Contagious Trust

She wanted to grow up to be a cowboy, an artist, a musician, a singer and an actress. However, never in her wildest dreams did Barbara Hogan, founder, CEO and president of Timbelo, Inc. – an IT product acquisition services company – envision becoming a business owner. Particularly a business rooted in technology. 

“I actually once said, aloud, ‘I know one thing. I never want to own my own business,’ ” Hogan says. “When I went to college, I got two degrees in psychology and social justice. Every test I took after college warned me, ‘Do not go into technology.’ ”

Timbelo’s helm, successfully steering her evolving enterprise – born out of a need to bring integrity to the acquisition technology space – into its second year. Hogan remains committed to ensuring Timbelo differs from other IT product acquisition companies via price transparency, quote comparisons and incentive sharing.

Hogan is also co-owner – with her husband, Bryan – and vice president of Afidence, one of the most trusted business advocates and IT providers in Greater Cincinnati. Afidence was Bryan’s dream, and his dream was Hogan’s priority until she decided to launch Timbelo in 2017 as a separate, yet supplemental entity to the Afidence brand. Afidence is Latin for “founded in trust,” Hogan explains. And Timbelo seemed a fitting moniker for her new endeavor because “tim” means “honoring God” and “belo” means “beautiful” in Portugese. 

What is the Timbelo vision? To be recognized as an organization that turns clients’ goals and dreams into realities by empowering their quests. The company’s hallmarks? Wisdom, integrity and quality of service. Honored to receive Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(m) certifications last year, Hogan is excited about the doors those designations continue to open in a traditionally male-dominated industry. 

Hogan encourages her clients to trust honest and fair solutions to drive success within their organizations, says Sherry Taylor, president and CEO of the Mason Deerfield Chamber of Commerce. “ ‘Founded in trust while honoring God’ is the Barbara Hogan our region has grown to admire and respect,” Taylor says. “Mastering the skill and the art of trust in business creates sustainable and competitive advantages, not just for an individual company, but for the community that is fortunate enough to be chosen for that business’ home. Our region’s ability to take transformative steps forward is at the mercy of people who create that culture of contagious trust – the Barbara Hogans of the world.”

It’s not lost on Hogan that she has, in fact, reached her original dream of becoming a cowboy. She has grown into her own brand of wrangler, taking the technology procurement industry by the horns, lassoing Timbelo’s success using her signature honesty, compassion and desire to champion the greatness in others. “Don’t ever forget your dream,” she advises young entrepreneurs. “But at the same time, remember that the next step to reaching your dream may not look at all like where you think your dream should be going. Being involved in Afidence and starting Timbelo brought me to a place I never thought I’d be. So, let your dreams morph, knowing that in the morphing you may end up finding yourself exactly where you want to be.”

Timbelo is located at 5572 Crestwood Drive, Mason, OH 45040. For more information, call 513.813.8444, email Barbara. Hogan@timbelo.com or info@timbelo.com or visit www.timbelo.com.