Cheers for Entrepreneurs!

One of the questions I’m asked most often is what I like to do in my spare time. My “everyday life” is much like anyone’s… grocery shopping, homework with kids, church activities, and even a little “American Idol”! But founding and leading Close To My Heart has also opened a whole world of unique and fun opportunities for my “spare time,” and one of them I particularly enjoy: the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award program. I’ve always looked at this program as the Academy Awards for business. This is top honor!

This wonderful program celebrates the spirit of the entrepreneur and everything I value about business ownership! Each year companies and individuals are nominated and evaluated on a variety of criteria, from financial performance to corporate culture to innovation and strategic impact. My first in-depth encounter with Entrepreneur of the Year was in 2006. I was nominated, selected as a finalist, and went through a self-revelatory process that included judges interviews, presentations, analyses and more. It was a great learning experience made even more amazing when I won the award for our region, the Utah Region. It was truly an outstanding honor to be recognized for my entrepreneurship and excellence in business.

And although that experience was a wonderful highlight in my career, what followed next has furthered deepened my appreciation for people who dare to be “entrepreneurs.” I was asked to serve as a judge! This is my second year as a judge, and we’re at the peak of the process right now. It begins with the delivery of a “James Bond-like” black suitcase that’s highly confidential (I LOVE this part). The suitcase contains detailed bio information on all of the nominees with tally sheets for me to score the companies on many criteria. Last week, the judges met—black suitcases and all—to discuss our rankings and narrow the field to fewer than 25 finalists in the eight categories. It is SUCH a difficult decision, because so many worthy companies are in competition. In the end there will be only one winner for each category. What I’ve learned is that although each company and each nominee is different, there are clear characteristics they share: a passion for their industry, a love of their product, commitment to their employees, and a vision for the future that they will sacrifice their time, comfort, and personal security to accomplish. Here’s to each of you—and to all entrepreneurs and their dreams! You all inspire me!