We recently had the chance to connect with Andy Hagenah and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Andy, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Definitely my kids and their adventures! My oldest is starting her Senior year of college at Long Beach State, so we have 1 last season of watching her play college beach volleyball this coming Spring. It’s going to be bittersweet, but we love to travel with the team and it’s so fun to watch her play. My son is our middle child, and he was injured for a big portion of last year when he was a freshman and playing men’s volleyball at San Diego Mesa. It will be great to catch his games this year and we are hoping for an injury free season! My youngest daughter is getting into all kinds of sports as well, playing Flag Football, Volleyball for her school team, and Club Soccer. While I am a Minnesota fan for my Pro Teams, I have a full slate of my kids sports to take in all year round and I love it.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a professional DJ of over 33 years and I own The Groove DJs here in San Diego. I also co-own Starlight Photo Booth. We provide fun entertainment for weddings, corporate events, schools, and more and have about 150 events or more per year that we help with! What makes The Groove stand out is our attention to detail, an easy going personality, ability to read a crowd and the moment, and being fun and flexible when we work with other vendors. Not only do our past clients love to refer us and run into us again at future events, but the pros we work with enjoy working with us and will recommend us to their clients often as well!
I started a newer business around the time of Covid, when the event business was shut down here in California. Social Indoor in Temecula Valley is a franchise I got into through a long time friend’s connection with the company in December 2020. We install digital indoor billboards at high-traffic locations in the Valley and businesses advertise on our platform at those venues. The Venue Partner as we like to call them, the wineries, bars, restaurants, gyms, golf courses and more that we have the screens at…are a great tool for them to spread the word about everything cool they do from Tournaments to Brunch, Band Schedules to Membership Offers, and more! It has been a really fun business to build, and I am excited to announce I will be expanding my territory to Fallbrook, Oceanside, and Carlsbad real soon!
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
I would say my Grandfather on my Mom’s side, and my Dad were the two biggest influences on my work ethic today. My Grandfather Clem Goss was an entrepreneur from the very start and had many businesses throughout his life. One is still running strong with my Aunt taking over his hardware store business in the town my parents grew up in.
My Dad worked at a ‘regular’ job a lot of his life, but also had a tax accounting service during the tax season as his side hustle you might say. Then, after being forced into retirement earlier than he was ready for, he reinvented himself starting a whole other business inspecting soil for people so they could sell their homes or to pass inspection for their sewer systems. It was nothing like what he had done his whole life up until then, but he learned something completely new and made good living from it.
Looking up to both my Dad and Grandpa taught me a lot about how I want to work and help others.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
I think the fear that I struggle with and has held me back the most in life is rejection. For whatever reason, I can tell myself a pretty good story about what I think someone is thinking or what they might say if I present my business or service to them. I often find that when I finally go for it, and ask for the sale or ask for help even…rejection isn’t nearly as often as I might expect. I need to get better at knowing that it’s completely fine to fail and have a client tell me no…it’s most times a temporary no, and you need a couple of ‘No’s” before you get that YES.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
The public Andy is for sure the real me! I don’t ever change who I am or what I believe in to try and get a sale or deal closed. I am honest and open with my clients and potential clients, which sometimes leads to a sale not being made…but I feel better inside.
For example with Social Indoor, there are some businesses that approach me about advertising, and I can tell it’s a real stretch for their budget to even try an entry level package. I have told them I didn’t think we were the best fit for their marketing dollars right now, and I think that’s appreciated.
At the same time, with The Groove DJs, I could pretend to be someone I am not on the mic and be the stereotypical DJ at events. However, I find that being real and being myself has proven to be a great way to make to stand out in a fiercely competitive market.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I believe I was born to connect with people. I have had a great career of being the leader of the party at thousands of weddings, birthdays, parties, and more over the last 30+ years. I still love going to work. I think I add a lot to the success of the events I am a part of.
With Social Indoor, the fun has been getting to know so many different types of businesses and owners, and then trying my hardest to promote them and connect them with people who will also help them thrive.
So some way, some how, I think I am just supposed to keep on connecting with people.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.The Groove.Pro www.StarlightPhotoBooth.com www.SocialIndoorTV.com
- Instagram: @TheGrooveDJs @SocialIndoorTV @Pics_by_Starlight
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyhagenah/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/socal.si.1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA4HcslUHAsf-m7d9aT2F5w
