#7 Simplicity Group

   Springville-based Simplicity Group came from burrito beginnings. Over two breakfast burritos at Betos in Provo, Matthew Schneck and Adam Wilkinson answered the question of, “To venture, or not to venture.” “Every vision, every company has to start somewhere,” Schneck says. “And ours started at Betos.” Eight years later, the Web application development company is moving at a rapido rate: Simplicity Group has grown to 35 employees, expanded its services (thanks to a little flexibility), and ranked a stalwart No. 94 on the 2008 Inc. 500 — higher than any other Utah County company on the list. From simple beginnings … 

We started out as QueBazar — it’s Spanish for “what a great place to shop.” Our original model was to create rewards programs for the Latino market — but we evolved. We quickly jumped into the traditional English-speaking market, and that’s where we started to grow. We captured a little niche. 

We knew we had a great idea, but the trick was turning that great idea into a viable business model that could sustain itself. Our goal from the beginning was to create a business that never went into debt — to grow with the profits we had. 

Both Adam and I are very entrepreneurial-minded, so the idea of starting the business was never tough. We were willing to take the risk, and we were blessed with great opportunities right out of the gate. Amazingly enough, some of our very first clients were absolutely unsolicited — they came to us. 

Our company has grown because of flexibility. We’ve been smart with our cash flow and we’ve been flexible in regards to what works. We take chances, but we take chances in a smart way. 

For example, when we get a new idea, we put it together and it’s not perfect — but we get it out there. And if we get a positive response, we invest money into perfecting it. So many companies are not willing to release something until it’s perfect, but too often you run out of money before you get to that point. And then you never see the realization of your dream. 

Because we didn’t take outside funding, we really couldn’t grow as quickly as we would have liked. We were on that shoestring budget, and it was tough. We couldn’t afford to bring people on full time, so we had to piece it out to freelancers until our cash flow changed. 

What’s been easy is our partnership. Eight years later, we still have a great relationship, and we’ve never had any arguments. We both understand and respect each other, and we’ve never made a major decision without the other person. From what I’ve heard around town, that’s pretty rare. 

What’s been hard is staying focused. Entrepreneurs are wired to always look for the next big thing, so staying on the task at hand has been key. 

It was pretty neat to make the Inc. 500. You think about little milestones as a company, and you think, “Boy, if we could make that, that would be great.” And then we did! It was an exciting moment. But then you move on, because there’s more work to be done. 

In five years, we will continue to evolve with technologies we develop and working with other large businesses. And we’ll still own our company — I can tell you that. We don’t really have an exit strategy — we have a long-term strategy.