Young Bucks Rich by 40.

• Author: Peterson, Alan

Some of our neighbors in business are striking gold. Utah, though less millionaire-rich than other states, has its share of young moguls who accumulated their million by the age of 40. Though their businesses are varied, they share some common characteristics. Surprisingly, most say their wealth is not what's most important. Rather, it has come as a byproduct of pursuing their dreams with passion and unwavering commitment. And at some point, each has also struggled desperately or nearly gone under. Sacrifice and success, according to these young millionaires, are inseparable.

Brent Bingham Age: 33

President/CEO

Eclipse Marketing Inc.

WEBSITE: www.eclipsemarketinginc.com

COMPANY DESCRIPTION: Eclipse hires college students to sell pest control and home security services door-to-door during the summer.

ANNUAL SALES REVENUE: $12 million

SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS: On Inc. Magazine's 500 List, No. 228 in 1997, No. 88 in 1998

NOTABLE FAILURE: His second year of business. "Everything went wrong. There were many times when I had what I call the 'gut wrenching moment of impending doom.'"

FAVORITE FILM: "Rudy"

FAVORITE BOOK: "Built to Last" by Jim Collins

PERSON WHO MOST INFLUENCED HIS LIFE: His scoutmaster, Wes Bailey.

WHERE HE GOES TO GET AWAY FROM IT ALL: Lake Powell and Kauai

UTAH HERO: Brigham young. "Anyone who could tell a family to go settle Castle Dale or Panguitch has a lot of guts."

MUSIC IN HIS CD PLAYER AT TIME OF INTERVIEW: Rush's "Retrospective"

GUILTY PLEASURES: Early morning water skiing or guilt-free golf.

IN 1901 OTTO ORKIN WENT DOOR-TO-DOOR selling rat poison from a paper bag for a nickel a dose. When he discovered people would give him a dime to put the poison under their porches, his company was born. Nearly 100 years later, a young man would spend his summers in Southern California doing the same thing to pay for his LDS mission and college expenses.

But Brent Bingham never thought he would end up making his living by knocking on doors. "I just needed a job," he says, "and door-to-door was all I knew. I kept telling myself I should think of something better to do."

Nine years of learning and growth later, when Bingham's company was doing $12 million in sales and employing nearly 400, he finally stopped thinking he should do "something better." He was doing so well in fact, that Otto Orkin's company no longer needed to employ a sales force because Eclipse Marketing's door-to-door force was doing such a good job selling its ongoing pest control services.

Bingharm's goal is to continue to perfect the system so that Eclipse Marketing becomes as established a marketing methodology as direct mail or network marketing. His marketing plan consists of using motivated, trained college students to efficiently cover a highly condensed geographic area in order to quickly gain market share. Sound far-fetched? Bingham doesn't think so. Consumers are so bombarded by media and visuals, that an articulate, professional, friendly, human being at their door can make quite an impression. Eclipse's own numbers make quite an impression, too.

According to Bingham, even if Eclipse ran into problems and its phenomenal growth rate was cut in half, in five years it'd still be a &50 million company. If in another five years its growth halved again, it'd be worth a "measly" $100 million. But the money is secondary, says Bingham who takes great pride in helping young people gain the confidence necessary not only to be successful with Eclipse, but also to move on to successful careers elsewhere.

"I got a letter from a former employee, talking about the great job she had just landed and how she never could have done it without her experience at Eclipse," Bingham says.

Four months of pounding on doors six days a week tends to focus a person, he asserts. After a summer with Eclipse, many employees have switched gears. An employee pursuing his masters in history never returned to school after earning $100,000 one summer. And he's not the only one making that kind of money.

But more than the money, the company's presence in every major city on both coasts, and the Inc. Magazine recognition, Brent likes driving into the company's packed parking lot. "Look at the families this company supports," he thinks. "Wow! I develop people and that's cool."

Paul J. Brockbank, 38 CEO, Ah-ha.com

WEBSITE: www.ah-ha.com

COMPANY DESCRIPTION: Ah-ha.com is a search engine that removes potentially offensive sites (pornography, hate sites) from an Internet search.

FAVORITE MOVIE: "It's a Wonderful Life"

FAVORITE BOOK: "Endurance: Shackleton's incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing

FAVORITE UTAH LUNCH SPOT: Magleby's Fresh in Provo

FAVORITE SAYING: "Live deliberately," Henry David Thoreau

GUILTY PLEASURES: Exercise addict, participating in triathlons

NOT LONG AFTER PAUL BROCKBANK TOOK OVER AS CEO OF AH-HA.COM, prospects did not look good. At a burn rate of nearly $150,000 per month, the money was almost gone. Ah-ha closed its doors, but several employees refused to leave.

As he reflected on the sacrifices made by his employees, investors and his wife, Brockbank glanced at his computer with surprise. Someone had changed his screen saver. "Lead us to the summit, Paul," he read. "We can make it."

Brockbank was well prepared for this moment. "Eighty percent of what you learn after school comes from the people you work with. Choose carefully who you are roped to and what mountain you are climbing," he says.

After college he decided he would only work for the best companies and the best people, beginning with Andersen Consulting, a national management consulting company, then later with Trammell Crow, a national commercial real estate development firm. He then spent seven years as vice president and general...