Even if you have no use for computers or signs - please read on. This is a great story. Like so many leading entrepreneurs, Teresa Young started in one place and wound up somewhere else altogether. A business consultant by training, Young began her professional career working for a business development company that just happened to be founded by Michael E. Gerber, an author and entrepreneur whose vision – and philosophy – were the foundation for her later work.  And that philosophy became the cornerstone of many business decisions.

Fast-forward 17 years, and Teresa Young is the president and Chief Executive Officer of Sign Biz, Inc, having seen the company through a roller-coaster decade in the sign industry. The organization is the largest of its kind, and the chain covers 40 states and is found in 6 foreign markets. The development of the Sign Biz Network is driven by partnerships-- a decade before business gurus had coined the term “client driven."

She's never lived her life by conventional definitions. In the mid '80s, when there were few women sign company owners and almost no women in the new, burgeoning industry dubbed Digital Sign and Graphics business,’ Young reinvented her career as business owner almost daily. In her twenties, the roles she played had her laughing. 

What is your perspective now compared to 15 years ago with respect to business ownership? 

“Unlike school, where training is measured at most in years, a career can be measured in decades. There is no equivalent to a college catalog listing required, recommended, and elective courses. Most people aren't assigned a mentor, the working world equivalent of a college advisor. Very few people have a mentor who will promote and package their work for them. Just to survive ­ let alone to advance ­ you must be able to clearly explain the importance of your work and the contribution of the work.  I have learned to stand up for this business  paradigm-- a non-franchised format--that I believe in.

This paradigm you refer to, can you define that for us? 

Here is an example… It is a combination of critical elements that must be present in order for a company to grow and thrive. A company that provides a viable product, using agile systems of delivery, with committed people involved in the interface providing added value, can command a return that supports their own processes.  

On the other hand, if a company provides either a non-viable product; or if the company personnel are not committed to the vision, to something bigger and better than the buck, then there is no way to sustain the enterprise. Often, money becomes the substitute for products and services in company discussions. For example, you won't hear, "How can we deliver better service?", instead you hear, "How can we get more money for this service?" 

Is that a reference to franchise structures?

“I do think of business in terms of healthy and unhealthy organisms. Balance and imbalance; I would look more to Chinese philosophers, let's say, than to Western medicine to correct imbalance. 

Speaking of philosophy, do you worry that critics may take aim at your forays into cultural analysis or philosophy? 

“Well, I don't see that. First of all, as far as philosophy is concerned, it's always been one of my abiding interests. I had two majors in college: Philosophy, as well as Broadcast Journalism. Any derogatory remarks would only reflect poorly on the critic --it might be a social-sciences prejudice against anything that appears idealistic or softer. Indeed, all business best sellers have proposed theorems or philosophies to bring our thinking to a new and better place. Where our thoughts go, so do our actions. The question of ‘softer’ doesn't really come in here very much, because entrepreneurship requires quite an exacting philosophy. Business ownership demands a startling amount of commitment, but yields a great reward for each challenge overcome.  

Now that you mention challenges, it can be said that your corporation was faced with some great hardships right at the start – when most companies would want a tidy sum for working capital, you did not have that option. Can you tell us more about that?

Absolutely.  One thing about entrepreneurs, bravery and foolishness are mandatory traits! I am no exception, and so just after my 30^th birthday, I gave the nod to a plan that would make me president of the two-year-old Sign Biz Corporation, by accepting the existing corporate debt – about a quarter of a million dollars! I felt it was honorable to repay these debts, though I had not incurred them.

I learned how to use the system to protect my company and my business relationships. I found resources I never knew I had, including associates, our network of sign companies, and other entrepreneurs. 

Now, if the issue comes up, I can point to our current fiscal fitness. Not to mention, those special ‘battlefield diplomas’ hanging on my wall! How many of today's business brokers can say they have built a real company, and know the ins and outs of entrepreneurship today? 

Now turning to another topic altogether, what are the most important factors that a business must take into consideration today, in your estimation? 

There are two factors to contend with:  The changing fundamental philosophy of business operation,  and the  technology revolution. Together, these are making globalization the most important challenge facing companies today. Consequently, the transformation from a collection of isolated, state-dominated economies to an integrated, market-driven global economy is proceeding at a relentless pace in all corners of the world. 

Developments in information and communications technologies are also making the real-time coordination of far-flung activities not just efficient, but also increasingly imperative.  At the same time, however, customers are getting more demanding, forcing greater local responsiveness.  CEOs must increasingly learn to manage these competing demands and establish their companies as industry leaders. 

How do you see globalization affecting business operations? 

The heightened pace of globalization has resulted in a competitive arena in which every player has the ability to imitate its rivals' products, services, systems and even processes. There are several "competitors" imitating our product at every turn. But they say mimicry is the highest form of flattery…. 

Sustaining a differentiated position is no longer as simple as improving quality, reducing costs and delivering the product to customers.  Traditional growth strategies no longer prevail. We believe that new customer relationship practices that lavish attention on customer's needs can be a source of competitive advantage. 

What might you say today to someone who is considering entrepreneurship for the first time? 

Corporations no longer offer lifetime employment in return for loyalty. The myth of a secure corporate umbrella that will protect you has been shattered by layoffs and outsourcing. In the old system, many people mistakenly assumed their company would look out for them. But no one cares as much about your career as you do. No one else has as much information about your preferences and priorities. The mantra is "you are responsible for your own life." If you accept that responsibility, your future will be bright. Taking responsibility means asking yourself, “What is the quality of my time right now? What constitutes a quality existence for me?  Am I challenged as a human, or simply marking time as a human? 

If you find that you experience no sense of fulfillment – even despair in your current work world, then you need to commence due diligence as if your life depends upon it. In a way, it does. 

How does one reconcile quality of life with the inevitable demands on time and energy that a new business requires? 

It’s all about balancing your emotional portfolio. We are told that Americans are working longer,  harder and faster, creating a "time famine," documented in such bestsellers as Juliet Schor's The Overworked  American.  However, we all need to recognize that there is a drain of the battery for some people, because they cannot find a commensurate reward for their psyche. No amount of money or benefits can heal that. But now, take those people, and let them put the hours in on something they are building for themselves. 

The act of creation is extremely rewarding to humans, and here lies the key to balancing the emotional portfolio. You see, it wasn’t the demands of work, it was the demands of work that could not fulfill the budding entrepreneur's vision and energy. 

Can it  be healthy to do so much of one's living on the job?  If work is where the heart is, where does that leave families and communities? 

One cannot ignore the importance of cooperation, and a community of business people to connect with. In his book “The Loyalty Effect” Reichheld states that survival is only possible on the basis of the loyalty and trust built up in the circular relationship: partners-employees-customers-partners... A company needs to have responsible shareholders to maintain employees who trust in the shareholders' intentions to survive. It needs to have employees who, for their part, will give a good service, who will lock in their customers' loyalty and generate a revenue flow that is sufficient to adequately reward capital. 

Let me give an example of the ways this loyalty effect influenced a business I once owned.  In 1985, I became the first woman to own what was then called an "instant sign" business-- now referred to in the industry as a digital sign and graphics business.  I grew that company to well over a half-million in annual revenues, and then sold it in order to assume the presidency of Sign Biz Inc. June 17, 1992.  My former company was a thriving enterprise, and the new owner, Jerry, enjoyed the feeling of being a business owner for the first time in his life.  He, as many entrepreneurs, wanted to do things "his way."  

Long story short, he moved the operation to a secondary location, then sold it and returned to his home state of Arizona.  The next owners did not have any knowledge of the industry, and had no examples to follow, so the business dwindled some more. They in turn sold the business to another party.  By now, the original clients (except for one that generated $30K per month in sales) had drifted away.  The original committed staff was long gone.  The original dynamic energy of the enterprise was a distant memory, and so could not draw new clients.  It was hard to watch that occur within a three year period, to a business I had built with zeal for six years.   

Why should we discount the loyalty and support of like minds in business, in other words, why should that pale in comparison to neighborly chats at the homefront? If one can put heart and integrity into the business arena, then the world is made a better place, for the clients who need the product, the employees who have a job, the shareholders and the partners who continue the cycle…" 

I asked Teresa why her career path did not also include children.  Although Young does not feel she has to justify what she considers a private decision, she explains why her choice makes sense for her. 

“Even in our enlightened community, in the new millennium, not having a baby makes you different much as being single, being unemployed, or being handicapped makes you different. We are, however, moving toward a day when these attributes are no longer defining of the individual. Until that day comes,  "different" people must cut their own paths, define their own roles, and even defend their individuality to family, friends, and co-workers. 

My choice to not have a child of my own is straightforward, thankfully. Whereas some people are not even presented with the opportunity to choose a child or childless path, due to nature, I am fortunate to have been able to have a choice, and make one that is right for me, as well as for my fiancé and long-time partner, Paul Strauch. I am blessed to have been the first born of six children in a traditional family, and spent my fair share of time feeding and diapering most of them. I don't feel I've missed anything – I have close relationships with nieces and nephews. They enrich my life, not to mention two beautiful children from Paul’s previous marriage whom I have loved dearly since I met them 10 years ago. 

Between those contacts, and my nurturing of this corporation, I feel very, very complete.  Mothering takes all the skills of a psychologist, a business person, a manager.  It involves self-discipline, unselfishness, patience. I have found that our woman business owners who have been mothers are exceptional in this business, in part because of those traits. 

As for myself, I devote myself with a passion to my work: primarily as guidance counselor for new entrepreneurs.  As time slipped by I felt no pressing need nor desire to step away from my work long enough to bring a child into the world in the proper way. Now, I can say that I am delighted to be a role model and mentor to many wonderful business men and women, young and old alike. 

And Sylvia Ann Hewlett, chairwoman of the National Parenting Association, urges non-parents to consider that everyone — not just working parents — has a stake in the upbringing of the next generation. Hopefully someday, being female and childless won’t be ‘different.’ "

You are a success story, and have the power to influence people right here - Any closing remarks for our readers? 

Each of us faces perhaps the same challenges, only in different venues. There is no right path to choose, but I do believe there is a right way to be.  We need to be our best, and hold ourselves to a higher standard, to remain accountable for our actions, and the quality of our life and the lives of those we touch.  There is no guarantee of success in business, but you can always live a life that allows you to be a success in life.  Be true to yourself. Be upfront and honest with others, and don’t let ego or the almighty dollar ride roughshod over your dignity, or your integrity. And if someone can’t support your vision, then don’t share your vision with them. Share what you can, and move on. 

As for power, like  Margaret Thatcher says, "Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't." 

• Yesterday: Executive

• Tomorrow: Entrepreneur

• Today: Prepare Yourself

See the Sign Biz Mission Statement and Principles of Leadership. "... we will continue to act as the architects of our industry."

Read more about our organization: Business Model,  Customer Care, and Management Team.

If you have any further questions or would like additional information about Sign Biz Inc., please contact:
Teresa M. Young
President /CEO
24681 La Plaza, Suite 270
Dana Point, CA 92629
800-633-5580
tyoung@signbiz.com

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