How do you know what’s a winning idea? Serial cyber entrepreneur Stuart McClure sat down with us live at GoSec 2024 to record his thoughts on go-to-market strategies.

Stuart was the founder of Cylance, the fastest company to record $100M in ARR, and he’s the lead author on a book about hacking techniques. In short, he talks the talk and walks the walk.

In this episode:

💡How to tell a genius idea from just a neat feature

🤝How to build and scale without repeating the same tired playbook

🧠 How a background in psychology equipped him with the skills for business

⚡️Why being able to make fast decisions is so important

This episode was produced with the support of GoSecure.

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🏆We’ve been nominated as Podcast of the Year for the SANS Difference Maker awards! Voting is open now through Oct 4.  🗳️ Vote for the show here: https://www.sans.org/about/awards/difference-makers/

Thank you for your support!

Don Jeter, CMO of Torq joins the show this week to talk about his crusade against boring cyber marketing, and why that means his title is really Chief Menace Officer.

In this episode:

💡Brand leads to demand. Focus on narrative and differentiation first.

🥳 Balancing fun, irreverent branding with deep technical expertise.

🔭 Looking outside cyber for inspiration - internet culture, consumer brands, and more

⚡️Speed and authenticity matter. Be ready to capitalize on trends.

For all you marketers trying to break through the noise - take notes. This is how it's done.

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⭐️ Submit your questions for our AMA episode! ⭐️

Send your questions to bareknucklespod@gmail.com with “AMA” in the subject line.

No subject is off the table! Win prizes if we take on your question with our mystery guest host!

What does it really take to break into cyber? Mari Galloway jumps into the ring and brings her 15+ years of experience to bear.

George K and George A talk to Mari about:

🤔 The evolution of the cybersecurity industry and the challenges faced by women and minorities

😒 The rise of influencer culture in cybersecurity and what we’re NOT telling newcomers

🤝 The mission and growth of the Women's Society of Cyberjutsu

🎯 Practical advice for newcomers and career pivoters in cybersecurity

Further Reading:

• Securing Our Future by The Black Women in Cyber Collective
• CC Certified in Cybersecurity Cert Guide (NEW!)

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Support the show!

✅ Subscribe and share your fave episode on LinkedIn

⭐️ Leave us a rating

☕️ Make a donation or sustaining contribution: https://lnkd.in/ewvn_ZGx

CEO Carolina Ruiz jumps into the ring to talk about leading cyber consultancy, the value of diverse skill sets, and how she memorized ISO 27001 in a weekend! 😳

George K and George A talk to Carolina about:

🤔 The evolving threat landscape and its impact on cybersecurity strategies

🎓 Addressing the skill shortage in cybersecurity and innovative ways to tackle it

📜 The implications of new legislation and regulations in different markets

🌎 The growth and potential of the cybersecurity industry in Latin America

📚 Recommended reading:

• Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch: The Secret of Extraordinary Results, Igniting the Passion Within
• The Culture Map

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Support the show!
✅ Subscribe and share your fave episode on LinkedIn
⭐️ Leave us a rating
☕️ Make a donation or sustaining contribution: https://lnkd.in/ewvn_ZGx

Hacker and researcher Adrian Wood (threlfall), an expert red teamer joins the show to talk about using supply chain attack techniques to poison AI models. This is the cutting edge, and most organizations are entirely unprepared.

George K and George A talk to Adrian about:

🛡️ The practical challenges and misconceptions around AI threats

⛓️ How attacking ML models is similar to supply chain attacks but in a far more complex environment

🧩 The importance of understanding your business and ML pipelines for better security

🔍 Tips and strategies for how Blue Teams can start building defenses and where they should focus their attention today

Recommendations for learning more:

• Adrian’s research
• DEFCON 31 AI Village Presentation
• Andrej Karpathy's YouTube channel
• Andrej Karpathy's GitHub
• Fast.ai
• Adrian's Resource List

We're speaking at SquadCon on August 8th! Get your tix here: https://blackgirlshack.org/event-5495307 

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Support the show!
✅ Subscribe and share your fave episode on LinkedIn
⭐️ Leave us a rating
☕️ Make a donation or sustaining contribution: https://lnkd.in/ewvn_ZGx

Break through? No, PUNCH through the AI hype in cybersecurity this week’s guest, Mani Keerthi, Field CISO.

George K and George A talk to Mani about:

🥴 Making sense of AI, GenAI, LLMs and why clarity is lacking right now

🐍 Questions security teams should ask to separate snake oil from legit use cases

🤖 How the AI tech stack differs from IT tech stacks and why that matters

🚀 What the trinity of opportunity, experience, and interest means for career growth

This episode is full of insights for CISOs and SecOps teams!

🏳️‍🌈✊ This month: All profits from Pride shirt sales will be donated to LGBTQ organizations

Shop today: www.bkbtpodcast.shop

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Support the show!

✅ Subscribe and share your fave episode on LinkedIn

⭐️ Leave us a rating

☕️ Make a donation or sustaining contribution: https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

Bonus! Chas Larios shares her 7 tips for cybersecurity marketers on how to earn security buyers' respect and trust. These are low-cost, high-return changes teams can make today!

This month: All profits from Pride shirt sales will be donated to LGBTQ organizations

Shop today: www.bkbtpodcast.shop

—————————

Support the show!

✅ Subscribe and share your fave episode on LinkedIn

⭐️ Leave us a rating

☕️ Make a donation or sustaining contribution: https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

This week, Chas Larios of Anvilogic joins the show to about her approach to winning practitioners' trust through respect for their time and attention.

George K and George A talk to Chas about:

🚀 Building brands on principles and the importance of giving back to the cyber community

🧠 How her technical Infosec background informs her marketing

😳 How she hires, and why resumes are the LAST thing she looks at

🎙️ Changes in the market and favorite bands, as turns the table and interviews the Georges!

This episode is full of insights for founders, CEOs, vendors, and sellers. Sharpen those pencils and get out your notebooks, school’s in session! 

This month: All profits from Pride shirt sales will be donated to LGBTQ organizations!

Shop today: www.bkbtpodcast.shop

—————————

Support the show!

✅ Subscribe and share your fave episode on LinkedIn

⭐️ Leave us a rating

☕️ Make a donation or sustaining contribution: https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

Longtime cybersecurity leader Peter Schawacker joins us the show to talk about radical zeal, global talent, and creating safe spaces for queer communities.

George K and George A talk to Peter about:

👨‍🎤 How his punk rock roots and hacker mentality inform his approach to cyber and playing to win

🌏 Cultivating and employing global talent

🏳️‍🌈⚧️ Creating the Queer in Cyber community

🔍His new cyber tabletop research project, and how you can help.

🧨 In the Teardown: George K responds to copy/paste outreach from two different BDRs at the same company.

Learn more about Queer In Cyber:

• Queer in Cyber (QIC) channel on the Nearshore Cyber Discord: https://discord.gg/4BNshGdmBp (hashtag#queer-in-cyber)
• QiC Podcast Website: https://queerincyber.podbean.com/
• Video: https://www.youtube.com/@QueerInCyber

This month: All profits from Pride shirt sales will be donated to LGBTQ organizations!

Shop today: www.bkbtpodcast.shop

—————————

Support the show!

✅ Subscribe and share your fave episode on LinkedIn

⭐️ Leave us a rating

☕️ Make a donation or sustaining contribution: https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

Angela Brown and Amber DiPippa join the podcast to discuss their scholarship initiative supporting LGBTQ+ individuals pursuing cybersecurity.

George K and George A talk to Ang and Amber about:

📚 The scholarship's origins and its goals for supporting LGBTQ+ cybersecurity students

🌈 The realities and financial hardships unfairly leveled at queer communities

🤝 Practical advice for authentic allyship and community support 

🏳️‍🌈👊⚡️PRIDE Shirts are now on sale in the BKBT Merch Store. All profits from all sales of pride shirts for the entire month of June will be donated to Out in Tech and Ang and Amber's scholarship fund. Shop today at www.bkbtpodcast.shop!

Dr. Chase Cunningham, aka Dr. Zero Trust, joins the show to talk Zero Trust credibility, the state of leadership in cyber, and more!

George K and George A talk to Chase about:

⚓️ His unlikely journey from Navy engineer to cybersecurity expert

🛡️ The evolution and future of the zero trust model in combating modern threats

📚 Insights from his latest book on leadership

🏎️ And perhaps a new land speed record for the number of f-bombs in a BKBT episode…

🧨 In the Teardown: George A tells you just how much money a bad demo experience can cost you (Hint: it’s a lot).

Ryan Heartfield — AI PhD and now founder and CEO of Exalens — jumps into the ring to talk about moving from academia to cybersecurity startupland, and his mission to transform OT security.

George K and George A talk to Ryan about:

💡How his vendor pains as an operator now inform his own GTM strategy

🤖 The hype and reality of AI in cybersecurity, and why understanding solution and model limitations is crucial

💼 The challenges and rewards of transitioning from technical roles to founding a startup

🔍 The importance of continuous learning and adapting to stay relevant in cybersecurity

🛍️The BKBT Merch Store is NOW OPEN: https://bkbtpodcast.shop/

Get 25% off with code: RSAC25SWAG

Expires May 24, 2024.
$25 minimum order required.

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

September is Suicide Prevention Month. CISO Ben Howard joins the show to share his story for the first time. *Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation.*

If you are feeling suicidal, call or text 988 to get help immediately.

George K and George A talk to Ben about:

🔍 The pressure CISOs face and how it impacts mental wellbeing

🧠 Breaking the stigma around mental health

🛠 Practical steps cybersecurity leaders can take to support their teams' mental health

✍ Creating a culture of openness and vulnerability

If you are struggling and feeling suicidal, call or text 988. Help is available, speak with someone today.

This is a special episode, recorded live at the Mind Over Cyber Networking Breakfast and Mindfulness Workshop at RSA Conference 2024. George A was called away for CISO things, but I had a chance to sit down with three guests who wanted to share their stories of resilience: challenges to their mental wellbeing and also the strategies and frameworks they use on the regular to navigate those challenges.

You are not alone. Our hope in sharing these stories is to help others understand many of your peers are going through the same stuff, but more importantly, share the ways they’ve learned to work with and through stress rather than try to block it all out or push it away.

I spoke with Allan Alford, Kade Hennings, and Amanda Berlin. We're grateful for their time.

WARNING: There is a mention of suicide in my last conversation, with Amanda. It’s in the general, abstract sense, nothing specific or graphic, but a warning all the same.

Longtime listener Sarah Breathnach jumps in the hot seat! Sarah shares her unique (and refreshing) perspective on cybersecurity marketing.

George K and George A talk to Sarah about:

🌐 The critical balance between being thought-provoking and respectful in content creation

👥 Building an audience and the importance of credibility and authenticity

🔮 How to stand out in the traditional, lead-gen heavy cybersecurity landscape

🤝 The shift towards value-driven content over conventional marketing tactics like whitepapers and tradeshows

🛍️The BKBT Merch Store is NOW OPEN!

Get 25% off! Use code: RSAC25SWAG

Expires May 24, 2024. $25 minimum order required.

We’re at RSA in San Fran this week! Things we’re looking forward to:

🧠The Mind Over Cyber Networking Breakfast and Mindfulness Workshop!

🎙️ Sitting down with folks to record "Stories of Resilience", capturing practitioners’ personal experiences with challenges to mental wellbeing.

💪The "Ally Armband" Challenge: How we’re pushing back on sexual harassment at cybersecurity conferences!

🛍️🚀The BKBT Merch Store is now OPEN! Get the latest Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks swag, including the NO BS Tote Bag, Good Ideas Only notebook, and of course the OG Snapback. Get FREE shipping, use promo code BKBTZeroShip at checkout!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

Denis Villeneuve jumps into the ring to share what he's learned working with clients across a storied MSSP career!

George K and George A talk to Denis about:

🚀 His journey through tech giants and what drives cybersecurity at a large scale.

🎨 The art of client interaction and managing big transformations in cyber security.

🤝 Building trust and transparency with clients, especially post-incident.

👥 Career advice for rising stars in tech: leveraging personality insights to enhance team dynamics and client relations.

Works mentioned: Taking Flight!

🔊 New episode! Charles Payne occupies the unique position of being both a CISO and a conference organizer. What’s it like in the middle of this weird Venn diagram?

George K and George A talk to Charles about:

🎯 The satisfaction and challenges of working with Big 4 consultancies vs. independent contracting

🤝 Building long-term relationships in the B2B sector and the unique approach of the Horizon Summit

🌍 Insights into the value of executive networking and maintaining connections across career transitions

🛠️ Advice for small businesses and vendors on achieving growth and meaningful engagement at industry events

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💥We're coming to RSA! We’re partnering with the Mind Over Cyber Networking Breakfast and Mindfulness Workshop on May 7th. We’ll be on site to record mini interviews with those keen to share their stories of resilience in the face of stress. Sometimes the first step for someone confronting a challenge to their mental wellbeing is understanding they’re not alone.

So sit down with us for 10 minutes or so, tell your story, share it with the world, and inspire others. Be sure to follow our LinkedIn page for updates, signup is coming soon!

We’ve gained a lot of new listeners in the last two months. Thank you! So, here is a best of episode to catch up on key ideas and conversations you might have missed including:

• Advice for MSSPs
• How to remain your authentic self
• How CISOs can level up their security speak with leadership teams
• Advice for sales and marketing directly from a CISO
• How to chase the roles that provide you the most opportunity for growth and how to stand out in a crowded labor market
• And finally, how to flip the script on the traditional GTM playbook, and why it matters

We’ll be back to our regular programming next week.

💥We're coming to RSA! We’re partnering with the Mind Over Cyber Networking Breakfast and Mindfulness Workshop on May 7th. We’ll be on site to record mini interviews with those keen to share their stories of resilience in the face of stress. Sometimes the first step for someone confronting a challenge to their mental wellbeing is understanding they’re not alone.

So sit down with us for 10 minutes or so, tell your story, share it with the world, and inspire others. Be sure to follow our LinkedIn page for updates, signup is coming soon.

💥 Amber DeVilbiss jumps behind the mic to drop bombs on her cyber journey and her commitment to making technology accessible through her non-profit, Teach Kids Tech.

George K and George A talk to Amber about:

🔍 How her operator background has informed her sales career.

🤝 Addressing and overcoming industry stereotypes around being a woman on the technical side.

🌐 The founding of Teach Kids Tech, and her mission to providing tech education to underserved communities, and why starting young matters.

🙌 The role the tech industry plays in social mobility.

...And everyone gets a little personal about the sacrifices our parents made for us.

✊ The sales revolution will not be televised. Jessica Crytzer, CRO at LimaCharlie, jumps into the ring to give the sales leader perspective on what’s changing in cyber!

George K and George A talk to Jessica about:

💥 Her recipe for being bold in sales leadership, and why the models of the past do not work well for startups today.

🎯 Why the CISO is probably not your target, and how to engage buyers effectively.

💡Her advice to aspiring sellers and CRO peers.

🤖 Why she requires so much research on prospects and why you can’t AI your way to success.

Follow Jessica on LinkedIn

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

The triumphant return of Kayla Cytron-Thaler! Kayla returns with fresh insights from changes in her career path.

In this episode, George K and George talk to her about:

🔄 Embracing change in career paths, highlighting the value of detachment and sometimes taking steps “backward” to leap forward.

🎯 Why she doesn’t want to use AI and why her authentic and personalized outreach strategies work so well.

🛠️ Practical tips for effective sales and business development, emphasizing the human touch over automation.

⚛️ Her equation for finding the best fit for your skills to advance your career and growth.

Follow Kayla on LinkedIn

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George A is speaking at SecureWorld Toronto on April 3! Listener can get exclusive discounts off passes:

💥 BKBTSWC1: $50 off Conference Pass (final cost is $200) – includes access to ALL sessions, 6 CPE, and lunch during lunch keynote

💥 BKBTSWO1: $45 off Open Sessions Pass (final cost is free) – includes access to keynotes and vendor breakout sessions

💥 BKBTSWP1: $75 off SecureWorld PLUS Pass (final cost is $555) – includes 6-hour PLUS Course on April 2 and 6 additional CPE; access to ALL sessions on conference day, 6 CPE, and lunch during lunch keynote (12 CPE total)

Register here!

🔥 New episode alert! Diving deep into the world of marketing with Clark Barron, the man, the myth, the flamethrower.

George K and George A talk to Clark about:

🥷Ronin: Why he created his own Marketing-as-a-Service platform and the gaps it aims to bridge in the tech marketing landscape.

🔍 The moment he realized how disconnected his marketing practice was from cybersecurity buyers

🏭 The marketing profession's identity crisis as a “factory job”

🧨 His advice for marketers looking to make a genuine impact and swim against the current

Follow Clark on LinkedIn

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

Tabletop exercises, a necessary evil or just a compliance snoozefest? This week, Kailee Miner sits down to talk about how she's revolutionizing cyber threat readiness training to make boring TTXs a thing of the past.

In this episode:

🥱 Why traditional tabletop exercises often fail to engage participants

🎭 How realistic simulations improve readiness vs. dry PowerPoint presentations

💰 Why companies should invest in communication skills for technical experts, not just certifications

💪 Building resilience through hands-on experience, not just theoretical scenarios

———

⭐️ Submit your questions for our AMA episode! ⭐️

Send your questions to bareknucklespod@gmail.com with “AMA” in the subject line.

No subject is off the table! Win prizes if we take on your question with our mystery guest host!

🚀 Launching a ballistic payload of insight at your brainbox! Royce Markose jumps into the ring with over 20 years experience, from auditing mainframes, to Fortune500 enterprise infosec, and now to vCISO.

George K and George A talk to Royce about:

🤔 What’s changed for SecOps leaders and how they should approach career growth

🎱 How to break into cyber, and how it’s different today than when he started

🤝 Why networking with vendors is vital for practitioners

🎯 For marketing and sales: What he really wants when he goes to a conference as a CISO

Follow Royce on LinkedIn

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

This episode is filled with so much gold, we should charge you Big 4 consulting fees just to listen to it! Industry leader Merritt Baer talks about the role of the Field CISO, and how she advises young companies. But in between those topics is so much fire.

George K and George A talk to Merritt about:

🤝The value and empathy a Field CISO can bring to customers

💼 How to build the business case for security projects (and what sales folks can learn from that)

🏗️ How building a security culture might be more about doing and planning

🚀 Lessons learned for founders trying to solve problems and taking those solutions to market

Follow Merritt on X @merrittbaer and LinkedIn

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

If they try to shut you out of a conference, start your own! That’s what BlackGirlsHack did with SquadCon, creating arguably one of the most inclusive cybersecurity events in the industry. And one with the dopest after-party. Part of the leadership team jumped into the ring:

George K and George A talk to BGH about:

✊BlackGirlsHack’s mission and work

🔥The origins story of SquadCon

💅🏾Showing up as your authentic self

💡And their top advice for newcomers and career pivots

Get to SquadCon with our exclusive discount code! Purchase "Pre-Sale Podcast Friends'' tickets at either the General or VIP level. Use registration code "BKBT24." Supplies are limited!

Register here: https://www.blackgirlshack.org/event-5495307/Registration

Many thanks to

• Rebekah Skeete, Chief Operations Officer
• Tanisha O’Donoghue, Chief Strategy Officer
• Dr. Aleise McGowan, CISO

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

How do you help others speak up on your behalf? This week, the fabulous Tashya Denose joins the show to talk about how she found success in cybersecurity and in rooms where she stands out as a Black woman precisely by embracing her authentic self. After time with the Pentagon and the Secret Service, Tashya has gone to manage security programs at the biggest tech companies, including Google and Meta.

George K and George A talk to Tashya about:

🫵 How embracing and being true to her authentic self became Tashya’s superpower

🫣 Facing down imposter syndrome

🐺 How to survive and thrive even when if feels like you’re working in a den of wolves

🏗️ What vital skills to focus on as you learn technical skills and how to build them

Listen to Do We Belong Here (in the Cyber World)?

Get involved: Black Girls in Cyber

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member for a little as $3/month for swag and extra goodies!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

How do you help others speak up on your behalf? This week, Kenneth Ellington jumps into the ring to talk about how he went from IT to cybersecurity at warp speed, and how he started Ellington Cyber Academy to help others do the same. But Kenneth doesn’t just teach technical skills. He’s talking to students about all the other ways to elevate their careers.

George K and George A talk to Kenneth about:

🚀How talking to others about your ambitions is the first step to supercharging your career

🤚Advocating for yourself and what you want

🤝The business communication skills he learned and honed working at the sandwich counter in Publix!

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member for a little as $3/month for swag and extra goodies!

🔔 Follow this LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

What would you do if someone said you couldn’t succeed because no one knew who you were? Shinesa Cambric decided to go full Beast Mode, writing a book, speaking widely, and lifting others.

George K and George A talk to Shinesa about:

😳The hypocrisy of tearing others down in cybersecurity

🙌 How she chose to build on a foundation of values rather than chasing a “personal brand”

💥Audience questions! Including, why it’s never too late to define yourself on your own terms.

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles an Brass Tacks member for a little as $3/month for swag and extra goodies!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

How do MSSPs provide real value instead of slinging snake oil? How can they actually build a better client? Mike Pedrick, veteran consultant and vCISO joins the show!

George K and George A get into:

🥊 the vCISO battle: legit help or fluffy title?

🌳 which outreach tactics make Mike want to end someone's family tree!

📝 why a mindset around signed contract at any cost will always erode trust 

3️⃣ Mike's top 3 recommendations for any MSSP

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles an Brass Tacks member for a little as $3/month for swag and extra goodies!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

Ross Haleliuk jumps into the ring to talk about his new book, Cyber for Builders,” and the lessons he’s learned from building products and talking with practitioners over the years. George K and George A talk to Ross about:

🛠️ How new founders should approach building security products

🔍 Why security buyers will now demand more transparency, and what that trend means for product and GTM teams

🤝 Why the trust that comes with transparency is critical to growth

💸 When and how to raise money in the financial climate

👊⚡️ You can now support the show for a little as $3/month for swag and extra goodies!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

Maril Vernon is a force of nature. Last year alone she won hacker of the year, keynoted a DefCon village, and also won the SANS DMA for podcast of the year, and there's no sign of her slowing down. George K and George A talk to Maril about:

⚡️ Making the career transition from operator to business leader.

⚙️  The ONE thing she looks for in new tooling.

🔮 And what the very near future holds for her side projects...

👊⚡️ You can now support the show for less than a cup of coffee, or join our membership tiers for swag and extra goodies!

✅ SUBSCRIBE wherever you get your podcasts!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

What if cyber sellers built such strong relationships that they could refer prospects to one another? Carlos Guerrero and Maria Graham jump into the ring to talk about a new way to sell. 

George K and George A get into:

🤝 How the long game of building trust has helped pipeline generation and deal velocity. Could it be the mythic "flywheel" of every CRO's dreams?

⚖️ How Carlos and Maria balance relationship building mixed with traditional cold outreach.

🎨 The art of closing a deal!

🥅 How sellers and buyers are actually playing on the same team!

👊⚡️ You can now support the show for less than a cup of coffee, or join our membership tiers for swag and extra goodies!

✅ SUBSCRIBE wherever you get your podcasts!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

Welcome to Season 3! This week we’re bringing you the live recording of our talk at SquadCon during Hack Summer Camp a few weeks back. Our talk was called, “Future Proof Your Career with Cyber Threat Intelligence Techniques.” Many thanks again to the Black Girls Hack Foundation and the SquadCon crew for having us, and to Rebekah Skeete for the killer intro!

And, we’re fast approaching episode 100 of this podcast! We’re doing an AMA with a very special guest host. 

So, what do you wanna ask us? 

Email your questions to bareknucklespod@gmail.com, with "AMA" in the subject line. If we air your question, you can expect some special swag your way!

It's 2024! We're excited to be on this journey with you, and can't wait to bring you some incredible conversations with some badass guests this year.

Hope your New Year's is rightfully a time for celebration, reflection, and optimism. We're back to our regular program, starting January 8th!

✅ Subscribe to Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks, wherever you get your podcasts!

👆Follow the show's LinkedIn page for regular updates and high-test doses of snark. 

Stop listening to this and go hang out with your friends and family!

We're hard at work behind the scenes, and will return to our regular programming on January 8th. But in the meantime, thank you for listening and for supporting the pod. That is your gift to us, and we appreciate it!

2023 is winding down. George K and George A are busy behind the scenes for next year. Today is a reflective episode, featuring a collection of critical insights from a few guests over the past few months:

• Jason Carrico on sales process
• Mike Privette on the cybersecurity market in the larger macroeconomic picture
• Chris Lieu on his approach to outreach
• Dani Woolf on operationalizing customer research

Subscribe today, wherever you get your podcasts!

Today we have a special episode. George K and George A interview an anonymous cybersecurity professional about her experiences with sexual harassment. To protect her identity, we’ve changed her voice, and the image accompanying this episode uses a portrait rendered in Midjourney.

Warning: This episode contains descriptions of repeated verbal and physical harassment that listeners may find distressing.

How do you stand out in a crowded cybersecurity market? Pete Johnson, CMO at Cranium.ai, jumps into the ring to talk about creativity and building relationships with practitioners. George K and George A talk to Pete about:

💡What today’s leaders can learn from Gen Z

🌯 Burrito marketing! And the lessons from spontaneity…

📢 The value of “narrow-casting” vs broadcasting when it comes to cyber messaging

🤝 How and why leaders to need lifting others as they go

✅ Subscribe to Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks, wherever you get your podcasts!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rate the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, it helps others find the podcast!

🥳 Episode 51! Dani Woolf jumps into the ring to talk about getting to know your customers! Market research is one thing, but how can you use customer research data to drive results?

George K and George A jump in head first. In this episode:

📊 The cost of novelty vs consistency

💡 The differences in What, Now What, and So What in decision making

🧭 Forces at work in a changing cyber landscape: market maturity, outreach fatigue, and Google cracking down on bulk email sends

💪 How to operationalize customer research for the rest of your marketing team!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rate the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, it helps others find the podcast!

✅ Subscribe to Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks, wherever you get your podcasts!

🙌 Today is World Children’s Day! We’re thrilled to bring you a series of interviews with the children of cybersecurity friends and colleagues, ages 9, 11, 14, 17, and 23. From curious to career-bound, George K and George A cover a lot of ground. In this episode:

🎩 Staying safe from “Black Hat” hackers!

🤖 Will the future be made of helpful or harmful robots?

🔐 Protecting your personal data and staying safe on social.

🎓 What excites a current student about a career in cyber!

The kids are alright. Let’s meet the moment and work on making technology safe for them!

🙏 Many thanks to the kids and parents for making the time for these interviews over the last month.

Oh, and another milestone: our first “clean” episode! 😂

✅ Subscribe to Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks, wherever you get your podcasts!

In September, we joined forces with our friends at The Cyber Ranch Podcast and Simply Solving Cyber to issue the #CyberCommunityChallenge! We challenged:

• Vendors to adapt their campaigns for Cybersecurity Awareness Month to give back to the practitioner community.
  
• Practitioners to spread the cyber mission outside the walls of their organizations.

We saw a lot of posts, and we're excited to announced the winners!

Globetrotting SDR Chris Lieu jumps into the ring! He’s got a storied background and he’s new to cyber, so George K and George A wanted to find out:

🤔The role curiosity has played in his career so far

🤙How he establishes connections with prospects

😳Why he’s turned DOWN meetings

⏳ And how to value CISOs’ time

We also bring back the Sales Gauntlet! 🐉🔥

✅ Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

What's the ideal cyber sales experience? Terra Cooke jumps into the ring to share the story of the best sales interaction she's ever had! George K and George A examine this further...

In this episode: 

🚨Why you should never go around someone's back to their boss, be it the CISO or whomever

💯 How to keep it real throughout the process

🤝 Why humility and humanity will get you far

🎯 How to listen for when your prospect identifies the target buyer

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

CISO, market observer, and newsletter author, Mike Privette, joins the show to talk about how a new financial reality is shaping the cybersecurity industry.

George K and George A talk to Mike about:

💡 Where companies now need to focus their energy in a new VC reality.

📉 How the end of free money affects sales culture and outreach methods

🤔 How security leaders are thinking about purchases, with tightened budgets

🪗 Why the cyber ecosystem is more like an accordion than anything else!

🎧 Check out Mike’s excellent newsletter, “$ecurity, Funded”

Long time listener and fellow podcast host, Jason Carrico, jumps into the ring to talk about the challenge of scaling sales teams! George K and George A really get into the nitty gritty on this one!

In this episode:

👁️ Where sellers should focus their attention (hint: it’s not the top of the funnel)

📈Common pitfalls to avoid when scaling a startup sales team

🤝 How all that “salesy stuff” is really a team effort with the buyer

🧠 The difference a change in mindset can make vs studying different sales methodologies

📕 Mentioned in this episode: “The Unsold Mindset”

🎧 Check out Jason’s podcast, “All That Salesy Stuff,” hosted along with his friend Walt.

———

🙌 This October: The Cyber Community Month challenge is ON!

Vendors: we’re challenging you to come up with campaigns that give back to the customer community rather than sending awareness spam.

Client-side practitioners: Engage your communities, volunteer at schools, help nonprofits, etc. to spread cyber skills beyond just their employees.

🏆 We’re awarding prizes in November. Share your efforts on social with #CyberCommunityChallenge!

What does cybersecurity messaging look like to an outsider? Mariana Padilla, CEO of KIKrr, steps into the ring! George K and George A dialed in from opposite sides of the globe for this one!

In this episode:

🙌 Democratizing the software buying process

🤝 The power of community and storytelling

👀 Mariana's outsider perspective on cybersecurity's jargon addiction

💰 Where DEI needs to start in tech (hint: not just jobs)

📲 We want to hear from you! If you have an experience -good or bad- that you want to share, record a memo and send it our way to bareknucklespod [at] gmail.com! We’d love to feature your experience!

———

🙌 This Month: The Cyber Community Month challenge is ON!

Vendors: we’re challenging you to come up with campaigns that give back to the customer community rather than sending awareness spam.

Client-side practitioners: Engage your communities, volunteer at schools, help nonprofits, etc. to spread cyber skills beyond just their employees.

🏆 We’re awarding prizes in November. Share your efforts on social with #CyberCommunityChallenge!

With a sick guest, and some time zone tango as George K and George A are both traveling, we bring you a Best Of edition, featuring key moments from recent conversations with Evgeniy Kharam, Eliza May Austin, Medus4 aka Katelyn Bowden, and Jeff Wheatman.

In this episode:

• Tactical booth strategies to build credibility at events
• Reputation recovery from bad outreach
• A hacker’s advice on getting started and what male allies can do to stamp out toxic masculinity in cyber
• And how to lead sales with giving and relationship building

Also this week, we’re featuring a recent voice memo from listener Nick Mullen!

If you have an experience - good or bad - that you want to share, send us a voice memo at bareknucklespod [at] gmail.com

We’d love to feature your experience!

Joel Benge, Principal at Message Specs, and self-described "message therapist," steps into the ring!

George K and George A talk to Joel about common sales and marketing messaging mistakes, and Joel runs the first “Messaging Maze,” with on-air reviews of audience-submitted outreach emails!

In this episode we get into:

💬 The power of empathy and understanding in building trust and open communication.

🔄 Taking a first principles approach to messaging involving all organizational facets.

🤝Joel takes audience questions in the Brass Tacks part of the show.

✅ Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Mentioned in this episode: The Storytelling Animal, by Jonathan Gottschall