Ben has an extensive background in many different businesses. It started when he worked at his Mom’s frozen yogurt shops around the Sale Lake Valley when he was between the ages of 13-15. From there he worked at Orange Julius in High School as well as was a tennis instructor.
After graduating from Alta High School he went on to finish his Plebe Year at West Point where he received the highest quality leadership and strategic training. After his Plebe Year he decided the military career is not what he wanted to pursue. He went on to graduate with an Economics Degree from the University of Utah.
Within the next year Ben started to pursue a career in Real Estate. He was soon hired by Ivory Homes in 2004. He was placed at the coveted West Jordan model home after his training. In his first full two years there he made the Sales Club. Then in 2008 the Housing Market Crash tested Ben’s mettle because he was transferred from the West Jordan Ivory location to Sandy. That combined with the downturn in the market led to minimal income and then subsequently led to Ben’s departure from Ivory Homes in 2009.
He made the conscious decision to pivot from Real Estate to the Technology Industry. He spent a couple years going business to business (knocking on doors) selling Telecom Services and Cabling Build Outs. After a couple years of pounding the pavement he received an opportunity of a lifetime by being offered a position at SolarWinds (IT Software Management Company).
The position at SolarWinds is where Ben was able to tap back into his leadership mindset and skills. He was promoted to Team Lead after his first year. When SolarWinds decided to change their Account Manager structure to have Intermediate and Senior Reps with levels 1 – 3, Ben became the first Senior 1 at the company. He did this with consistency, grit, and resourcefulness. In his 9+ years at SolarWinds, Ben made Sales Club 7 out of the 8 qualifying years. The first requirement for Club was that you had to hit a target every quarter in the calendar year. Though there were many years where Ben finished Top 3, he finally broke through in 2018 to finish as the Top Rep in the Company. To this Day, Ben still is at the top of the leaderboard for most overall revenue generated by an Account Manager with over $90M in sales.
During his time at SolarWinds, Ben was also asked to train new hires, interview potential candidates, and also create SPIFF’s for the sales team globally.
In 2021 Ben decided to make a change from SolarWinds due to SolarWinds closing their satellite office in 1 Utah. He took on a role as a Manager of a Start-Up company called Zight. He was asked to interview and hire a whole new staff. With this newly formed position he was also asked to design the sales motion and structure for the team. In 2023 Zight peaked at $6M in ARR, which was up from $2.5M in 2021 when Ben had started. They were able to do this by having a consistent sales motion with solid upsells, new customer pitches, and regular adjustments in outreach and planning. All of which were created by Ben.
In late 2024 after a year of struggles retaining customers Zight decided to wipe clean the entire sales staff and start over. Ben had to move on from there and again reinvent himself for a 3rd time. This time Ben wanted the ultimate challenge and lied in waiting for the right opportunity. Low and behold about a half a year later close friends Brandon and Andy Nelson called Ben and recruited Ben to lead LumaCare.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I get up and do stretching, a circuit of exercises, and a walk. This is after I make my bed of course.
Next I have to take care of my Chicken Farm before I run and get coffee to start my work day.
Once I get in the office I check anything that was left overnight for testing from the previous day. Our Duo has 6 different pressure tests that have to happen at each step before it is moved onto the next step.
After that is done then they start on any manufacturing items that need to be handled to keep up with the high demand. I work in conjunction with our Head of Manufacturing, Andy Nelson.
From there I tackle any Executive Items I need to take care of like Sales, Finances, Marketing, etc. I organize this with a detailed To-Do List. I get the most out of every day by following a strict priority list that changes every single day.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Leaders typically come in two sizes, Executors and Visionaries. I feel like I am more Visionary than Executor, but I have a solid balance. What interested me in the laser business was the impact that cold laser therapy can have on its users. I have always been a very active person and in 2025 I tore my Achilles and was put on the side line for approx 10 months. That crushed my over physical well being but was also a mental struggle as well. The LumaCare Duo accelerated my healing process and got me back to active around the 7-8 month mark instead of the standard 10-12 months. From there I was hooked on cold laser therapy. That was around the time that the Nelson Brothers reached out to me about this opportunity. The chance to really lean into my leadership skills and mentality to sincerely want to help people was my main inspiration.
What’s one trend that excites you?
We have the best engineered product on the market. That is what excites me. Knowing that I have the best product and I am solving a need with a drug-free solution is highly motivating.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
My morning routine of stretching, circuit training, walking, and taking care of my chickens. The easy mornings are just that easy. I get up and knock it out. But it is the consistent desire and grit to sticking to my routing on the bad mornings that is the difference maker.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would have told my College Self to become an Entrepreneur out of the gate. This would have helped me lean into my natural state of leading as well as fed my creative and visionary side of my personality.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.
That the Universe gives you luck by hard work, consistent grit, and a positive attitude in the face of hardships.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Make sure you have a Plan to start and understand when you have to adjust or pivot that plan. From there also understand the patience that you have to have while the plan is in motion. Find something to bring you out of a potentially frustrating moment, it is okay to step out for a period of time and reset yourself.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
If it is a momentary situation then I go on a walk and listen to my music. If it is a continuous struggle I will usually remove myself from the situation and jump into one of my activities like skiing or golf.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Finding out how to level yourself up. Everybody is motivated by different things and everybody excels with different characteristics. Find what those are and then self drive from there. A good entrepreneur typically has the hustle gene, is adaptable on the fly, but also understands the bigger picture better than the other people involved.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
I think there are times in life where you think or expect someone is sharing your same mindset and drive. Then you find out that they are not as invested as you are, or at least on your same level. It is tough when you are giving your time mostly for their direct benefit and then they end up not really caring. You start then with the great skill of reading the situation better and asking better quality questions. Directness becomes a new skill.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Having a Drone continuously record you while doing an activity so that you don’t have to have someone filming you.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I am a spreadsheet nut.
What is the best $100 you recently spent?
Playing in my first golf tourney in a couple years. I love a pressure test and I have high expectations for myself. So it is great to see where I measure up on something like that.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?
Habits and Hustle with Jen Cohen
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I am in the process of reading the Red Rising book Trilogy. I am about halfway through the three books. It is very intense and I am a huge fan of sci-fi. The protagonist is continually dealt with a chaotic situation and he has to make pin point decisions in a harsh world.