Tom Vogel's Blog

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  • Martec’s Law: How to Keep Up With Technological Change
    12.11.2025

    Martec’s Law: How to Keep Up With Technological Change

    Digital transformation is a marathon, not a sprint. Martec’s Law explains the reasons for this, and what you can do to stay relevant.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Digital Transformation Leadership
  • What if Your Bank Goes Bust? A Preparation Guide for Entrepreneurs
    11.11.2025

    What if Your Bank Goes Bust? A Preparation Guide for Entrepreneurs

    The possibility that your bank goes bust is more likely than you might think. Remember Silicon Valley Bank? Check out if you are prepared.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Crisis Management Entrepreneurship
  • Should Entrepreneurs Be Proactive or Keep Calm? The Answer Is: Both
    10.11.2025

    Should Entrepreneurs Be Proactive or Keep Calm? The Answer Is: Both

    Do you want to seize the moment but not freak out unnecessarily? Then you have to learn to be proactive and keep calm at the same time.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Can You Manage a Pandemic Using AI? A Thought Experiment
    04.11.2025

    Can You Manage a Pandemic Using AI? A Thought Experiment

    A thought experiment for entrepreneurs based on our experience with COVID-19, teleporting it into a world of technology and multiple crises

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Crisis Management
  • In Tough Times, You Have to Leave Your Ego at the Door
    03.11.2025

    In Tough Times, You Have to Leave Your Ego at the Door

    The good times are over. Do we still have room for egos, office politics and power games? As a leader, you should leave your ego at the door.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Active Reserve Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • What if OpenAI Stopped Operating? A Thought Experiment
    28.10.2025

    What if OpenAI Stopped Operating? A Thought Experiment

    Humans are good at getting used to comfortable situations, but they are bad at planning for adversity. “What if” is the central question.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Crisis Management Digital Transformation
  • Zero Inbox: How to Do It, and How Not to Do It
    27.10.2025

    Zero Inbox: How to Do It, and How Not to Do It

    Glaring into somebody’s laptop screen is not what I normally do. But I was triggered by a “zero inbox” sticker, and I saw anything but. Recently, I sat in a meeting next to someone who had a sticker on the laptop screen saying “zero inbox”.…

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Leadership
  • Why Most People Fail When Crises Hit – And How to Win in Crisis
    20.10.2025

    Why Most People Fail When Crises Hit – And How to Win in Crisis

    Are you struggling with where to start your crisis preparations? You’re not alone. Download my thoughts on how to win in crisis for free.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Crisis Management
  • What My Father Never Saw: 20 Years of Tech That Changed Everything
    17.10.2025

    What My Father Never Saw: 20 Years of Tech That Changed Everything

    Imagine you died 20 years ago and were thrown back into the world of work today. A thought experiment about tech that changed everything.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Digital Transformation
  • Kids at Work: Why I Took My 13-Year-Old Daughter to a Trade Show
    10.10.2025

    Kids at Work: Why I Took My 13-Year-Old Daughter to a Trade Show

    Kids best understand what work is about when you have your kids at work. At a trade show, my daughter learned lessons school never teaches.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship
  • How to Avoid a Dysfunctional Board in a Startup
    06.10.2025

    How to Avoid a Dysfunctional Board in a Startup

    A dysfunctional board can limit your startup’s freedom of action. But dysfunctionality isn’t felt every day, but only in important matters.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • A Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI Bullshit Bingo
    03.10.2025

    A Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI Bullshit Bingo

    AI bullshit bingo is everywhere, but this article is really about leadership and management in the age of AI, not AI itself.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Digital Transformation Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Reading the Cyber Commanders’ Handbook: Lessons for Entrepreneurs
    29.09.2025

    Reading the Cyber Commanders’ Handbook: Lessons for Entrepreneurs

    My summer reading of the Cyber Commanders’ Handbook revealed insights on resilience, risk, and robustness that every entrepreneur can use.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Crisis Management Entrepreneurship Recommended Reading
  • Don’t Trust the Time Management Gurus
    23.09.2025

    Don’t Trust the Time Management Gurus

    No single time management technique will work for every scenario. And no single time management technique will survive your entire career.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • The Compliance Trap: Stop Pretending Your Team Read the PDFs
    22.09.2025

    The Compliance Trap: Stop Pretending Your Team Read the PDFs

    Compliance isn’t about documents in inboxes—it’s about clarity, proof, and making regulations work in real life.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Digital Transformation Entrepreneurship
  • Why Incorporating a Company in Switzerland Feels Like the Stone Age
    16.09.2025

    Why Incorporating a Company in Switzerland Feels Like the Stone Age

    Incorporating a company in Switzerland feels outdated, slow, and costly. Why we should be inspired by progressive countries such as Estonia

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship
  • Sick Leave Uncovered: The Costs You See and the Benefits You Don’t
    15.09.2025

    Sick Leave Uncovered: The Costs You See and the Benefits You Don’t

    Sick leave exposes the tension between finance and solidarity. But supporting your colleagues in tough times pays off more than you think.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Bigger Isn’t Always Better: Finding Your Growth Projection Style
    09.09.2025

    Bigger Isn’t Always Better: Finding Your Growth Projection Style

    Are you an entrepreneur who believes bigger is always better? Or are you more cautious? The good news is that there is more than one road to success.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship
  • Why “It’ll Be Done Tomorrow” Never Works Out
    08.09.2025

    Why “It’ll Be Done Tomorrow” Never Works Out

    For both simple and complicated tasks, “It’ll be done tomorrow” never works out. Dependencies and different perspectives are to blame.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Read and Sign on Steroids: How to Make Compliance Smarter
    03.09.2025

    Read and Sign on Steroids: How to Make Compliance Smarter

    Read and sign is not compliance. But it’s a start. In the end, it means keeping teams updated, meeting regulations, and impressing auditors.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Digital Transformation Entrepreneurship
  • Compliance Overreaction: How Common Sense Gets Lost in Corporate Gift Rules
    01.09.2025

    Compliance Overreaction: How Common Sense Gets Lost in Corporate Gift Rules

    Compliance overreaction is killing common sense in corporate gift-giving. Here is an example how rules meant to prevent bribery harm relations

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Features That Save Users from Themselves: The Unsung Heroes of Software
    26.08.2025

    Features That Save Users from Themselves: The Unsung Heroes of Software

    Here are some real-life examples of features that save users from themselves. They prevent chaos and keep your product frustration-free.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Digital Transformation Entrepreneurship
  • The Anchor I Return to When Entrepreneurship Gets Messy
    25.08.2025

    The Anchor I Return to When Entrepreneurship Gets Messy

    You need a fallback when entrepreneurship gets messy. Mine rests on four pillars: Fearlessness, commitment, decision-making, and simplicity.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Fast and Flexible Problem Solving with the OODA Loop
    21.08.2025

    Fast and Flexible Problem Solving with the OODA Loop

    Tired of endless problem discussions? Use the OODA loop to solve problems fast and always move forward. It works in all walks of life.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • One Month Projects: Why Anything Longer Is Too Complex
    18.08.2025

    One Month Projects: Why Anything Longer Is Too Complex

    In today’s fast-changing world, one-month projects work best. Learn why short, focused projects deliver results while long ones fail. Everything is connected, and technology evolves like never before, mainly due to the fast development of AI. What was cutting-edge technology yesterday is now a commodity.…

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship
  • Walk but Never Run: Business Growth Takes Patience
    12.08.2025

    Walk but Never Run: Business Growth Takes Patience

    Entrepreneurs should walk but never run. Growth takes patience, like farming and healing. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be ambitious.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Converting PDF into XML: Possibilities Beyond Copy-Paste
    11.08.2025

    Converting PDF into XML: Possibilities Beyond Copy-Paste

    Converting PDF into XML can be maddening. Here’s how to escape messy files and build structured, usable documents that actually work.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Digital Transformation Entrepreneurship
  • JIRA Dashboards That Actually Work: Simple Setup, Big Impact
    05.08.2025

    JIRA Dashboards That Actually Work: Simple Setup, Big Impact

    Learn how to use JIRA dashboards to keep an overview without plugins. A simple setup with summary emails reduces chaos and improves clarity.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Digital Transformation Leadership
  • Strategy in Real Life: Saying No Is the Hardest and Best Move
    04.08.2025

    Strategy in Real Life: Saying No Is the Hardest and Best Move

    Saying no is the key to strategy: Cut distractions, focus on value, and build what matters. The past is a bad guide for the future.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Doing Business Globally: What Works on Paper Fails in Practice
    30.07.2025

    Doing Business Globally: What Works on Paper Fails in Practice

    Whenever an entrepreneur who is doing business globally tells you that everything runs fine, don’t believe him. Reality is dirty and messy.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship
  • Gouverner c’est prévoir: Why Long-Term Planning Beats Firefighting
    22.07.2025

    Gouverner c’est prévoir: Why Long-Term Planning Beats Firefighting

    In government, they say “gouverner c’est prévoir.” As an entrepreneur, I live by this mantra for financial planning and the product roadmap.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • A Step-by-Step Guide to Cleaning Up Years of Digital Garbage
    21.07.2025

    A Step-by-Step Guide to Cleaning Up Years of Digital Garbage

    It’s incredible how much digital garbage amasses over time, even if you run an orderly organization. Here is how to clean it up.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Digital Transformation Entrepreneurship
  • What Roger Federer Teaches Us About Losing And Winning
    18.07.2025

    What Roger Federer Teaches Us About Losing And Winning

    Losing and winning belong together, says Roger Federer. The secret to turning a loss into a win is to bounce back and push forward.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship
  • Choose Your Battles: A Smarter Way to Handle Conflict
    16.07.2025

    Choose Your Battles: A Smarter Way to Handle Conflict

    Choosing your battles helps reduce conflict, save energy, and build stronger relationships in leadership, business, and team collaboration.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Leadership
  • Shared Crisis Lessons from Zermatt, a Village Cut Off over Easter
    11.07.2025

    Shared Crisis Lessons from Zermatt, a Village Cut Off over Easter

    Shared crisis lessons for homeowners, local leaders, and entrepreneurs from the Zermatt blackout over Easter and how to apply it next time.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Crisis Management
  • Perfection for Entrepreneurs: Lessons from Saint-Exupéry
    10.07.2025

    Perfection for Entrepreneurs: Lessons from Saint-Exupéry

    Perfection for entrepreneurs means simplification, not more work. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s wisdom shows how less can truly be more.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship
  • 24 Years, 1200 Days: Inside Switzerland’s Active Reserve System
    02.07.2025

    24 Years, 1200 Days: Inside Switzerland’s Active Reserve System

    Security doesn’t come for free. In Switzerland’s active reserve system, everyone must contribute. For me, that’s a 20% side job since 2001.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Active Reserve
  • Crisis Preparation in 2025: One Apocalypse Isn’t Enough
    01.07.2025

    Crisis Preparation in 2025: One Apocalypse Isn’t Enough

    Whether you’re running a business or a household, crisis preparation in 2025 means your backups and bunkers better be ready – and tested.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Crisis Management
  • How Inefficient Problems Drain Your Organization
    30.06.2025

    How Inefficient Problems Drain Your Organization

    Why do things rarely work the first time? Learn how inefficient problems arise and what leaders can do to turn them into efficient ones.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Digital Documents: Don’t Turn Bad Documents into Digital Trash
    24.06.2025

    Digital Documents: Don’t Turn Bad Documents into Digital Trash

    Digital documents won’t fix your problem. If your documents suck, so will their digital versions. Cultural change is the real transformation.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Digital Transformation
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About Me

Growing a company 📈 in uncertain times 🔥🧨 is like running a marathon — it demands grit, strategy, and resilience.

As a tech entrepreneur 💻, active reserve officer 🪖, and father of three 👩👦👦, I share practical insights and write about entrepreneurship, leadership, and crisis management.

When I’m not solving problems, I recharge and find inspiration in the breathtaking mountains 🏔️ around Zermatt 🇨🇭.

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