What made you start your own business? 

I couldn’t enter the job market out of college, and I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit.

How long did it take your company to break even? 

It is hard to say; it took quite a few years before I took a paycheck.

How did you choose the name of your business? 

I wanted a strong name that represented strength.

What made you start your own business? 

My husband and I were managing a 14-person consulting business and we believed we could do it on our own. It was a big decision to purchase this existing business instead of leaving and starting a company with just the two of us, but we have never regretted the decision to keep the original team together. BrightFields will be 5 years old in May 2008, but some of our staff have worked together for 15 years.

How did it feel when you got your first sale? 

We had many existing small accounts, but wanted to grow the business to longer-term projects and larger clients. We were ecstatic when we won our first large, high-profile project!

What makes you so passionate about your business? 

I love solving complex environmental problems, forming and working on high-energy teams, helping our clients achieve their visions, and helping our staff grow and develop their careers. I get to do all of these, plus meet new and interesting people every day! We all work hard, but it’s a lot of fun too.

What made you start your own business? 

The thought that physical therapy could do a better job servicing the needs of the community and that a synergistic relationship between the professions of physical therapy and athletic training would create better outcomes. 

What is the most challenging part of owning your own business? 

Dealing with those who cannot see the need for change within my profession. Forging into new territory is a difficult and lonely journey. I have had to rely on trusting my vision over some jeers of others.

What makes you so passionate about your business?

A passion for changing the professions of physical therapy and athletic training into proactive care vs. simply reactive care. I see the vision of health care going from what is now “sick care” into true health care, which is preventative care. It is far more effective and efficient to spend time and resources on keeping the population healthy than it is on fixing health once lost. The present day health care system (wherein hospitals, high end physicians, pharmaceutical companies, and insurance companies dictate spending) needs to be turned upside down and the consumers of health care need to be empowered towards maintaining their own health. Insurance monies need to prioritize their payments in services and products that promote health proactively. Preventative care works and everybody should have a visit to their PT or AT at least once a year to help prevent injuries, illnesses and the descent into the effects of inactivity. A consistent and appropriate “diet” of appropriate activity/exercise is the one main ingredient to all good health, physical and mental. PTs and ATs have the knowledge to guide individuals in the safest and most effective methods of exercise.

What made you start your own business? 

Where I worked before there was talk about doing quality work, but less production of it. I believed I could run a shop focused on quality so that our customers would be pleased in the long run instead of being only temporarily satisfied with “cheap” parts, the production of which would probably be more expensive.

What is the most satisfying part of owning your own business? 

There are several parts of my job I find satisfying: when all goes well and the customer says the part worked great; when the people I work with tell someone how much they like working here; when I think that this is something with which my family is also involved; and when I can say this was made possible through God, I feel more satisfied.

How did you choose the name of your business? 

Our name “Supreme Machine” and our phrase “pride in quality” both came to me one night when I was not able to sleep.  They summed up our vision well, and they were catchy.

What made you start your own business? 

The opportunity to create the dream job I had always wanted came when the Dot-Com I was working for went into the ground like a dart and, because they couldn’t pay payroll, they offered me a desk, chair, and computer. I wanted to start a business that valued creativity and collaboration where people enjoyed working, visiting and growing.

What is the most challenging part of owning your own business? 

Finding great talent to adhere to our high standards of quality design and client service. So far we’ve been lucky, but in order to grow we must always be looking around.

What is your most memorable moment as a small business owner? 

Taking the entire staff to Disneyland in California one year. It was motivational, inspirational, and helped our team bond, and, not to mention, it was a lot of fun!

What is the most satisfying part of owning your own business? 

The most satisfying part of owning our business is to know that our business and employees are providing goods and services needed in our rural area. Another rewarding aspect is the customers who come in, sit down, and let us know how much they appreciate the store and what we are doing. 

What is the one thing you could not operate your business without?

We have been extremely blessed to have quality employees. Our staff in the store understands the importance of customer service. Each member works closely with customers to determine their needs and will gladly order items that we don’t normally carry.

In addition to the store employees, we have a number of outstanding service employees. When we opened the store, we began with a local retired HVAC person and a trainee to serve our customers. Based on the needs we observed during the first weeks of business, we then sent one of our store employees to be trained as an appliance technician. A few months later, we hired an additional HVAC technician. Within the last year, we have acquired an electrician/ditching service. These services employees, as well as our regular store personnel, are true assets to our business and to the community.

What makes you so passionate about your business?

Although I could list a number of things that make me passionate about the business, I feel that Stanton County True Value allows me to contribute to the county which I’ve always called home. Although the population shift has affected rural Kansas, Stanton County is still the home of many good, hard-working people, and we feel fortunate to be able to serve the people in our county and general area.
Because of our rural location, we have a 50-mile trade area that extends into Colorado and as far south as the Oklahoma border. Dealing with the customers in this area and knowing that they appreciate what we offer keeps us passionate about what we do.

What made you start your own business?

Wanting to create something that was not available from any other company and competing against very large companies where I was the underdog. Also, the drive to create new technology that was not available from Fortune 500 companies with far less resources.

What is the most satisfying part of owning your own business? 

Being the only American owned Crosslinked Elastomeric and Plastomeric Foam Producer that successfully competes against very large companies, and knowing the driving force behind our success is the fact that we have most dedicated, upstanding, hardworking, and driven employees in the Foam industry all from a small community in St. Johnsville, NY

What makes you so passionate about your business? 

The thrill of competition and building an organization of people that works together overcoming obstacles everyday. We are now exporting to China and Mexico because of our efficiency and technology. Small manufacturers in the US are in the early stages of what I believe to be resurgence in American manufacturing.

What made you start your own business?

I was born and raised in Lima, Peru and studied international business and economics. Due to an uncertain future because of political unrest and terrorism, I came to the United States in 1994 to pursue a better future for myself. When I arrived I didn’t speak any English; however, I quickly discovered that in order to succeed in this country I needed to speak the language. In order to achieve this, I enrolled in the ESL program at Weber State University and upon completion I continued my studies in business management with an emphasis in international business.

When I realized that many of the educational materials from Peru were the same as those used in the United States (the only difference being language), I decided that opening a translation company would be an excellent choice for my business. Additionally, I knew that there were many international companies and few translation companies here in Utah.

What is your most memorable moment as a small business owner? 

When I received my very first paycheck for a large translation that was done for our first large client. It was for approximately $13,000.00. I was so excited – I had never in my entire life seen that much money at once!

What makes you so passionate about your business?

It always makes me excited to go to another country and see some of the products and the information that our company translated. When I see the news and hear about a client that is very successful, I am thrilled to know that I played a small part in their success.

I also believe in providing more than is required of my company. I always strive to know our clients and their needs, and then I work diligently to exceed their expectations. I also believe that honesty and integrity are central to my business dealings, and I try to exhibit these qualities in everything that I do. I feel that this has made the difference between U.S. Translation Company being perceived as just another vendor to being a true business partner. With this personal and business philosophy, I have developed the company mission: “To help our clients enter new markets and increase sales in existing markets by breaking barriers in communication and understanding.”

What is the most satisfying part of owning your own business? 

Each day when I pull up to the office and see employees’ cars parked at our garage, I feel good to know how my small business started with one vehicle 18 years ago is now supporting and providing a place for so many people to earn, learn, and grow. 

What is your most memorable moment as a small business owner? 

I have a vivid memory of an employee who came to me and said he had just been approved for a mortgage to buy his first home. We were thankful for employing him and were proud of him because it was the first time he was able to buy and home and build a career. 

What makes you so passionate about your business? 

No two days are ever the same. I am energized by the changes in technology, the marketplace, and the economy. There is always something new and different that needs attention.

What is the most challenging part of owning your own business?

The most challenging part is managing the peaks and valleys—it affects everything from managing cash flow, hiring and scheduling staff, purchasing equipment, and strategic planning.

What is the most satisfying part of owning your own business? 

Seeing how everything we do makes an impact on sales, client satisfaction, and employee retention. As a five year old company it has been really fun to see the growth. Starting with nothing but good intentions 5 years ago to where we are today with 11 employees, over $1M in sales, and dozens of repeat clients. 

What makes you so passionate about your business? 

The relationships! The team we have is fantastic. Our customers believe in us and know we are dependable and fair, and that we will deliver more than they expect. Our suppliers partner with us to create exceptional outcomes for our clients. It’s all about relationships and taking care of each other. We’re having a ball!

What made you start your own business?

Growing up in South Vietnam, a young county struggling for democracy, owning a business was an unthinkable dream for me. I worked many jobs to survive while trying to learn anything available. The only way to have a better life was to get a good education. With much help from a few good individuals, free antibiotics and a scholarship from U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), I was fortunate to be able to get multiple higher education degrees. With my degrees, I was fortunate to have a respectable career in education and in the field of development and to have opportunities to continue researching and studying while working. However, my experience of working in over thirty countries taught me that technical knowledge and dedication alone are insufficient to help others help themselves. I must have additional capital investment to implement my know-how in development to create a socio-economic model that works as I envision it. It is like having a bus and being able to drive, but without gas I cannot get passengers to the destination. I then set everything aside and accepted the challenge of being an entrepreneur so that I could get gas to fuel the bus.

I can now join with others in the near future to invest my knowledge and capital in realizing my dream of creating a real-time socio-economic development model using a system approach and scientific and socio-economic solutions to reverse the vicious cycle of poverty into a prosperity cycle.

What makes you so passionate about your business?

I had already made up my mind about what to do with my life in my teenage years. As a teenager, I saw a little girl sitting by the side of a shallow drainage ditch next to a palm-leaf hut picking a piece of rotten watermelon skin out of the sewage water covered with black foam. She ate it. She was extremely emaciated, except her belly was swollen because of parasites. She was not clothed. I knew that she would not live for long and I felt pain and helplessness. I could hardly help myself then. There must be a better way somehow, somewhere, and someway. I determined that some day I would assist others to at least have food for good health and growth. Somehow, I have been able to follow the course of learning and working in fields relating to food, nutrition, people, and development. Just thinking about those goals that I am realizing causes the energy to flow in me. I can speak or write for days about this issue. So thanks to my wife and children, US Agency for International Development, University of Can Tho, University of Florida, California State University, Small Business Administration, one of the Rockefeller organizations, Department of Health and Human Services, friends, schools, and many more, for giving me the opportunity to be what and who I am today. This SBA award is a treasure for me and my family.

View more 2008 Award Winner Profiles

View all of the 2008 National Small Business Week Award Winners.