Afidence: Thinking in the Long Term

This piece is part of a special section profiling the successful evolution of private businesses in Greater Cincinnati helped by Aileron. For the profile on Aileron, go here. For the articles in these series, check out the Aileron Special Section home here. 

Being an entrepreneur is no easy task. As Aileron founder Clay Mathile says, entrepreneurs put "their capital at risk" to "create jobs for others," which deserves to be honored. Those that reached out to Aileron for guidance to help their organizations grow did so to create a better future for themselves, their organizations, and their communities. 

The following honoree shared his story in order to pay it forward, just as Mathile did with Aileron.

"It takes a lot of courage to reach out for help and then to extend a hand to help someone else, but that is what we are here for," says Kelly McCracken, director of client relations. "We appreciate business owners who are willing to join us in this endeavor."

Afidence 

Bryan Hogan, alongside his wife Barbara, launched the information technology company, Afidence, in 2010. As president and vice president, the entrepreneurial couple took a big risk to create what they hoped would be "recognized as the most trusted leader in business and technology," Bryan says.

The firm provides a variety of services such as executive advisory services, strategic IT consulting, technology project management–technology selection, implementation, and training–IT support and outsourcing, and staff augmentation. Each service is provided with their mission in mind: "We earn long-lasting, trusted relationships by focusing on client business priorities and delivering services with excellence and integrity."

One of the ways this mission is preserved is by "prioritizing long-term trusted client relationships over short-term revenue and profit be- cause we don’t accept vendor commissions or kickbacks," Bryan says."Most IT firms resell hardware and software. We don’t."

The firm also invests heavily in employee growth and development, which has helped them to score high on previous culture audits. And recently, to ensure those results haven’t changed, the firm conducted an employee survey as a follow-up from the culture audit. This has helped them to identify areas of strength and opportunities for growth. Moreover, they have invested in new training and development tools in order to provide a "more holistic ‘Life Planning’ approach to employee development," he says.

"We have persevered because we have been blessed with exceptional clients and employees that see our commitment to earning long-term trusted relationships."

Currently, Afidence employs 24 people and anticipates adding another three to five jobs this year. To continue their growth, they consistently refine their business model based on Aileron’s Professional Management System. Within that system, they focus on performance management, employee development, company culture, and strategic planning in hopes of making a lasting impact on the company and community.

"We prioritize the long-term positive impact we can make in our community over the short-term demands of our time, talent, and treasures," Bryan says.

Afidence is located at 1770 Mason-Morrow-Millgrove Road, Lebanon, OH 45036. You can reach them at 513.234.5822, by email at barbara.hogan@ afidence.com, or you can visit their website at www.afidence.com.