First of all, the man knows people. Even better? He connects them.

“I can’t think of anything more fun than connecting people,” says Bradford, whose wife, Linda, coined his “Human Internet” nickname. “People make businesses happen. It’s that simple.”

Bradford makes businesses happen, too. We’re talking Novell. FundingUniverse. Sorenson Capital. Omniture. LDS.biz. Fusion-io.

Whether Bradford’s role is large or limited, he’s instrumental.

Take Woz, for example. You know, Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple. (No big deal.) Bradford hired him as the chief scientist for Fusion-io after a chance meeting in Sun Valley, Idaho. Who hires Steve Wozniak?

The Human Internet, that’s who.

BusinessQ sat down with Bradford to navigate his lawyer-turned-tech-guru career, to discover what Utah Valley company he’s got his eye on, and to copy (er, learn) just what keys to success he’s been clicking.

Briana Stewart, managing editor of BusinessQ: Why don’t we start with your Utah Valley beginnings. Let’s talk Novell.
David Bradford: It was Sept. 15, 1985. My father passed away, and I remember that date because it was my mother’s birthday. Later that month, I came up to Utah to discuss estate planning with my sisters. I was driving down I-15 and saw a large Novell billboard around 800 North in Orem. I thought, “I’ve heard of those guys.” So I got to the Orem Center Street exit, did a U-turn and drove to their headquarters. I had no idea what I was doing or why I was doing it.

Q: You’re kidding.
Bradford: Nope. I didn’t even know they were based in Utah! I thought they were in Silicon Valley. So I walked up to Carol Carlson, the receptionist, — who’s still a good friend — and told her I was here to meet with the president of the company. I didn’t even know who the president was! But she said today was my lucky day because Mr. Noorda happened to be in town. “What did I want to see him about?” she asked me.

Q: Did you even know the answer to that?
Bradford: (laughs) Not yet. But I told her I was a lawyer who had practiced in the tech industry for a few years, and that I had heard about Novell and wanted to stop in and say hello. So I’m sitting down in this rotunda lobby, and I spy this job board with position listings — shipping and receiving, marketing specialist, sales — and then there it was: corporate legal counsel. It was like, “Oh my gosh.”

Q: Fate.
Bradford: Fate. So Mr. Noorda came out and shook my hand. I told him I saw the position on the wall for corporate legal counsel and wanted to talk about it further. Two weeks later, I moved my wife and four kids out to Utah.

Q: Now that’s a hiring story.
Bradford: And it gets better. In my 15 years there, I saw the company grow from $70 million in revenue to more than $2 billion. It was a great run, and I learned so much from three of its CEOs: Ray Noorda, Bob Frankenberg and Eric Schmidt.

Q: And then in 2000 you retired.
Bradford: Well, semi-retired. I got my golf game together and became an adviser to tech companies.

Q: Including Omniture.
Bradford: That’s right — although back then it was MyComputer.com. They really morphed their strategy over time, and when they started focusing on Web analytics, they were a power to be reckoned with. Josh (James) and John (Pestana) are great.

Q: Who else were you working with at that time?
Bradford: I was the chair of the advisory board for Wasatch Ventures, which would later become Epic Ventures. I also helped in the formative stages of Sorenson Capital — Steve Young, who is a close personal friend, invited me to participate in that early endeavor.

Q: So when did FundingUniverse come into play?
Bradford: It was around 2003. Paul Allen and I were sitting together at a conference, and we started talking about how there needed to be a website that linked entrepreneurs to angel investors.

Q: Have you always been interested in the investing world?
Bradford: I love connecting people — wherever those opportunities may be. It’s actually become a theme in my life: Help people, and it will come back to you tenfold.

Q: So Fusion-io. How did you get involved initially?
Bradford: It all goes back to that same theme: Take care of people and they’ll take care of you. In 2003, Don Basile reached out to me. I know a lot of venture capitalists in the state, and he was interested in purchasing some of their assets. So we spent some time together, and I introduced him to people. At the time I wasn’t thinking about how I was going to benefit. He was a smart guy, and that was enough for me.

Q: Then what happened?
Bradford: In 2008, Don reached back out to me about Fusion-io. He told me, “I think we have a big winner here. I appreciate what you did for me five years ago, and I’d love to involve you.” I met with key people and was impressed by this fast-growing company and its disruptive technology. I became chair of their advisory board June 1, 2008. Then I found this guy Steve Wozniak.

Q: I’ve been waiting to hear this story!
Bradford: I was in Sun Valley, Idaho, to do a little one-hour speech for the Utah Bar Association. As I was leaving the venue, I saw a piece of paper on a table that said the keynote speaker was Steve Wozniak. And I thought, “I gotta hang around for this.” So I went into the auditorium and sat down next to a beautiful young lady named Julie Roebuck. I introduced myself, and she did the same. Turns out she was Steve Wozniak’s executive assistant.

Q: Now there’s a handy coincidence.
Bradford: I’d say so. I told her about my background, and she said, “You have to meet Steve. He’ll be thrilled to talk to another tech guy.” So after his keynote, I went up, shook his hand and told him all about Fusion-io. The conversation ended with me saying, “Gosh, would you like to be on our advisory board?”

Q: That takes guts!
Bradford: You’d think so. But I believed in what we were doing. So I sent him an e-mail invitation later that night, and within 24 hours I got a reply back saying he’d be honored to join our team. I thought, “Are you kidding me? How did we do that?” Woz gets opportunities like this thrown at him constantly, and to have him accept was a complete privilege and thrill. But the best part? After meeting with Fusion-io’s executives, David Flynn and Rick White, Steve asked to play a larger role in the company.

Q: Now that’s a compliment.
Bradford: It was crazy. How does this little Utah-based tech company do that? In retrospect — and I say this somewhat tongue and cheek — it may just be the greatest hire in the history of technology companies.

Q: And it all started because you picked up a flier.
Bradford: Sometimes the best jobs and opportunities are ones you walk in on.

Q: Describe what it’s like working at Fusion-io — the energy, the culture.
Bradford: It was like the early days of Novell — everyone going 100 miles an hour. People come in early and stay late. And they love doing what they’re doing.

Q: Sounds infectious.
Bradford: Greg Butterfield describes it as an energy that elevates everyone. You start with a passion for what you are doing, and then you blend in the fact that what you’re doing can change the world. You feel unstoppable.

Q: And the company’s been unstoppable because of it.
Bradford: During the time I was CEO, the Wall Street Journal named Fusion-io America’s most promising company. The Wall Street Journal! And BusinessWeek conducted a poll that rated us the No. 1 most innovative company. Some of it is certainly attributed to Woz — he elevated our level of credibility. But the other component — which I preach all the time — is that human talent means everything.

Q: Now the company has gone public. What’s it really like to make the transition from a private to public company?
Bradford: Exhilarating. You start by selecting the investment bankers, and it’s amazing to see the level of enthusiasm they have for your company — the Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgans of the world asking if there is any way they can work with you.

Q: That has to be a great moment.
Bradford: It’s surreal. And then on June 9, my wife, Linda, and I were back at the New York Stock Exchange with the rest of the Fusion-io team. We went up on the podium, and David (Flynn) and Woz rang the bell together. It was heavy stuff. But what was really cool is you’re sitting there, the bell has been rung and trading has started with hundreds of people yelling prices. You have no idea what’s going on, but the one thing you know is your company’s stock was 19 bucks a share the night before, and then it opens at 25 bucks a share. You’re just sitting there going, “This is so way cool.”

Q: Now a big project of yours is LDS.biz.
Bradford: Wow! You are all over my stuff.

Q: Journalism is what you call a legal form of stalking.
Bradford: (laughs) Well, when it comes to LDS.biz, I need to put more time and energy behind it. I still love the idea and want to build something cool and useful for the LDS business community. I don’t know that we’ve found that killer app yet. But we’ll get there.

Q: What is it about the technology field that excites you most?
Bradford: I love being involved in the latest technology trends. I’m not a tech person when it comes to my education, but I love being able to spot trends that will speak to people.

Q: What’s a trend — or future trend — that excites you right now?
Bradford: Let’s talk VIEW — the Virtual Immersive Educational World. It’s something Linda has built in connection with her Ph.D. It’s a new software platform for higher education whereby students can participate in a class inside of a virtual world. It’s groundbreaking! Linda teaches Art 326 at BYU, and students from all over come in as avatars, view PowerPoint presentations and participate in class discussions.

Q: It must be 2011 or something.
Bradford: You know it. The deal is people learn best in mediums they are accustomed to. Most kids today grow up playing video games and participating in virtual worlds. These days, my grandkids get into these virtual worlds and hit the ground flying.

Q: I know what you mean. My daughter could unlock and scroll through my iPhone at 11 months old.
Bradford: Exactly!

Q: You’ve really become a master of all trades.
Bradford: We’re into so many things I get tired. (laughs) But seriously, it’s all good. We’ve found that in life you get what you put into it. I talk to people. I learn from people. Listening to people has been a huge key to my success.

Q: Do you ever get tired of technology? Do you have to “turn off”?
Bradford: I turn off with sports — that’s my outlet. I play hard and I work hard. I’m up at 6 a.m. and in bed by 11 p.m.

Q: What about social media? Is there such a thing as too much?
Bradford: People have to learn how to organize their social media — I have categorized my 5,000 Facebook contacts into work, entrepreneurs, golf, human resources, LDS, PR, etc. It makes it much more efficient when I need to reach out to a certain arena. Plus, I set aside an hour or two a day to participate on Facebook, LinkedIn and the like. And then I leave it. You will typically see my posts between 6 and 7 in the morning.

Q: You were Utah’s Executive of the Year in 2010. What do those kinds of titles mean to you?
Bradford: I was deeply honored. But the best part was that my family was there to celebrate it with me.

Q: Who is your choice for Utah Executive of the Year for 2011?
Bradford: Can I list a few? David Flynn of Fusion-io. Amy Rees Anderson at MediConnect. Carine Clark at Symantech. Carine is just great.

Q: What makes Utah Valley such a desirable place for tech companies?
Bradford: We have a lot of geeks who live here. (laughs) Geeks rule the world! I love to connect with them. Just think about the heritage of this valley! In the late ’80s and early ’90s, the four largest software companies were Lotus, Microsoft, Novell and WordPerfect. And two of them were located within five miles of each other here in Utah County. From that heritage we have spun Altiris, Omniture, Fusion-io. This is a special place for technology companies.

Q: Where do you see Utah Valley’s tech landscape in the next five years?
Bradford: You will see an infusion of capital in the state. One way in which this valley continues to get replenished is through the technology sector. It’s through people investing in local companies, liquidating a portion of their assets and then reinvesting that money back into the economy. It’s what happened with Fusion-io. Fusion-io’s market value right now is almost three times higher than Altiris’ was when it sold to Symantech, and it’s about a billion dollars more than Omniture’s when it sold to Adobe. How crazy is that? Hit me! (Gives me a high-five.)

Q: Are there any Utah Valley tech companies you have your eye on?
Bradford: I like AtTask. It’s a solid if not spectacular company. Also, AdaptiveComputing — they are going to do great, great things.

Q: Why do you think you’ve been successful? What’s made the difference for you?
Bradford: I’ve just surrounded myself with good people. I’m never afraid to hire people smarter than I am. You’re never going to be successful if you keep pressing people down. Let them have their wings.

Q: When do you feel most successful?
Bradford: I feel successful when I’m surrounded by my kids and grandkids. I also feel successful when customers respond to the message by writing checks. Yeah, that feels pretty great.

Q: You’ve had some amazing business partners. Who taught you the most?
Bradford: Ray Noorda and Eric Schmidt. From Ray I learned the power of distribution networks and how important it is to have what you would describe as a big brother strategic partner — people who can pull you up, take your product and move it into the marketplace. Eric is a great organizer and a great reader. He would come into meetings incredibly prepared, which has caused me to do the same. When I go into meetings with the smart guys, I want to keep up. Readers are leaders.

Q: Do you have a dream business partner?
Bradford: My wife.

Q: What makes a great leader?
Bradford: There is no perfect leader. There are people we put on pedestals because they have had major successes, but every one of them has their strengths and their weaknesses. The best leaders understand what their weaknesses are and know how to backfill.

Q: What makes a great team?
Bradford: When everyone understands that at the end of the day, people matter most. Life is too short to make enemies.

Q: What would people be surprised to know about you?
Bradford: I was a cheerleader for BYU back in ’72 and ’73. We called them yell leaders then.

Q: What’s next for you?
Bradford: I’m eyeing a few options. And I’m actually writing a book about my experiences and what I’ve learned. It’s been a lot of fun. Hopefully it will be out sometime early next year.

Q: What advice do you have for tech-driven entrepreneurs?
Bradford: Live your dream. Live your passion. Work relentlessly. Not everyone is willing to put in the effort necessary to be world class at something. Be world class at what you do.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE STORY ONLINE

Prepare to be charmed by these local companies that have risen above a recession (hello, 1,800 percent growth!), had stellar sales (hello, billion dollars!) and gotten cheeky with their marketing (hello, tongue costume!).
Devour the lists to see which companies next door made rank. Plus, we’ll take you inside six businesses that share how in the world they did it.

BY BRIANA STEWART | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRYANT LIVINGSTON PHOTOGRAPHY

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BY BRIANA STEWART • PHOTOGRAPHY BY KENNETH LINGE

Think women in business. What comes to mind?

Glass ceiling? Girl power? Balance? Gossip? Guilt? Emotions? Devil? Prada? Nurturing? Competitive? Supportive? Rare?

Yep. These words conjure up a discourse of champions. We just can’t stop talking about working women, and by extension, the who, what, where, when and how of them.

Which begs the question … is what we think about women in business, in fact, a fact? Or are decades-old deterrents determining our perception of reality?

Local businesswomen know the answer. And BusinessQ thought it was high time they told us what’s boss.

KRISTINE WIDTFELDT never wanted a career — she wanted a job.

“I had this fairy tale idea that somewhere between my junior and senior year of college, prince charming would come, we’d live in a basement apartment and I would recite Shakespeare to my cute little children once they were born,” says Widtfeldt, who is now the vice president of Close To My Heart, a multimillion-dollar company in Pleasant Grove. “But it didn’t happen. I graduated from BYU single and thought, ‘I guess I could get a job.’”

So that’s what she did. And you know what? She was good at it.

The husband and children (and we hopeth the Shakespeare) eventually came, but Kristine still found herself in the workplace for one reason or another.

“Early on I kept telling myself, ‘This is a fun job. I’ll do this until I have a baby or until Pete is done with graduate school,’” she says. “But it turns out I naturally excelled at what I was doing because I didn’t have the pressure of being the breadwinner. I made job choices that were fun and interesting to me because I never thought they would be long term. But then one day, I woke up and realized I totally have a career — a fantastic one. And best of all, I’m passionate about it.”

So the decision was made: Widtfeldt would work full-time, and her husband would be the stay-at-home dad.

“Our situation wouldn’t work for everyone,” Widtfeldt says. “We get that. But it works for us.”

SANDIE TILLOTSON dreamed of growing up and one day owning a ranch.

“Yes, a ranch,” she laughs.

She was born and raised in Long Island, New York, and vividly remembers walking down the New York City streets, gazing at pie-in-the-sky penthouses with her father. She told him she wanted to live there and asked him how to make it happen. “You have to work really hard,” he told her.

“I said, ‘But Dad, you work really hard, and we don’t live there.’ And he told me, ‘You have to work smart, too.’ I told him I wanted to do it, and he told me I could.”

Could she ever. Fast-forward to adulthood, and Sandie stands as one of the co-founders of Nu Skin. You know, the Provo-based company that did $1.3 billion in 2009 alone?

If that ranch could see her now.

KATE MALONEY was a 16-year-old with a plan. Well, a plan of sorts.

With an early high school graduation date and a ticket to BYU, Maloney hadn’t picked a major, but she had picked her title: entrepreneur.

“I probably had six or seven different majors in college. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life,” says Maloney, who is the co-founder of Costume Craze, a $10-million business in Pleasant Grove. “But whatever it was I wanted, I knew I wanted my own of it.”

Her own of it. Now there’s a concept.

The now 29-year-old grew up in a generation where of course she could have her own business — where of course it didn’t matter that she was a woman.

And it’s a concept — thanks to women like Maloney, Tillotson and Widtfeldt — that has become wonderfully run of the mill.

NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT
According to the Center for Women’s Business Research 2008 study, there are 83,500 privately-held women-owned firms in Utah. What’s more, said firms are generating more than $14 billion in sales, employing more than 100,000 people in Utah and accounting for 37.3 percent of all privately-held firms in the state.

In short? Women aren’t kidding around.

And a big part of that success is undoubtedly thanks to Utah Valley’s positive environment. (Insert any Happy Valley remark of your choice.)

“I have found there to be so much respect for women in the workplace,” says Elyce Jones, who has worked for corporate tech giants like Novell, Omniture and Altirus. “Utah Valley is the coolest place to be working in technology.”

Lindsay Grauling, an executive at APX Alarm in Provo, describes her experience being a career woman as amazing.

“I’ve always been treated as a complete equal, and my point of view as a woman has always been valued — and I work with a bunch of men!” Lindsay says.

In actuality, being a woman in business can even give you a leg up.

“If anything, I have found Utah Valley to favor women,” says Carla Meine, CEO of IdealShape in Lindon. “When people find out I own a business, I get asked to be on all kinds of boards and committees. They want all the women they can get!”

And for Meine, it’s a dynamic that has a touch of irony.

“You know, when I first started working, I was saying ‘yes’ to everyone I could get my hands on,” she says. “And now I get so many inquiries I have to say ‘no’ a lot of the time. I have to pick and choose what I’m involved in. It’s a different world these days.”

MOM’S THE WORD
That pick-and-choose approach to business is no stranger to women. For years, working moms have had to navigate the likes of conference calls and parent-teacher conferences.

“When my kids were a little younger and I worked part time, I didn’t just have my toe in both worlds — I was up to my knee caps!” says Widtfeldt, who has also worked for Stephen Hales Creative in Provo and FranklinCovey in Salt Lake City. “Amidst work, I was constantly tossing in loads of laundry and racing to soccer games and piano recitals.”

But thanks to extremely flexible employers, Widtfeldt’s knees have remained largely unscathed.

“Most of the employers I’ve had — including the LDS Church — have offered me flexible schedules with flexible pay. These companies have appreciated what women have to offer, and in the end they gave me leeway because they trusted I would deliver,” Widtfeldt says. “And now that I’m back full time, I don’t feel like I’ve missed those moments with my family.”

That notion of flextime has revolutionized the way mothers (and certainly fathers) do business. And when you throw in technology advancements of the past decade, it’s clear the Internet is the limit.

“The technology age has afforded women unprecedented opportunities,” Tillotson says. “We need to use it to the best of our ability. We need to stay on top of our game.”

That being said, not every job or employer can offer flextime. And what’s more, flextime can often have you flexing all the day long.

“It’s so difficult to leave work behind,” says Kathy Anderson, an office administrator at Fillmore Spencer, a law firm in Provo. “I know so many women who are working non-stop. It’s hard not to let work carry over into your personal life.”

Bottom line: Being a working mom isn’t easy — no matter how wonderful you’ve got it.

“Challenging is the key word,” says Kelley Johnson, who is the director of global brand and marketing communications at Novell. “There are so many different emotions and challenges that come with being a working mother. It’s the syndrome of wanting to be good at everything. High expectations make it difficult for us to not feel guilt at all times.”

FACT OR FICTION?
Whether you’re married, a mom or single, perceptions about what it means to be a woman in business still pervade our thoughts. Some are true, some are false, and some are a big ol’ depends. Below is a look at 10 of those perceptions — and the verdict on how they hold up in 2011.

Perception #1:
Women still face a glass ceiling.
It’s the symbol of feminism, but the question still remains: Is there a glass ceiling, or have women shattered it to high (heel) heaven?

“I’d say no,” says Grauling, who worked her way up at APX from administrator to executive. “What women set out to accomplish, they can do. No question.”

So why are there still more men than women at the top?

“At Nu Skin, we’ve made it a point to promote women VPs and look for qualified female candidates,” Tillotson says. “But the reality is that many qualified women are staying home — and I don’t blame them. If they can and they want to, they should. The truth is that upper management is a huge time commitment, and many women aren’t willing to make that sacrifice.”

Shauna Theobald, program manager for the Technology Center at Novell, agrees.

“Many women typically interrupt their careers when they have a children, making their position in the workforce a little more vulnerable,” she says. “I have to stress that this isn’t a negative. It’s a wonderful thing to stay home with your children. It simply explains why there are less women headlining the workforce.”

Verdict: False — it’s about choice.

Perception #2:
Women in business are scarce.
There tends to be a notion that working women are small in numbers, but notions are a-changing.

“I feel very liberated as a woman,” Widtfeldt says. “In Utah Valley, working women are becoming more the norm and less the rarity.”

Anderson has also noticed a shift.

“These days people don’t assume women are only in administrative roles,” she says. “They’re not surprised to find out we’re bosses and leaders. And that’s a great thing.”

Verdict: False.

Perception #3:
Women work only if they have to.
“There is this idea that women are working because they have to — not because they want to,” says Jones, who owns Jones Marketing in Provo. “The culture here is that women are supposed to stay home. Most women in the workplace — not all — but most women in the workplace are career people. They want to be here.”

On the flip side, single women often get accused of choosing career over family.

“I’m single, and I face that belief system that says if you’re a good Mormon girl, you shouldn’t have a career with an impressive title,” says Grauling, who was the first woman on APX Alarm’s executive team. “There is this perception that if you are a career woman, you obviously don’t want a family. And it’s just not true.”

Verdict: Big ol’ depends.

Perception #4:
Women can “have it all.”
“In reality, being a working woman means you need to be comfortable with having a little less of everything,” Widtfeldt says. “It doesn’t mean you are a bad mother if your kids have cold cereal for dinner. It means you’re human.”

Johnson believes you can have it all — IF you alter the definition.

“Having it all means different things to different people,” she says. “For some it’s working full time, for others it’s working part time, and for another group it’s not working at all. There is no wrong way.”

Verdict: False to the old definition, true to the new.

Perception #5:
Women don’t stand up for themselves in the workplace.
“Early in my career, I wasn’t as vocal,” Johnson says. “I didn’t dare speak up because I was afraid to overstep my bounds. But true success came when I decided to champion myself to my superiors.”
Grauling says, “Hear, hear!”
“The biggest issue women face is their own insecurities in working with men,” she says. “And it’s a self-imposed deal. We’re equal, and we have to own it.”
Verdict: True in the past but hopefully false in the future.

Perception #6:
Female bosses are either the ice queen or the best friend.
“I actually think it’s a problem that crosses both genders,” says Johnson, who will be the chair of United Way of Utah County Women in Philanthropy for 2011. “It comes down to a personality issue rather than a gender one.”

Meine agrees, but also sees a trend toward labeling women.

“When a woman gets tough, she gets called an ice queen. When a man gets tough, he’s just doing his job,” she says. “I’ve been called an ice queen, and I’m one of the nicest people you’ll meet.”

As for the BFF label, Widtfeldt understands the gray area women face.

“Women are inherently more social, and we validate ourselves in terms of feelings as well as performance,” she says. “So when it comes time to deciding what kind of boss you’re going to be, I can see how women might struggle in toeing the line and end up heading for the extremes.”

Verdict: False — with a hint of complicated.

Perception #7:
Women in business are emotional.
“I don’t know how you don’t have emotions. We’re not robots,” Johnson says. “However, emotions can’t drive decisions or discussions. There has to be balance.”

Theobald calls it “productive emotion.”

“Look at the workplace like a football field. A coach can fire up a team with productive emotion — and that’s wonderful,” she says. “But emotion tends to be one of those female behaviors that makes us look weak — and it can really undermine all we’ve tried to do. We need to buck up. If you want to cry, try to do it at home. I’ve rarely seen it work in the workplace.”

Verdict: False — with a cautionary true.

Perception #8:
Women are unsupportive of other women.
In 2008, Sherron Bienvenu, a corporate communications consultant in Orem, told BusinessQ this: “There are women who see a potentially powerful woman and want her on their team, and there are women who see a potentially powerful woman and want her dead.”

Eek. But is it true?

“In the worst of scenarios, women can be a little more catty,” Jones says. “I’ve found that in leadership positions, 90 percent of women aren’t interested in bringing you along, while 10 percent are. But that 10 percent is what we should focus on. Those are the women you want to surround yourself with.”

Verdict: Depends.

Perception #9:
Women have to behave like men to get ahead.
“In reality, we bring our own strengths, and men and women working as a team can present the complete and total package,” Grauling says.

In the same vein, it doesn’t hurt to tweak your communication style depending on the person you’re conversing with.

“When I’m talking with men, I’ve learned to be very direct — very forthright,” Jones says. “Women typically tend to pontificate, and it can be hard for men.”

Verdict: False — with a dash of depends.

Perception #10:
There’s such a thing as balance.
All right. Can we just ban the balance word already?

“I learned the hard way that balance isn’t possible,” Grauling says. “There was a time when I was working 80- to 90-hour workweeks, and it was insane. Work was a huge part of my identity. I eventually learned there are ebbs and flows. Sometimes work has to be a priority, sometimes it’s your personal life. My work-life balance isn’t perfect — and that’s OK.”

Verdict: False — and hallelujah.

NO TIME LIKE THE FUTURE
No one is perfect. Nothing is perfect. And yet the feeling amongst working women is perfectly optimistic. And it’s just going to get better. To keep that upward momentum, here are five pieces of advice.

1 • Support, support, support
Women need to support other women — bar none.

“Get involved,” Meine says. “Take an hour, go to a networking lunch and get your bucket filled.”

2 • Stop with the judging
(Like, seriously.)
The judgmental attitudes between women need to end — and it goes both ways, from stay-at-home-moms judging working women to working women judging stay-at-home-moms.

“We need to not be so critical of each other,” Anderson says. “We’re all working toward the same goal.”

3 • Appreciate BOTH genders
Women are amazing. Men are amazing. Be amazing together.

“When bright, brilliant women are working with bright, brilliant men, the outcome is always better than with just one gender,” Jones says. “Always.”

4 • Don’t dwell on the negative
“To me, pointing out things that are wrong only gives those things more energy,” Tillotson says.

Maloney suggests focusing on the business and not on the way you imagine people perceiving you.

5 • Figure out what you want — and work hard to get it

First things first, decide what you want to do (hint: you can’t do all of it) — and do it well.

“Sure, there are prejudices. But if you want to have a career, do it. If you don’t, then don’t,” Tillotson says. “But whatever you decide, work hard.”

Theobald agrees and says women need to give themselves a break.

“Being a working woman is not the be-all, end-all, and neither is being a stay-at-home mom,” she says. “Everyone needs to work out their own clear vision and then figure out how to make it happen. We only get one life, and we need to get the most out of it.”

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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

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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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