#4 AtTask

   Orem-based AtTask is a regular Sherlock Holmes. The company is a problem solver through and through — and it even has an office in London (and Beijing and Tokyo). “Customers are turning to us because our solution has an immediate impact on improving their business in these recessionary times,” says Scott Johnson, founder. “AtTask helps our customers increase productivity and reduce costs by providing transparency, visibility and accountability.” And companies of all statures and sizes are taking notice. Since its founding in 2001, AtTask has kept the likes of Apple, Google, 

Boeing, Samsung and Procter & Gamble expertly on task. 

Prior to AtTask, we had started a media advertising agency. It was back when the Internet was becoming more and more popular. One of the problems we grappled with was there wasn’t a great solution when it came to managing our customers and our work — especially as Mac users. So I wrote an internal tool that would smooth our company’s processes. 

Our customers saw the tool and thought it was great — they were interested in using it for their own companies. I knew that’s where the real opportunity was. 

It wasn’t a hard decision to switch directions — this was something I was interested in. But the ramifications were hard because we actually had to start a new company. We had to start from scratch, bootstrap the company, worry about making payroll — all that great stuff. 

When we started there were four of us — Nate Bowler, Jason Fletcher, Abe Knell and myself. We all played a number of roles and had our meetings out on the golf course. But as we’ve grown, I’ve gotten less and less free time. We no longer have our meetings on the golf course, and we’re needing to embrace more discipline as the numbers get bigger and the stakes get higher. 

When you create a product, it’s easy to think that that’s most of the work and you’re ready to go to market. I remember telling my wife all the time, “We’re almost done with AtTask.” But that was a complete pipe dream. When we thought we were done, we were 10 percent of the way there.

I’ve learned more and more that having a good product is just one element of a successful business. Having a bad product will kill you, but having a good product will not guarantee success. The real trick is business execution. 

Growth in and of itself is kind of a pain. You always want to hold onto that startup feel — I’m always afraid of becoming too bloated and having too much bureaucracy. We are keen to hold onto the open communication we’ve had in the past. But the level we’re at now requires a different skill set — we require a more senior level executive team to push us forward. 

Thankfully, we’ve been able to maintain a great culture. People who come here and visit can’t believe the energy level — it’s addictive. We’re the underdogs, and there’s this feeling that we can conquer anything. 

It’s extremely energizing to go into companies like Google or Cisco. We look at them struggling with managing their people and resources, and it’s rewarding to see a group of executives’ eyes light up when we show them what we can do. 

It’s rewarding to run into people who have used our product and say thank you. I’ve met people in Japan and London who have said, “Your product has changed the way we do business.” And when I look back, we were just a couple of guys trying to find something interesting to work on. But we’ve created a company that’s being recognized as a leader in the industry.

In five years, we’ll continue to grow rapidly. We have our eye on the ball, and we are never content or satisfied with what we are doing. There’s always room to grow.