The Dirt Jim Barnish

With the exponential growth of data in organizations, cyberattacks are becoming frequent and costing American companies millions and risking their reputations. Kevin Coppins, President and CEO of Spirion, knows just how much is at risk when it comes to employee data. When he stepped into his role as CEO, he made sure that the founder’s vision to “eliminate data breaches and the pain associated with them” stayed very much alive. 
Join Jim and Kevin as they dive into the cybersecurity threats businesses face with the use of sensitive employee and consumer data. They discuss the importance of companies understanding the value of the information they have in order to protect it, how Covid has changed the world of cybersecurity, and Kevin’s experience transitioning into a CEO role and taking over a company from its founders.  

3 Key Takeaways
Protect the Digital You: The digital version of you is almost as valuable as the physical version of you, and you have to protect it accordingly. This is even more important for businesses, who have tons of “digital people” to protect.Choose the Right Buyer : Choosing the right buyer for your company can make or break your company moving forward. Take the time to do your research and find the buyer with the greatest propensity to drive the company where you want it to go. (Hint: It’s not always the highest bidder!)Make Customers Successful, Not Happy: Counterintuitive? Maybe. Effective? Definitely. In some industries (e.g., Cybersecurity), not every interaction is going to make customers feel good. There will be tough conversations because data integrity and protection is a high-stakes game and many companies don’t do it right. As a vendor, your job is to make the customer successful (i.e., data and assets secure) - this will cultivate a mutual respect and make for successful, long-term customers. Resources
Spirion Website
Kevin’s LinkedIn
Kevin’s Twitter
About
As Chief Executive Officer at Spirion, Kevin leads a team of passionate data privacy professionals driven daily to “Protect What Matters Most” for their customers, colleagues and communities. Data breaches continue to grow with more than 33 billion records projected to be stolen in 2023, a 175% increase over 2018. As a result, privacy has taken legislative center stage as people’s physical identities become digitized into a form of personal data currency, for sale to the highest bidder. The real victims of a data breach are those individuals who will forever have to deal with their identities being compromised. It’s why Spirion takes what they do so seriously, and it’s why Kevin is honored to be a part of this team.  


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Workers share more data with their employers than with any other service. Whether it’s work history, educational experience,family structure, etc. employers have all of this information at their fingertips. 
What if that data could be used to deliver a better experience for every employee? That’s the question that Kiran Menon asked when he founded Tydy, a People Ops Automation platform. 
Kiran believes with the increasing number of systems in organizations, employee data is just sitting in silos, and he saw a need for a product to build a cohesive, unified profile of an individual.
Join Jim and Kiran as they discuss how a People Ops platform can improve the employee experience. They discuss whatPeople Ops means and its growing popularity, building custom systems for large businesses (we’re talking 100,000+), and how Kiran’s experience in enterprise sales translates to his work as a founder of a startup.


3 Key Takeaways
Don’t Shy Away From the Rough Days: When building a business, it’s inevitable that you’ll go through rough patches. Embrace those challenges as they come and build back better every time. You want to build an organization that lasts. Identify Your Gatekeepers: Although these aren’t the people who are actually purchasing your service, gatekeepers have a huge influence on whether or not your deal goes through. Find a way to show value to them and how you can make them look good in the sales process! Navigating Procurement: When selling to an enterprise, you’re not just selling to the user-group of the product, you have to convince the whole company to get on board. In many cases, this means you will need to go through a procurement process. Be patient, focus on the overall value of your product, and trust in what you’ve created. 

Resources
Kiran’s LinkedIn
Tydy Company Website


About
Kiran Menon is the CEO & Co-Founder at Tydy - the People Ops Automation platform. Prior to starting Tydy, Kiran worked 17 years in Sales & Consulting with companies like Opera Software, Case Consulting Group and more.


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All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.

Whether it’s a new sport, a new language, or a new instrument, we can’t master a skill overnight. We learn by practicing and making mistakes along the way. That isn’t an option in the medical field because lives are at stake. That’s why Danny Goel, the founder and CEO of Precision OS, has created a simulation software that incorporates VR and AR to allow medical professionals to practice their skills and gain a deeper understanding of a procedure before entering the operating room.
Join Jim and Danny as they explore virtual reality in the medical field. Danny shares his journey in creating Precision OS as they talk about the future of medical care and the challenges that come with implementing new technology in an industry that’s baked in tradition.
3 Key Takeaways
Validate Before You Scale: Don’t raise funds until you see a direct path towards acceleration. Make sure your agenda aligns with your investor’s agenda, and that the money you raise will go straight into creating tangible results for the goals you have set. Feature vs. Value: Don’t focus simply on the wow-factor of your product or service. Creating value that lasts is the key to a sustainable future. Valuable Reps > More Reps: People need repetition to learn a skill, but a lot of learning gets diluted in people not being equipped for different situations. e.g., If you’re practicing 3-point shots, yes you should take plenty of shots alone to hone your form, but you also need reps where you have a defender in your face because that’s what you’d face in the game situation. 

Resources
Danny’s LinkedIn
Precision OS Website


About
Danny Goel is an Orthopedic Surgeon in Vancouver, BC. He has a passion for evaluating and managing complex shoulder disorders, improving access to care and educating the next and current generations of surgeons. This has translated into his role as CEO and Founder of Precision OS, a software company focused on immersive experiential virtual reality based medical education.


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For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.

The world is becoming more digital by the second, but not everyone is up to speed. Serial entrepreneur, Matias Marquez, helps brands connect with consumers with digital assets. His company, ethos, works with brands   to provide digital assets (i.e., NFTs) to customers that have real-world benefits.    
Join Jim and Matias as they discuss bringing Web3 to consumer brands.They talk about digital asset ownership, engaging  your consumer base, and exit lessons learned.
3 Key Takeaways
Simplify technology: Make new technology (i.e., NFTs) so simple that users don’t know what they’re interacting with - just that it works and they like it! e.g., You don’t know what happens with the payment interface when you use Apple Pay at Starbucks, it just works seamlessly. Exit Intentionally: Some business owners are intentional about every aspect of their business until they get to the exit. Don’t stop being intentional at the end - be mindful of all three parties that matter: employees, customers and shareholders. Yes, that means business owners not simply taking the largest offer… Follow the Vision: Create an environment where you’re thinking about the long-term goals of the business (including exit) and chart a path towards it. You can’t get somewhere if you don’t know the end goal. Resources
ethos Company Website
ethos Company LinkedIn
Matias’s LinkedIn
Matias’s Twitter
Matias’s Instagram
About
Matias Marquez is the CEO of ethos, a company that is on a mission to accelerate the world’s mass adoption of Digital Assets (NFTs) by humanizing, simplifying and facilitating rich experiences for brands and their customers. Matias is also an active advisor and investor in technology companies and a PowerPlay Young Entrepreneurs Ambassador. 
Matias founded Buyatab in 2009, led it to become a global leader in digital gift giving and sold it to Atlanta-based FLEETCOR Technologies. (NYSE: FLT). By the time of the acquisition, Buyatab’s clients included brands such as Walmart, Whole Foods, Four Seasons, and others.Throughout his career, Matias has received many awards for his entrepreneurial success, including being named a BC Business Top 30 Under 30 recipient in 2016; winner of the 2016 EY Entrepreneur of The Year award; being named to Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2017; and being named a Forty Under 40 recipient in 2018. 


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Companies, enterprises, entrepreneurs, and individuals face security threats every day, and Tony UcedaVelez has spent over 25 years understanding and dealing with those threats. During this time, he realized that the cybersecurity industry desperately needed a makeover. He created the company, VerSprite, to fill a void in security consulting where most firms continued to sell their services using fear-factor techniques (“You don’t want your organization to face an 8-digit hack, do you..”) instead of value-added services.

Join Tony and Jim as they discuss the methodology and practices that have brought VerSprite to the forefront of cybersecurity and risk management. They’ll talk about managing risk with intention, scaling a cybersecurity services business, and a spiritual approach to leadership with compassion and accountability.

3 Key Takeaways:
- Don’t Let Fear Control You: Sometimes our fear allows us to validate business decisions that turn out to be bad for the company in the long run. - Be tactical and intentional, don’t let a knee-jerk reaction be your response when something goes wrong. 
- Secure Your Business with Intention: Understand the risk appetite of your company and the threat landscape of your industry. Set up security where the risk is most relevant. You don’t need all the bells and whistles that many companies try to scare you into wasting money on.
- Bring in the Experts: As entrepreneurs, we have to not only hone our own skills and strengths but know when to delegate tasks to other experts. Bringing on the right people and giving them the right tasks will make or break your business.

Resources
Tony’s LinkedIn
VerSprite Website
About
Tony UcedaVélez is the co-creator of the Process for Attack Simulation & Threat Analysis and the CEO of VerSprite. Tony has over 25 years of IT/InfoSec work experience across a vast range of industries. He is also the OWASP leader for Atlanta, GA.
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For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.

A good partnership can accelerate building a successful business, and guest Todd Buelow knows firsthand just how advantageous they can be through their work at Dualboot, a 400-person software development company he and his two business partners founded.
Join Todd and Jim as they discuss the advantages and challenges associated with partnerships and growing companies alongside others. From finding partners that have complementary strengths and weaknesses, to staying aligned on a plan (shoutout to other EOS practitioners out there) and even running a business alongside your spouse - this episodes has a little something for everyone.
3 Key Takeaways
Choosing Dev Teams: Pick a development team that’s right for your stage. 100% of development companies will say they’re good at building from the ground up, but the reality is ~20% are actually adept at that.Accountability in Partnerships: Utilize some type of operating system (EOS, OKRs, V2MOM, etc.) to provide visibility into what you’re doing. Check in regularly (quarterly goal setting, weekly progress reports, etc.) to hold each other accountable.Failing Fast: As an entrepreneur, you’re going to fail so do it fast. Failing fast means getting up trying something different. 90 days is a good barometer to figure out if something (marketing initiative, customer experiment, etc.) is worth investing more resources into or eliminating.  Resources
Dualboot Company Website
Dualboot LinkedIn Page
Todd’s LinkedIn
About
Dualboot is a business and software development company. When they build your software, it builds your bottom line. Their Founders have 25 years of experience starting, leading, and selling tech companies and products. They know what it takes - and will do whatever it takes - to help you succeed, too.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.