Austin, Brooklyn Associates

Finding Strength After a Layoff Just been laid off? You're not alone, and this isn't the end of your professional journey—it's a transition point. Remember: your career isn't defined by a single company, but by your skills, resilience and connections. Take a moment to breathe, then use this time to reflect on what you truly want next. Update your profile, reach out to your network, and don't hesitate to share that you're open to new opportunities. To my connections: If you know of roles that might be a good fit for professionals in transition, sharing those opportunities creates ripples of positive change. The most successful people I know have faced setbacks—it's how they responded that defined their path forward. #CareerTransition #NewOpportunities #ProfessionalGrowth #JobSearch #NetworkingWorks #ResilientProfessionals #CIO #CISO #CEO #CyberSecurity #grc

The Troubling Rise of "Instant CISOs": When Experience Takes a Backseat to Opportunity In recent months, I've observed a concerning trend in our cybersecurity community: the sudden proliferation of self-proclaimed CISOs and vCISOs with minimal to no real security experience. This isn't just about gatekeeping – it's about the very real risks to organizational security and the integrity of our profession. The cybersecurity skills gap is real. With high-profile breaches making headlines and regulatory compliance becoming more complex, organizations are scrambling to fill security leadership roles. This urgency has created a perfect storm where some individuals are rebranding themselves as security experts overnight, armed with little more than certification cramming and buzzword fluency. Let's be clear: Being a CISO isn't just about understanding security tools or passing a certification exam. It requires years of hands-on experience managing incidents, building security programs, navigating board presentations, and understanding the delicate balance between security and business objectives. These skills can't be acquired through a weekend boot camp or by simply declaring oneself a "security expert." The consequences of this trend are severe: 1. Organizations hire inexperienced leaders who make critical security decisions 2. True security professionals with years of experience are undermined 3. The overall quality of security leadership in our industry diminishes 4. Companies face increased risk from inadequate security guidance To those considering hiring a CISO or vCISO: Look beyond the titles and certifications. Ask about real-world experience handling incidents, building programs from scratch, and managing crisis situations. Request specific examples of security strategies they've implemented and their measurable outcomes. To aspiring security leaders: There are no shortcuts. Invest in genuine experience. Start with security roles that build foundational knowledge. Learn from mentors. Understand that the CISO role carries tremendous responsibility for protecting organizations and their stakeholders. The cybersecurity field needs passionate professionals who are committed to learning and growing. But we must maintain the integrity of our profession. Our organizations' security depends on it. Thoughts? What trends have you observed in security leadership hiring? #Cybersecurity #CISO #InformationSecurity #Leadership #SecurityStrategy #ProfessionalDevelopment #RiskManagement #ComplianceAndRisk #TechTalent #SecurityLeadership #CyberRisk #SecurityCulture #vCISO #CareerDevelopment #TechnologyRisk #CIO #Csuite #CEO #startups #founder

The Great Consulting Illusion: When Your Expert Has Only Mastered Instagram Filters Have you ever noticed how some consultants' LinkedIn profiles shine brighter than their actual expertise? Let's talk about the elephant in the conference room: the rise of the "Insta-Expert." You know the type. Their profile picture looks like it was shot by Annie Leibovitz. Their background images scream "SUCCESS" in 72-point font. And their bio? A masterclass in buzzword bingo. The Tell-Tale Signs You're Dealing With a Marketing Maestro (Not a Master) 1. They've "disrupted" more industries than they've worked in 2. Their case studies are vaguer than your aunt's Facebook relationship status 3. Every post begins with "Unpopular opinion..." followed by the most popular opinion ever 4. They've somehow "revolutionized" every company they've touched (for exactly 3 months each) The Real-World Experience Equation Real expertise isn't measured in followers or likes. It's measured in: - Battle scars from failed projects - Late nights solving actual problems - That one time everything went wrong and you had to fix it without a "life hack" - Coffee-stained notebooks full of real solutions A Humble Suggestion Before you hire that consultant with the perfect Instagram grid and zero grey hairs, ask them about their biggest failure. If their answer involves losing followers during a platform algorithm change, maybe keep looking. Remember: Real experts are usually too busy actually doing the work to tell you how amazing they are at doing the work every 3 hours on LinkedIn. The Bottom Line There's nothing wrong with great marketing - we all need it. But when the marketing skill-to-actual-expertise ratio starts looking like a tech bubble valuation, it's time to ask some hard questions. Or as I like to say: Just because someone can write a thread about building a rocket, doesn't mean they can get you to the moon. ?? --- #ConsultingLife #ThoughtLeadership #BusinessHumor #MarketingTruth #ProfessionalDevelopment #BusinessAdvice #CareerAdvice #ConsultingHumor #RealTalk #ExpertiseMatters #LinkedInLife #BusinessReality #ConsultingTips #TruthBomb #ProfessionalGrowth #BusinessLessons #cmmc #cio #ciso #entrepreneur *Note: This post was written while wearing regular business casual attire, not a $5,000 suit in front of a rented Lamborghini.*

https://lnkd.in/eNDtG-h8 Meet the team behind Simplix 's second place win at last weeks Black Orlando Tech Pitch competition. I'm so proud of all of us for building a product that can genuinely help #smallbusinesses be more secure and obtain compliance. Proud to be based out of Orlando but we ARE global in our reach! We are raising a round, any introductions would be great! Come lead our round! We are building some cool sh*t! #mexico #chicago #orlando #cybersecurity #grc #cio #ciso #cmmc #soc2 #nist #fundraising #seedround cc: Kim Scott Daniel D.

I serve on the Black Orlando Tech board and am incredibly proud of the pitch event we hosted last week. It is a huge milestone, and I am blessed to be part of an organization that highly values innovation and supports our entrepreneurs by providing them with the capital to help them reach their next milestone. Thank you to all the founders who participated in the pitch event. Your presence and participation were crucial to its success. Congratulations to the winning founders! ?? 1st Place – $10,000 Soarce | Mason Mincey ?? 2nd Place – $5,000 Simplix | Wilfredo.. Lassalle Jr. ?? 3rd Place – $2,500 Crypto Tutors | Nina Blankenship Lisa Fancyfied Francoeur ???? Thank you to BOT's founders, Joshua Walker and Mike Felix, for their leadership. Also, to our operation mavens, Safia Porter and Emily Walker, MSM, thank you for all your work behind the scenes and for facilitating a smooth event. You ladies are truly legendary. I am incredibly proud of my husband, Jehue Francois, the Start-Up Director at BOT, for his vision and execution behind the pitch competition. You and your co-founder, Joel Francois, at KoFound.Co, are indeed gems, and we appreciate your dedication to pushing our entrepreneurs at the BOT start-up accelerator program and changing the trajectory of their companies. Lastly, I want to express my deep appreciation to my co-judges, Bryan Young, Dr. Laine Powell, and?Rupert Meghnot. Your expertise and dedication were invaluable to the event's success. I also want to thank our sponsors, Orange County Government and Innovus Innovation Center, for their unwavering support. Also, founders, please sign up for the BOT accelerator program below if you want additional resources. Link: https://lnkd.in/ehMYWAif #LaunchpadLiftoff #BlackOrlandoTech #TechEntrepreneurs #PitchCompetition #InnovateForward #TechStartUp #Orlando #CentralFlorida #Innovation #founders #Tech #capital #funding

Feeling so blessed and my heart is full after an incredible night at The Launchpad Liftoff Pitch Competition! ?? I’m beyond grateful to our founders for entrusting the BOT team and myself with their vision to uplift and empower our community. A huge congratulations to the winners and all the finalists — your passion, innovation, and hard work are truly inspiring! Soarce | Mason Mincey Simplix | Wilfredo.. Lassalle Jr. Crypto Tutors | Nina Blankenship Lisa Fancyfied Francoeur ???? Jay Grubbs Porcenel Joachim Chris Cyrille Maya P. Byfield, Ph.D. Maryann Kilgallon Christina Cevetillo Shayden Poole Marcus Herndon Being part of an organization like Black Orlando Tech that’s dedicated to providing real opportunities for growth is a dream come true. Here’s to building a future where everyone has the chance to thrive! ??? #GratefulHeart #CommunityEmpowerment #BlackOrlandoTech #LaunchpadLiftoff #BlessedAndInspired #Technology?

Thrilled to share that we secured 2nd place at Black Orlando Tech Launchpad Liftoff! A big thanks to Wilfredo.. Lassalle Jr.. for leading with passion and precision. Check out how we're advancing cyber security at www.simplix.io and connect with us to dive deeper into our journey! #Simplixio #CyberSecurity #PitchCompetition #Innovation #Launchpad #Liftoff #LaunchpadLiftoff

Congratulations to Our 2024 Launchpad Liftoff Pitch Competition Winners! ?? We are beyond excited to announce the winners of this year's competition, which showcases the incredible innovation and talent from our community of underrepresented tech founders! ?? 1st Place – $10,000 Soarce | Mason Mincey ?? 2nd Place – $5,000 Simplix | Wilfredo.. Lassalle Jr. ?? 3rd Place – $2,500 Crypto Tutors | Nina Blankenship Lisa Fancyfied Francoeur ???? Thank you to all the amazing startups who participated, including our partner,?KoFound.Co, our judges,?Katleen Francois,?Bryan Young,?Dr. Laine Powell,?and Rupert Meghnot, and our sponsors, Orange County Government and Innovus Innovation Center. We’re excited to see where you go next and continue supporting your journeys! Let’s keep uplifting and innovating together! ?? #LaunchpadLiftoff #BlackOrlandoTech #TechEntrepreneurs #PitchCompetition #InnovateForward #TechStartUp #Orlando

Last evening Black Orlando Tech hosted Launchpad Liftoff: an early stage pitch competition! Orlando continues to innovate! 3 of the presenters were National Science Foundation (NSF) grant recipients. Thanks to Jack Henkel, the team at Cenfluence and Florida High Tech Corridor for all of their efforts to support the ecosystem. A Big shout out to Soarce and Mason Mincey for taking home the top prize of $10K. Crypto Tutors impressed as well as Simplix So many other great founders including JArthur Grubbs, III that are making an impact in multiple ways. A few other notables pitching or in attendance Porcenel Joachim Maryann Kilgallon Lisa Fancyfied Francoeur ???? Christina Cevetillo Chris Cyrille Spot - Social Fitness App PocketContent.io icebreaker Beau Bennett MBA Scott Hill Keep the innovation train rolling!

Tonight I had the opportunity to attend the Black Orlando Tech Pitch competition called, Launchpad Liftoff. It was an incredible time to connect with many early stage founders! The 3 top winners of the competition were. 1.) $10,000 Prize Soarce, Mason Mincey which is textile manufacturing using Seaweed. Such an innovative concept. 2.) $5,000 Prize Simplix, Wilfredo.. Lassalle Jr. which does computer security and safety. 3.) $2,500 Prize Crypto Tutors, Nina Blankenship which does blockchain and web3 training. Other founders that did a great job pitching were: Porcenel Joachim Maryann Kilgallon Lisa Fancyfied Francoeur ???? Marcus Harndon Jay Grubbs Christina Cevetillo Chris Cyrille Spot - Social Fitness App Aqua Insight Inc. PocketContent.io icebreaker It was great to connect with Scott Hill and Paul Coulter!!