Entries by Andrew Hogan

Running a Business in the Boondocks

September 30, 2015 in , /by

The future will belong to the nature-smart—those individuals, families, businesses, and political leaders who develop a deeper understanding of the transformative power of the natural world and who balance the virtual with the real. The more high-tech we become, the more nature we need.  —Richard Louv When Visioneers, decided to go MobileLocals360, they weren’t just talking about running a business more efficiently through smart phones, laptops and tablets. Nor was this idea merely about adopting more cloud technology. Rather, it was about going mobile. As in, literally. Visioneers’ MobileLocals360 movement was conceived by founder and CEO, Andrew Hogan, who had a vision more than 5 years ago to be an all-terrestrial […]

Successful Networking: Just be Quiet!

May 28, 2015 in , , /by

Let’s face it, networking for your business can sometimes be compared to root canal. It can be costly, time consuming and fairly painful if you’re not armed with the proper skills and know-how. I mean, uggh, starting conversations with complete strangers, in a crowd, over appetizers. “Shoot me,” right? Well, it doesn’t have to feel like a bad singles dating event. Here are a few tips for successful networking every time: Set a goal for yourself before you go. Maybe you want to meet 20 new people, out of which you will have at least 10 somewhat meaningful conversations, out of which maybe 5 are interesting prospects for follow-up. Just when you get stuck in the […]

Top 5 Mistakes Every Small Business Solopreneur Makes

May 28, 2015 in , , /by

Decided to go out on your own, eh? Ready to offer the world your unique gifts in your own unique way? Fabulous! Choose a name for your business, make a quick website, print some business cards, start a blog and ta-da – you are officially an entrepreneur. Now what? (Crickets chirping, perhaps?) It’s hard to believe, but sending out an email to everyone you know is NOT going to get you business. Neither is handing out business cards or making the perfect website. Here are 5 Mistakes to Learn From when launching your new small business: Spending all your time building your systems and technology and never going out to actually meet prospective clients. You can’t just […]

Initiating Change: Do I Have To?

May 28, 2015 in /by

We’ve all had that feeling. You know the one. “OK, this is IT! I’m never going to ______________________ ever again!” (fill in the blank: drink, smoke, overeat, miss a deadline, be judgmental) Or, “I’m going to start ______________________ everyday!” (fill in the blank: walking, reading, learning a new skill at work, appreciating my employees, meditating) You have a big smile right now, don’t you? Of course you do. I do. It’s not usually a lack of will power. It’s not normally a lack of desire or know-how to change. Often times we set ourselves up for failure simply by missing the essence of what’s really important to us inside the desired change. And then adding […]

Decision Making Overload: Pause, Breathe, Listen

May 28, 2015 in , /by

“I just can’t wait to not have to make decisions for a few weeks!” Sound familiar? Or desirable? I remember a former manager of mine, who I loved and respected very much, saying this on her way out to an extended 3-week vacation. And I remember thinking, “THAT’S what you’re looking forward to? Not drinks on the beach or sleeping late or eating really great food?” Hmmmm . . . That was before I held a leadership role. Leadership has its challenges and rewards, but the constant pressure to make decision after decision after good decision can wear down even the best of us. From the minutia of office supplies and relationship issues amongst your […]

Meeting Makeover

May 28, 2015 in , , /by

It’s 1:55pm. There’s a 2pm meeting at work. Maybe you are running it? Maybe you are  dreading it? Why do most meetings fail miserably and impart a sense of doom? And why, oh why, do we have so many of them? Most people hate meetings because most meetings are run very poorly. How do you know if this is you? Consider these 4 things: Are people sharing and communicating openly, or are you doing all the talking? Do things actually get accomplished during and after your meetings, or is there a general sense of “I know nothing is going to happen after this meeting, so I might as well tune […]