How Helping Others Leads to Success: Lessons from Phillip Hogan
Welcome to this episode of Rise Urban Nation, hosted by Taryell Simmons. In this insightful conversation, we sit down with Phillip Hogan, founder and CEO of Signing Services of America, to explore his entrepreneurial journey in the real estate settlement space. Phillip shares how adopting a service-first mindset, investing in robust technology, and empowering staff transformed a mobile notary venture into an industry-leading nationwide signing service.
Phillip discovers the mobile notary profession in 2014 after an out-of-state vehicle purchase closing at his home.
Launching Signing Services of America in 2016 following a nationwide partnership opportunity with a Florida title firm.
Transitioning from a career in substance abuse counseling and nonprofit transitional housing to scalable enterprise leadership.
Building a custom API integration with Salesforce to automate secure bilateral document workflows.
Reflecting on lessons from his father regarding loyalty, leadership, and mutual respect in business.
Mobile Notary Origins: How a personal real estate and vehicle closing experience sparked a career transition without returning to formal schooling.
Settlement Services Industry: Clarifying the role of signing services in orchestrating nationwide document execution between lenders, title companies, and signers.
Operational Delegation Systems: Moving from solo operations to structured teams by onboarding schedulers, bookkeepers, and operational managers.
Custom Tech Integration: Leveraging bilateral API workflows with enterprise tools like Salesforce to streamline secure transactions.
Servant Leadership Culture: Fostering workplace loyalty, clear accountability, and professional growth across internal staff and independent contractor networks.
Deliver on commitments consistently and set realistic operational boundaries to preserve client trust.
Build internal operational and technological infrastructure before aggressively scaling customer volume.
Empower employees by assigning clear end goals while giving them autonomy in execution.
Turn business errors into constructive coaching moments to strengthen organizational resilience.
Phillip Hogan is the founder and CEO of Signing Services of America, holding master's degrees in social work from Fordham University and public administration from American Public University. With over a decade of leadership experience across the nonprofit and real estate settlement sectors, he has built a nationwide network managing tens of thousands of notary professionals. You can learn more about his company and connect directly at https://www.signingservicesofamerica.com.
Taryell Simmons: Welcome back to another episode of Rise Urban Nation, where we highlight the incredible journeys of Black and Pan-African entrepreneurs making waves in their industries today. I am honored to speak to someone who is transforming the signing services industry with innovation, integrity, and a deep commitment to helping others: Phillip Hogan, the founder and CEO of Signing Services of America. Since founding SSA in 2016, he has redefined how signing services operate, introducing cutting-edge technology and creative problem-solving to ensure seamless execution of legal documents. Beyond his business success, Phillip is a firm believer that helping others is the key to success. Today we explore his journey, the lessons he has learned, and how a service-first mindset leads to extraordinary growth in business and life. Welcome to Rise Urban Nation, Phillip.
Phillip Hogan: Thank you, Taryell. It is good to be on your show, and thank you for having us.
Taryell Simmons: I have not met many Black entrepreneurs in the signing industry. What led you to creating Signing Services of America, and what was your vision when you started?
Phillip Hogan: In 2014, I purchased a car out of state from California. Instead of having me fly out to California to close on the deal, they sent a notary to my home with all the closing documents for the auto loan. I had never heard of a traveling notary. I was really impressed and wanted to learn more, so I talked with him after signing. He laid out all the steps I needed to take. At the time, I was interested in building a business that did not require going back to school. I hold a master's degree in social work from Fordham and another master's in public administration from American Public University, so I was finished with formal schooling for career changes. Mobile notary work was appealing. The notary gave me three instructions: get your notary commission, get your notary stamp, and do not start advertising until you have your stamp. I followed those steps, began marketing on notary directories across the country, and the phone started ringing. I quickly learned the mortgage transaction documents, reduced my errors, and built strong client relationships in Georgia.
Phillip Hogan: In late 2015, a large national title company based in Clearwater, Florida approached me. They wanted to expand in Georgia and asked if I would partner with them and handle their business. In February 2016, I launched Signing Services of America. I did not know everything about running a signing service yet, but I seized the opportunity to serve others and build a business. We started with immediate order volume and revenue from day one, and over the years I learned how to scale, market, and lead effectively.
Taryell Simmons: What specific industry sector does Signing Services of America operate in?
Phillip Hogan: We serve within the real estate industry, specifically on the settlement side of transactions. When someone purchases a home, their lender approves the loan and partners with a title insurance company or settlement service provider. Signing Services of America comes in when the settlement provider needs a third-party vendor to arrange for a mobile notary to meet with homeowners and execute closing documents securely and accurately.
Taryell Simmons: Did you always see yourself as an entrepreneur?
Phillip Hogan: When I graduated with my first master's degree in May 2000, our keynote speaker challenged us to set the bar higher. My first venture was a nonprofit organization called Housing Matters of New York. I purchased a property in Brooklyn out of foreclosure and converted it into a transitional living community for formerly incarcerated adult men who were nonviolent offenders. Drawing from my background as a substance abuse counselor, I ran the program successfully for five years to reduce recidivism. Eventually, due to systemic funding hurdles and community resistance, our board decided to transition residents into partner facilities, and I sold the property. That experience gave me invaluable leadership and problem-solving skills.
Taryell Simmons: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in the early years of SSA?
Phillip Hogan: Doing everything myself was challenging—long days and short nights. We built a network of 65,000 notaries, and managing quality and scheduling required immense focus. As business grew, I hired schedulers so I could transition to management, human resources, and operations. Accounting was another hurdle. I initially tried handling QuickBooks myself, but hiring a dedicated bookkeeper was a turning point. I learned that delegation requires teaching team members how the business makes money, reviewing weekly reports, and actively managing accounts receivable to protect cash flow.
Taryell Simmons: You also brought family into the business. How did your son join SSA, and how has technology like Salesforce played a role?
Phillip Hogan: I grew up working alongside my father, who was a police officer from Harlem, and learned core business values at our family table. Bringing my son into SSA allowed me to mentor him in that same way. He is now our operations manager, overseeing daily operational decisions. Regarding technology, we integrated our platform with Salesforce via a custom API. When clients schedule orders in Salesforce, documents are pushed bilaterally and securely to our system and returned encrypted once completed.
Taryell Simmons: What is your core philosophy on leadership and scaling?
Phillip Hogan: My father always taught me: take care of your people, and your people will take care of you. We treat mistakes as training moments, support our team during emergencies, and communicate transparently. When delegating, define the goal and empower your team to determine how to achieve it. In business, do what you say and say what you can do. Scale slowly and build the proper infrastructure before taking on massive volume so you do not compromise trust or quality.
Taryell Simmons: Where can our listeners connect with you and Signing Services of America?
Phillip Hogan: You can reach us at https://www.signingservicesofamerica.com. Fill out the consultation form at the bottom of the page, and I will connect with you directly.
Taryell Simmons: Thank you, Phillip, for sharing your journey and wisdom with us today.
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