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Tom Vogel's Blog

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    • Recommended Reading
  • Substance Over Form: Stop Wasting Time on the Wrong Things
    15.06.2026

    Substance Over Form: Stop Wasting Time on the Wrong Things

    When people are short of time, why do they do unnecessary things? Three observations from a crisis simulation that apply everywhere.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Crisis Management Leadership
  • Why Enthusiastic Entrepreneurs Are More Successful
    10.06.2026

    Why Enthusiastic Entrepreneurs Are More Successful

    People call me “Mr. Yonder”. This is down to my enthusiasm for my product, my team, and my work, and it’s one of the most powerful sales tools.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Stop Whining. Suffering Is Part of Entrepreneurship
    08.06.2026

    Stop Whining. Suffering Is Part of Entrepreneurship

    Lost deals, silent prospects, churning customers, and outages on your wife’s birthday. Suffering is part of entrepreneurship. Here’s how to keep going.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship
  • The World Is Changing Faster Than Your Business Plan
    03.06.2026

    The World Is Changing Faster Than Your Business Plan

    Geopolitics disrupts travel. Energy disrupts costs. AI disrupts jobs. Here’s how entrepreneurs turn all three into opportunity.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship
  • ISO 27001 Certification: Check. Maintenance: Good Luck
    01.06.2026

    ISO 27001 Certification: Check. Maintenance: Good Luck

    The audit is one day. The maintenance is 365. Here’s what startups get wrong after their ISO 27001 certification, and how to fix it.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Digital Transformation Entrepreneurship
  • Why Escalation Is Every Entrepreneur’s Worst Move
    27.05.2026

    Why Escalation Is Every Entrepreneur’s Worst Move

    Q told Bond always to have an escape plan. For entrepreneurs, the best escape plan is avoiding escalation beyond what can be repaired.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Out-of-Office Replies Are Making You Obsolete
    25.05.2026

    Out-of-Office Replies Are Making You Obsolete

    Out-of-office replies feel harmless. But chain enough of them together and you’ve just killed a deal, a project, or your own career.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Stop Budgeting Like a Consumer. Forecast Like an Entrepreneur
    21.05.2026

    Stop Budgeting Like a Consumer. Forecast Like an Entrepreneur

    Entrepreneurs run rolling cashflow forecasts to spot trouble years ahead. I applied the same model to private budgeting.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship
  • Your Business Doesn’t Matter. The Universe Said So
    20.05.2026

    Your Business Doesn’t Matter. The Universe Said So

    In cosmic terms, your startup is invisible. That’s not depressing — it’s the most liberating thing an entrepreneur can hear.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • You Took Investor Funding. How Do You Get Out Again?
    18.05.2026

    You Took Investor Funding. How Do You Get Out Again?

    Two co-founders asked me an important question over a beer: “How do we ever get out of investor funding again?” Here are some of my answers.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship
  • Tactical Terms: How To Turn Vague Discussions Into Action
    13.05.2026

    Tactical Terms: How To Turn Vague Discussions Into Action

    “Let’s discuss it” is not a plan. “I need to think about it” is not progress. The military concept of tactical terms changes everything.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Active Reserve Leadership
  • AI Takes Your Meeting Notes. But Who Reads Them?
    11.05.2026

    AI Takes Your Meeting Notes. But Who Reads Them?

    AI meeting notes feel productive. But the decisions that matter are taken in bar conversations or spontaneous calls, not in formal meetings.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Digital Transformation Entrepreneurship
  • Move Fast and Break Things, Or Think First and Win?
    06.05.2026

    Move Fast and Break Things, Or Think First and Win?

    Rushing to build what one customer asks for is a trap. Here’s how taking your time leads to better products and stronger demand.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • The Best Entrepreneurs Know When to Slow Down
    04.05.2026

    The Best Entrepreneurs Know When to Slow Down

    Speed is an entrepreneur’s superpower — until it isn’t. Here are 5 situations where slowing down delivers better results.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Only in Switzerland: When Tech Entrepreneurs Meet in a Shooting Range
    29.04.2026

    Only in Switzerland: When Tech Entrepreneurs Meet in a Shooting Range

    An anecdotal insight into three entrepreneurs meeting at a compulsory shooting exercise mandated by the Swiss active reserve system

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Active Reserve Entrepreneurship
  • Always On-Call: The Reality for Every Entrepreneur
    27.04.2026

    Always On-Call: The Reality for Every Entrepreneur

    Like parenting, entrepreneurs can’t opt out of crises. Stay calm, always carry your tools, and fix problems wherever you are.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship
  • The AI Tightrope: Chasing Wonders or Following Pragmatism?
    22.04.2026

    The AI Tightrope: Chasing Wonders or Following Pragmatism?

    Believe it or not, space exploration is a good analogy for AI developments. And like for space exploration, data separates hype from results.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Digital Transformation Entrepreneurship
  • Cut Costs, Boost Sales: The Entrepreneur’s Tightrope
    20.04.2026

    Cut Costs, Boost Sales: The Entrepreneur’s Tightrope

    In good times, business is easy: Demand and investor appetite are soaring. But what about bad times? Entrepreneurs need to walk a tightrope.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship
  • Stop Testing the Safe Parts of Your Code: A Real-Life Story
    15.04.2026

    Stop Testing the Safe Parts of Your Code: A Real-Life Story

    End-to-end tests miss the fatal errors. You need the annoying testers who ask the dumb questions to find the real risks in your code.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • 24 Hours to Fix a Disaster: A True SaaS Recovery Story
    13.04.2026

    24 Hours to Fix a Disaster: A True SaaS Recovery Story

    When a data migration went wrong and wiped production data on a Thursday, our team had one goal: Full SaaS recovery before the weekend.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Crisis Management Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • The World Is Broken. Entrepreneurs Need to Help Fix It.
    08.04.2026

    The World Is Broken. Entrepreneurs Need to Help Fix It.

    Geopolitics, energy shortages, and economic downturns aren’t just news headlines. They’re your business problem, too.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Crisis Management Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Dirty Rivals, Clean Hands: Why We Never Hit Back
    06.04.2026

    Dirty Rivals, Clean Hands: Why We Never Hit Back

    When rivals spread lies and poach your customers, hitting back feels tempting. Here’s why we resisted, and why you should too.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship
  • Entrepreneurship in Troubled Times: Don’t Deny, Don’t Delay
    01.04.2026

    Entrepreneurship in Troubled Times: Don’t Deny, Don’t Delay

    What connects an airline pilot in April 2020, a Serbian taxi driver in January 2020, and today’s Iran war? Two survival rules for leaders.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Crisis Management Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Good Cop, Bad Cop: A Must‑Know Tactic for New Professionals
    30.03.2026

    Good Cop, Bad Cop: A Must‑Know Tactic for New Professionals

    The good-cop-bad-cop tactic is not obvious to juniors. Teach them the roles, and take on the bad-cop role for them to succeed.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Leadership
  • Entrepreneurship in Times of Crisis: Be Cautious, Then Strike
    25.03.2026

    Entrepreneurship in Times of Crisis: Be Cautious, Then Strike

    What options do entrepreneurs have in times of crisis? If you want to seize the moment in rough times, you have to be cautious first.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Crisis Management Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Automation Tools for Entrepreneurs: Microsoft Power Automate or n8n?
    23.03.2026

    Automation Tools for Entrepreneurs: Microsoft Power Automate or n8n?

    Using a simple case study shows that if an automation tool feels difficult, look for an alternative before spending too much time on it.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Digital Transformation Entrepreneurship
  • I Don’t Care, It’s Not My Problem: Never Say This as a Leader
    18.03.2026

    I Don’t Care, It’s Not My Problem: Never Say This as a Leader

    If there weren’t any problems, there would be no need for leadership. And there is definitely no room for leaders who say it’s not their problem.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Leadership
  • A No-Fluff Guide for Entrepreneurs to Automate Boring Tasks
    16.03.2026

    A No-Fluff Guide for Entrepreneurs to Automate Boring Tasks

    Want to automate all those boring tasks? Great! But before you start, ask yourself a few questions about use cases, tools, and benefits.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Digital Transformation Entrepreneurship
  • Focus Is Key: Is This Still the Case in the Age of AI?
    11.03.2026

    Focus Is Key: Is This Still the Case in the Age of AI?

    Generations of entrepreneurs were taught that focus is key. While this is still valid for execution and operations, what about strategy?

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • To Cloud, or Not to Cloud, That Is the Question
    09.03.2026

    To Cloud, or Not to Cloud, That Is the Question

    Before talking about tools and solutions, ask yourself some grey-zone questions about whether to use the cloud or not for a certain use case.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Digital Transformation
  • If You Are a New Leader: Meet People First, Then Judge
    04.03.2026

    If You Are a New Leader: Meet People First, Then Judge

    This is an episode about one of the most profound leadership lessons I learned as a new leader almost 15 years ago

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Active Reserve Leadership
  • Keeping Your Customers: Unglamorous Lessons From the Daily Grind
    02.03.2026

    Keeping Your Customers: Unglamorous Lessons From the Daily Grind

    There is an often-overlooked superpower that helps you keep your B2B customers: Try to make the onboarding feel as smooth as a B2C onboarding.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship
  • How to Manage Multiple Projects Without Burning Out
    25.02.2026

    How to Manage Multiple Projects Without Burning Out

    I am often asked, “How do you manage to juggle everything?” Managing multiple projects requires organization, discipline, focus, and frustration tolerance.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship
  • My Office Is Where My Backpack Is: Lessons From 10 Years of Remote Work
    23.02.2026

    My Office Is Where My Backpack Is: Lessons From 10 Years of Remote Work

    Remote work gives professional flexibility to companies and personal flexibility to employees. But you need the right equipment for it.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Does Social Media Really Depict Entrepreneurial Success?
    18.02.2026

    Does Social Media Really Depict Entrepreneurial Success?

    In the age of artificial intelligence and geopolitics, entrepreneurial success isn’t what it used to be. A plea for the middle class.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Why People Cannot Fully Control Time Planning, Even if They Try
    16.02.2026

    Why People Cannot Fully Control Time Planning, Even if They Try

    Time planning is a paradox. We want to be ambitious, yet we know that delays will occur. Even if we try to do things on time, we usually fail. Why?

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • Why Competitors Who Are Copying You Are a Compliment
    11.02.2026

    Why Competitors Who Are Copying You Are a Compliment

    In the age of AI, it’s never been easier to copy existing products. However, competitors who are copying you forget one thing: The hard side.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship
  • How to Stay On Top of Your Tasks: The “Block” and “Admin” Secret
    09.02.2026

    How to Stay On Top of Your Tasks: The “Block” and “Admin” Secret

    Entrepreneurs juggle many hats and projects. On top, tasks from your private life pile up. How can you stay on top of your tasks?

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • From Playground to Boardroom: Trust Builds Slow and Breaks Fast
    04.02.2026

    From Playground to Boardroom: Trust Builds Slow and Breaks Fast

    Whether it’s a missing $10 bill at home or a botched SaaS rollout, trust with kids and in business builds slowly and vanishes in a single slip.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Entrepreneurship Leadership
  • AI Changes Everything. But How Open to Change Are You?
    02.02.2026

    AI Changes Everything. But How Open to Change Are You?

    Survival is optional. If you don’t want to change in the age of AI, the age of AI will change you and your business.

    Written by

    Tom Vogel

    Digital Transformation Leadership
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About Me

I’m a tech entrepreneur, active reserve officer, and father of three — writing about entrepreneurship, leadership, and crisis management from hard-won experience. No AI, no fluff, no promos. Just plain-text insights for people building and leading under pressure.

When I’m not solving problems, I find clarity in the mountains around Zermatt.

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