In this concise "6 questions in 7 minutes" interview, Professor Pete Alexander talks with Darlene Hayes, President and CEO of Vision Utility Partners, a firm that designs gas, electric, and communications infrastructure for commercial and residential projects. Hayes shares what she loves most about her industry—the satisfaction of seeing long‑term projects become vibrant communities. She emphasizes that the most important chapter for any company is mindset, describing how visualization, meditation, and confronting limiting beliefs unlocked new opportunities for her. Hayes also stresses the critical role of self‑care for entrepreneurs, citing regular walks, nature retreats, and quarterly breaks as essential for maintaining personal and business performance. She recommends fellow leader Camille Gore for her work on mindset and self‑care, especially for women. Hayes recounts her first job at age 14 cleaning salon brushes, which led to babysitting gigs and early work experience. The episode closes with contact information for Vision Utility Partners (visionutility.com) and its LinkedIn and Facebook pages.
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This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast, where business leaders share their insights. It is 6 questions in 7 minutes because successful business leaders are busy and rarely have more time to spare. So let's get to it. Question number 1: In a few sentences, please tell me who you are and what you do.
Thanks for having me. First of all, I'm Darlene Hayes, and I'm the president CEO of Vision Utility Partners. We do design for gas, electric, and communications for large commercial firms and residential subdivisions and everything in between.
Darlene, it's great to have you on the show. Question number 2: What's the best thing about working in your industry?
Oh my gosh, my favorite is seeing a project come to life at the end. When, you know, we've looked at the design plans for, could be a year, 2 years, and all of a sudden I happen to drive by and it's occupied, the lights are on and the activity or a subdivision and everybody's pulling into their driveways and shopping in their shopping centers in their community. And it just, it makes me feel so good that I was a part of that. Yeah.
And I can imagine that, you know, something that is so big and is going to be around for so many years, that must be satisfying for you.
It is so great. I've even seen projects. I've been doing this for 30 years, so I still see projects from a long time ago, and it just is like, oh, I remember that, you know.
That's so great. Question number 3: I have a fictitious book with all the answers for business. What chapter would you think most companies should read?
Oh, it should be chapter number 1, which is mindset. When I became an entrepreneur, I realized that my mindset really needed some work. And I actually did a lot of visualization and meditation actually to help me through that because I had a lot of limiting beliefs that were not— that I realized even weren't my own. It was something passed on maybe from a parent, a friend, you know, that actually puts a lot of fear into you. And once I did that work, it was just amazing to see basically everything just open up. And all the desires and all the work that you put in, you could see it actually coming to life, you know, everything just becoming better.
Yeah, when you get out of your way, there's nothing stopping you, I guess. Is that right?
That is absolutely it. I was shocked, actually, when all of the— I felt like all the doors just started opening of what I truly wanted but had that fear that didn't realize what it was doing to me and the firm.
Mm-hmm. I totally can appreciate that. Question number 4: other than the generic work harder, have a great attitude, and care for customers, what advice or insight would you give to other business leaders?
Another lesson well learned— self-care. And if you're not taking care of ourselves, it's hard to take care of others, whether it's in the business or even in your families. An entrepreneur can come home and there's not much left sometimes at the end of the day. And so just taking that day off to go for a walk, be in nature, retreats. Retreats have been just amazing for me. And even just that day to work on the business but not in the business. And I try to do that quarterly, which has really been helpful in setting goals and not being in the office.
Mm-hmm. And it's so important to be able to take that time as You know, I'm assuming for you as well as people that I've talked to in all different industries, if you don't take care of yourself and do that self-care, if you break down, you can't take care of your business, you can't take care of your significant other, your kids, etc. Am I right when I—
Absolutely. And I obviously have a husband and daughter and actually my dad that lives with us. So if I'm not at the top of my game, you know, for them, then that's not okay. Absolutely. It's not okay for me.
Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Very insightful. Thank you. Question number 5: What other business leader like yourself would you like to acknowledge and invite to be on my podcast?
Oh, I would love to invite Camille Gore. I've worked with her for at least about 5 years. She's been a big help on the mindset. And limiting beliefs and the self-care too. So she's just been an amazing inspiration, I think, for all women.
Perfect. I'll reach out to her. Thank you for that. And our final question, question number 6, please tell me about your first job.
Oh boy, this was fun. I was 14 and actually after school would walk to the local salon and clean brushes. And it was the hairbrushes, you know, so they would put them in their drawer and I would come around and pull them out and go take them back and clean them all up and dry them and then put them back in the clean drawer. And it was, I was of course afraid, it was my first time around adults basically, you know, that were gonna be paying me $35 a week. And I just loved it because I also made some friends and actually started babysitting. It actually opened more doors for more work because I became their babysitter and then another person opened another salon and took me with him. To that one. So it was at 14, 15 years old, that was pretty cool.
It sure sounds like it, and it's interesting because, you know, I've obviously seen the, uh, the brooms sweeping the hair on the floor, but it never dawned on me that the brushes, of course, would need to be cleaned as well. So there was actually somebody there that went around and did that.
Absolutely. I know, I'm not sure if they still do it that way now, but It definitely was the time back then. That's what we did.
I love the fact that it opened some other doors for you. So it's a great, great, like, foot-in-the-door opportunity for some bigger and better things. Love it. Love it. So, Darlene, thank you so much for being on the show. How can people find you?
Oh, we are— our website is visionutility.com, and then you can follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Perfect. This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast. Thanks for listening.
