inside seven companies that share how they did it — in their own words.

BY BRIANA STEWART  |  PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRYANT LIVINGSTON PHOTOGRAPHY

UV50 CONTENTS
Fastest-Growing Companies
Top Revenue Companies
Startups To Watch

FEATURED WINNERS
NetSteps
AtTask
Simplicity Group
Five Star Painting
Best Vinyl
NuSkin
Zoobie Pets

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MAGAZINE ONLINE

*** Video by Issimo Productions.

Don’t call Jessica Devenish “the boss.” She doesn’t like it. (With the exception of this article title, of course.) But really, the CEO of Checknet, a collections agency in Provo, is big on team — small on titles. Perhaps it’s because she has so many of them.

Devenish is a wife, mom, CEO, sister, daughter, cowgirl, friend, chauffeur, mentor, hunter, networker and motivator. Truly, she changes hats with the best of them. It’s a wonder she never has hat hair.

Devenish’s frizz-free success has undoubtedly come from good old-fashioned hard work. As a teenager, working her way up in the family business, she chose determination over coattails. As a leader, she motivates rather than dictates. And as a working mom, she’s realistic to challenges but optimistic to potential.

“You just keep working hard, learning from both your triumphs and mistakes,” she says. “And then you do better the next day.”

Devenish sat down with Utah Valley BusinessQ to share the ins and outs, highs and lows of being a woman in the workplace. Find out how she once used giggling as a decoy and why she and the zoo have a love-hate relationship.

Briana Stewart, Utah Valley BusinessQ: Have you always wanted to work?
Jessica Devenish: I started working for my dad when I was 15. And once I started working, I never wanted to stop. My senior year of high school I went to school in the morning and then to work in the afternoon. I was hooked.

Q: What did you love about it?
Devenish: I had great clients I loved to talk to, I was making great money, and I was good at it. It all felt really natural. I actually signed Novell when I was 18. They didn’t know how old I was.

Q: How’d you manage that?
Devenish: I never really said my age. They’d ask how old I was, and I’d just give a little giggle and say, “I’m young. You don’t want to know.” (laughs)

Q: Giggling — the great distraction. But really, that shows quite the determination for someone so young.
Devenish: Well, I’m a methodical person by nature. I know what I want and I go after it. I knew how old I wanted to be when I got married — 21. I knew I wanted to have my first child at 25, and I knew I wanted to be done having kids at 30. And I did just that.

Q: What’s it like being the boss?
Devenish: I laugh when you call me the boss. My employees know I don’t like it. I absolutely want things the way I want them, but I want to be a team player while doing it. In fact, our IT guys name all of the computers in the office, and they named mine “Boss Lady.” (smiles) It’s changed now.

Q: Surely there’s at least one perk to being the boss.
Devenish: The thing I like most is my kids’ perception of it. They say that when they grow up, they want to be the boss — just like mom.

Q: Before you became the boss, you were the boss’ daughter. What was that like?
Devenish: There is absolutely a judgment or perception there, so I learned how to work harder. My dad was hard on me, and so were all of my managers. But I was always No. 1 on the sales contests because it made me say, “I can do this on my own — not because I’m the boss’ daughter. I’m equal to you. I’m just as capable as you are. So watch out because here I am.”

Q: How would you describe your leadership style?
Devenish: You should ask my managers that question. I’m curious. I feel like I’m a great motivator. I get that from my dad. I’m always looking for the positive, and anyone who knows me knows I love motivational quotes.

Q: I see them around your office.
Devenish: People spend so much time at work, and it’s my job to make them energized to be here. We’ve done our best to create a positive, family-like environment. Just look at my office — I’ve got pictures everywhere, a comfy chair for people to sit in. It looks like my house, except here I don’t have any deer hanging on the walls.

Q: So that culture of family has been key.
Devenish: Absolutely. It’s all about culture. And, you know, it’s about recognition, too. We make a point to continually praise our employees. Although I’ve learned you don’t praise expected behavior; you praise exceptional behavior. There’s a big difference.

Q: How do you think being a woman has affected your career?
Devenish: Good question. I suppose I don’t ever really think about it. I don’t see it as a man’s world or a woman’s world. The only time I do notice it is when I sit on various advisory boards. For some reason, I end up being the one taking notes and doing the scheduling.

Q: Because you’re the woman?
Devenish: Because I’m the woman. On the one hand, it’s a compliment because they’re looking to me to keep us on track. But on the other hand, I don’t even take notes at my own company! (laughs)

Q: Gotta love irony.
Devenish: Other than that, though, I don’t really see a big difference. Maybe I’m naive to think it doesn’t matter and that talented people are just talented.

Q: What have been the benefits of being a woman in business?
Devenish: There’s a connection between women in the workplace. For example, I did a presentation in Colorado yesterday to a group of a few men and one woman. And there was a point where this woman and I made a connection — all the men faded away and we were able to just talk. Now, that’s not to say you can’t have those connections with your male colleagues, but it comes so naturally to women.

Q: What are some misconceptions of women in the workplace?
Devenish: Probably that we’re a minority. I never think of a business as woman-owned or man-owned. There is a little bit of a “you go girl” feeling when you find out a business is owned by a woman — a rah-rah attitude. But I really feel like women-owned businesses aren’t nearly as rare as they used to be.

Q: Do you think women are harder on other women at work?
Devenish: I’m actually probably harder on my man. (Devenish’s management team is made up of one man, seven women.) I know he’s not going to cry and that sincerely, deep down, he won’t take it personally. For women, there’s that emotional piece in us — it’s just how we’re built. Not all women take things personally, but we certainly have a mechanism that makes us more sensitive. In many cases, reprimanding a man is easier than reprimanding a woman.

Q: Nearly every businesswoman I talk to — who is also a mom — mentions guilt. Is that true with you?
Devenish: Oh, guilt. I hate that word. But it’s absolutely true. School field trip days are the worst. The zoo and guilt go hand-in-hand for me. Obviously, I set my own schedule and can make plans to go, but there are always times when something comes up and you can’t make it. It’s heart-wrenching.

Q: I can imagine.
Devenish: So now I don’t tell my kids when I’m planning to come. That way they’re pleasantly surprised when mom shows up. But believe me. I learned the hard way.

Q: Where do you think the guilt comes from?
Devenish: Maybe part of it’s that my mom didn’t work. She was home. We’re really close, and you want to be just as close with your own kids. And then you have those worry days where you know you work too much.

Q: So what’s your solution? How do you wage the guilt wars?
Devenish: I’m very conscious of my situation and I’m always looking to see how my kids are being affected by my work. They’re my barometer on how I’m doing. I don’t ever want my kids to feel like they come second. The minute I tell them, “Just hold on a minute, I need to take care of this,” I’ve lost them. They don’t hear a word. I’m like the Charlie Brown teacher.

Q: What about the issue of balance — another hot topic for working women.
Devenish: You know, I just don’t think a true balance is possible. It’s what we strive and hope for every day. But some days, no matter what choices I make, I’m going to let someone down — my husband, my kids, my team. Some days, someone is not going to get my 100 percent.

Q: Is that hard to reconcile?
Devenish: It is. And I think about it every day of my life. But you know what, I’ve gotten better at it over the years. The first eight years I didn’t take a vacation. I didn’t take more than four days off when I had my babies. I was insane.

Q: What changed?
Devenish: In February of 2006, my husband and I took the kids to Disneyland for a whole week. It was exhilarating. It was good for the team to know they could handle things, and it was good for me to know I could leave and everything would be OK. It wasn’t an arrogance thing — I’ve always had unconditional faith and trust in my team. But, and many entrepreneurs will understand this, Jessica and Checknet were not two entities. I became the company.

Q: That has to get overwhelming.
Devenish: Without a doubt. But ever since that vacation, ever since I started to make time for myself, I’ve been Jessica again. When it comes down to it, true balance comes from happiness at home. Family first — then everything else falls into place. These are secrets learned from many mistakes along the way.

Q: What is your “you” time like?
Devenish: I’m big into meditation. That’s my saving grace for when things get muddy. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing — I could even be in the middle of a chaotic situation — I turn off and meditate.

Q: What about boundaries? Are there any rules you set to help separate your roles?
Devenish: I try hard not to work nights or weekends. But technology, as fabulous as it is, can take over your life. I’m a phone junkie, an e-mail junkie — it’s my umbilical cord. So there are certainly times where I have to consciously decide to put it in the other room and not check it. It’s hard to shut it down, though. Definitely a learned habit.

Q: Do you have advice for other women in business?
Devenish: Be realistic. That perfect balance is a mythical dream in the sky. Don’t set yourself up for unrealistic expectations — you can’t always be “perfect.” My dad and I always say the phrase, “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.” And when we’re in the trenches of work, frustrated and just not functioning, we have to remind ourselves of that. It’s our knock upside the head.

Q: What motivates you?
Devenish: Being a great leader. I want to be that person my team looks to for direction and advice. I want them to feel like they can rely on me.

Q: Who’s your mentor?
Devenish: My dad in business, my mom in life. I always say if my kids adore me half as much as I do my parents, I’m fulfilled.

Q: What do you admire most about your mom?
Devenish: She’s always been so open and is an amazing listener. I can talk to her about anything.

Q: What do you want your kids to most admire about you?
Devenish: My kids always say, “You have so many friends, you know so many people.” I like that they recognize that. I always make my girls meet someone new at school every week. Most importantly, though, I want them to like themselves better when they are with me.

Q: Do you have any business philosophies?
Devenish: I could quote my Dad all day long on this question. He always taught me to never burn bridges, because you never know when you’ll need to cross them again. That lesson has stuck with me. And, really, it’s all about how you treat people. Treat them the way you want to be treated — that’s how I was raised.

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