Talking Success with Entrepreneur and 2025 Vogt Awards Selection Committee Chair Maggie Harlow
By Kym Voorhees Raque, The Write Solution LLC
This publication has been edited for clarity and length.
Maggie Harlow, CEO of Signarama Downtown and Vogt Awards Selection Committee Chair, is a shining example of entrepreneurial success, having started her career as the general manager for Tom Payette Jaguar, her father’s business, then opening Signarama Downtown with her husband, Brian, in 2003. She says persistence and agility are two essential qualities for every budding entrepreneur. You have to be willing to make mistakes and learn from them to move your business forward.
As a long-time business owner, Maggie has had to redefine her goals and her definition of success, something she says is all part of the journey.
“The really surprising thing for people who don’t have the experience of owning a business for a long time is how the definition of success is an ever-changing goal post. Success always looks different for business owners wherever they are in the spectrum of business. Your goal posts should be moving all the time. It should always be an ever-changing, living, breathing thing that is responding to both your own needs and the needs of the marketplace,” she said.
Many of the Vogt Invention and Innovation Awards participants come into the program with one idea of success. The experiences they share as part of the accelerator and being in the cohort might mean success looks different for them at the end – and that’s all part of the process.
Choosing What Success Looks Like
Success looks different for every entrepreneur. If you’re a seasoned business owner who has persevered and is preparing to launch a new business concept and build something brand new, success might mean you’re looking for financial freedom. Conversely, if you’ve never been in business before but you’ve developed a great idea, the role of business owner is a completely new experience for you, and how you define success may be to just pay the bills.
“Everyone who comes into the experience of an accelerator like Vogt [Awards] is really going to get something different depending on where they are in the spectrum of business ownership. Don’t think you won’t belong in the Vogt program if you are one or the other,” she said.
Someone who has a lot of business experience may think they don’t need to apply to the program because they already know how to start a business, how to attract investors, and compete in the marketplace, but there is still a lot to learn, connections to be made in the community, and ways to participate.
For those entrepreneurs on the other end of the spectrum who are new to the process and are afraid of embarrassing themselves by not knowing the answers to questions about their business or the marketplace, Vogt Awards offers guidance and opportunities for immense growth.
“Something I love about the Vogt Awards is that it really fits so many different pockets of entrepreneurship. What makes a startup successful in [this accelerator] experience is openness and curiosity and a willingness to learn,” said Harlow.
Taking Your Business to the Next Level with Vogt Awards
Vogt Awards provides a plethora of different resources to help a business get to the next level. The most difficult part of the Vogt process is putting your business out there during selection day for someone else to test, poke, and prod to find the weaknesses. The program’s selection committee will ask the tough questions and get owners to really look at their business in a new and deeper way.
“Founders will ask themselves if their idea is viable. Are they really responding to the market or do they just think they have a great idea?” said Harlow. “No one wants to hear their baby is ugly, but sometimes the participants have to learn that maybe their baby is ugly, and it needs a little bit of work. That’s part of the discomfort that leads to the breakthroughs that must happen for that next level of growth to be realized.”
The process also helps founders learn how to talk intelligently and persuasively about their businesses. You might have a great business concept, but talking about it is hard. Learning to pitch is a critical component, whether you’re seeking funding or just pitching your business to potential users.
“I’ve seen the significant progress a business owner has made from the first time they presented their concept when they were stumbling and fumbling and not being really clear about their business, to Demo Day and the pitch competition when everything just falls into place. They give wonderful presentations that sound completely different from those early pitches. It’s a remarkable experience because they’re not just developing their business ideas, they’re growing as entrepreneurs,” said Harlow.
Prestige of Being a Vogt Awards Recipient
The prestigious program gives each participant an immediate lift in visibility within the community. They’ve been put through their paces; they’ve been challenged, and they’ve come out as a better founder with better companies at the end of the program.
“We know this program works. We’ve had founders go through the program with one business, then sell it off and come back through with their next business. That speaks not just to the prestige of the program, but also what you’re gaining from it,” she said.
When Demo Day comes, investors, business owners, entrepreneurs, and others in the business ecosystem come from all over to watch the presentations and learn more about these outstanding businesses and their unique founders. Being designated as a Vogt Award-winning business says you are worthy.
Vogt Awards Support Lasts Forever
Participants will also forge lasting and deep connections through the program that will provide valuable resources throughout their careers, including network-building and support.
“You can reach out to people whether they were a mentor, an instructor, a volunteer, in your cohort, or in another cohort. You can ask for help when you need it. You have a ready team of people who will be supportive of you,” said Harlow.
You’ll also have access to an exponentially larger network.
“Recently, a graduate from last year’s Vogt [Awards] cohort reached out to me looking for introductions. Now that she’s shaped her business, and she knows who her targets are, she knows she can reach out to me and others in the Vogt network to connect her with additional resources. Your network is now exponentially bigger because you have access to my network and all the other people involved with Vogt Awards. It’s a massive network and you’ll learn how to use it,” said Harlow.
These resources are something you have for the life of your career. Even if you leave or sell your business, you’re still a Vogt Awards recipient and an alumnus and will forever be part of it.
“As a [recipient and] participant, you’re going to walk out with an abundance of riches, but it’s not something to keep to yourself. The idea is for you to participate as a mentor, a volunteer, or a coach. The expectation is that you’re part of something bigger and that you stay engaged at some level. That’s what makes Vogt so successful and how the program is able to nurture the next generation of business owners,” said Harlow.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Vogt Invention and Innovation Awards program and the second year Maggie Harlow has served as chair of the selection committee. For the 25th consecutive year, up to six early-stage businesses will have the opportunity to receive $25,000 in non-dilutive funding and participate in a 10-week accelerator program with coaching, mentorship, and resources, and may also qualify for $25,000 in additional capital from a participating program partner.
Interested in applying? The deadline to apply for the 25th Annual Vogt Invention and Innovation Awards is June 9, 2025. For more information or to apply, visit www.vogtawards.com.