Whitney Joy Smith of The Smith Investigation Agency: Why We Need More Women Founders & Here Is What We Are Doing To Make That Happen
An Interview With Jerome Knyszewski
We are natural-born leaders and have the ability to get things done. We can multitask like there is no tomorrow and can handle high-stress situations calmly and make rash decisions. In business, you have to be calm, process accurately, respond in humility with clients, and be friendly. Women just encompass all the things that being a boss requires.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Whitney Joy Smith.
Whitney Joy Smith has been in the private investigative industry for nearly fifteen years and previously worked in the bailiff industry. Whitney has a passion for justice and quality results. She built her agency to be different than any of the others.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I worked as a bailiff, and when I moved back to Ontario to pursue the Baliff industry, the licensing process was different. I opted for the PI section as it had more opportunities. I had always worked along and had a passion for justice.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
As a private investigator, I see many different types of scenarios, and that is why I love this industry, the different cases, and clients consistently. I would have to say one of my favorite cases to date was a case where a client had shipped goods from their country (outside of Canada) at their expense to what they thought was a legitimate business. However, they soon realized when the invoice was not paid, and nobody answered the phone to the company they sent the good to that they had a problem. Through investigative means, we were able to track down where the product was being sold, and we needed to narrow down an area where the goods were being placed. As we had a general idea of the area, we began to search all commercial properties that were vacant and called to inquire about renting the space immediately. Again, we knew how much product was stolen and therefore could predict the type of building that would be able to hold it. We found a realtor who took us around to multiple buildings, and one of the ones we saw during our tour of the facility, we found nearly 20,000 sq feet where the stolen product was. We contacted the legal team right away to place an injunction and begin to salvage what product was left to return to the client. This was a huge expense to the client, not only in the loss of the product that was stolen but also the expense of shipping both times on top of legal fees and investigative fees, as this file took a large team of investigators working 24/7 for weeks to retrieve the product.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The investigative industry is not like any other and certainly not an office job for a surveillance investigator. I would say the biggest mistake I made early on was drinking coffee like I was in an office then realizing I was not able to leave a file to use a washroom. I soon learned how to hold my bladder very well.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I am fortunate that a large majority of my family owns businesses. I was able to watch, engage, work alongside and learn from all of them. The best part about watching others in business is not only learning what to do but what not to do and doing what works for you and your business. Too many people try to mimic the successful person they admire, but they forget that not every industry and CEO is the same, and in business, you have to pave your own path.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
I have two favorites, and as a surveillance investigator, I always listened to audiobooks as it was easier to focus on my target rather than reading a book and getting distracted. My two favorites are Blue Ocean Strategy by Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim and Entreleader by Dave Ramsey. Blue ocean strategy taught me that although in business there are sharks, you can create your own ocean and be the only shark with no competition. I found the area in my industry where people dropped the ball, and I went for it, and we grew from a one-location agency to a national agency operating in over 30 cities now. With Entreleader, it taught me how to be a better business leader as my company grew.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
Yes, my all-time favorite is by C.S. Lewis “Integrity is doing the right thing. Even when no one is watching.” In the investigative industry, honesty and integrity are key. Our clients trust that we are conducting the work we say we are and charge for. Not everyone in our industry has integrity, so I knew early on this had to be the motto our agency followed.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I am a Christian, and I love being able to show love and kindness. We have given not only finances but also practical in-person assistance to orphanages worldwide from North America, South Africa, Mexico, Honduras and throughout Europe. As well we are now working with A21, an organization that helps to combat human trafficking. We want to not only use the company’s finances to fund helping men and women brought to safety but also using our investigative ability to assist in locating the individuals in charge of the illegal operations.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
I would say the support of their family, friends and loved ones. I was raised in a home where the motto was not what do you want to be when you grow up but what kind of business do you want to run when you grow up. It was instilled in me early on, and I had all the support I needed when growing. This is crucial for people starting out. A mother of two may not want to take the risks of starting a business if her spouse is not on board with it etc.
Can you share with our readers what you are doing to help empower women to become founders?
I have a team primarily of women that work for my agency. Although we have male investigators, it was important for me to teach women that this is an industry they can succeed in and be supported. I also own the largest training company in Canada, and my goal is to continue to see women join the industry and be successful.
This might be intuitive to you but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
We are natural-born leaders and have the ability to get things done. We can multitask like there is no tomorrow and can handle high-stress situations calmly and make rash decisions. In business, you have to be calm, process accurately, respond in humility with clients, and be friendly. Women just encompass all the things that being a boss requires.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Can you please share 5 things that can be done or should be done to help empower more women to become founders? If you can, please share an example or story for each.
- Start at home. Teach your daughters they can do anything.
- Give the women around you the support they need if they express interest in.
- Teach women practical skills in school on how to be in business. It should be mandatory for schools to bring in business leads in the community to teach students about business and get them excited for what could be their future.
- Work with youth, apprentice programs, big brothers and sisters and various organizations.
- Continue to give women the spotlight and support. Social media, websites, advertisements etc., cost a significant amount of money. There should be a way of working with women to support their businesses, especially early on, to get those boosts they need.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I believe in spreading love and kindness. This world lacks the love and compassion that people need. My goal in life is not just being successful in business but making an impact in the process. If all the people that work with my company are not only happy with their results but also the way they felt working with us, then I am happy. I want the people I engage with to feel valued and respected.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Marcus Lemonis is a businessman in the states and used to be on a show called the Profit. I loved watching the show, and his way of doing business and mine are very similar. He helps failing businesses succeed with the transformations that they need. I admire and respect his process as I would do the same thing he does in most situations I have seen.
I also believe in having a superior product, process, and people to work with.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Our website is SmithInvestigationAgency.com.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
