VBE® Spotlight: Open Security Inc.
Veteran's Business Enterprise®: Open Security Inc.
Headquarters:
San Antonio, TX and Seatlle, WA
Year Founded: 2016
# of Employees: 10
Website: www.opensecurity.com
Service Overview: Cybersecurity assessment, training and education, expertise and consulting.
Founder/CEO: Michael Pleasant
Service Branch: Marine Corps
Years Served: 2007-2013
Military Occupation: MOS 0231: All-Source Intelligence Fusion Analyst
Highest Rank Attained: E5
Fun Facts:
- In 10 years, I see myself starting a new company.
- I can recite nearly all of the elements on the periodic table from memory.
- My favorite artist is Teezo Touchdown.
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What types of services do you offer?
Cybersecurity assessment, training and education, expertise and consulting.
Who do you primarily serve?
The identities of our customers are kept confidential but they are primarily private sector enterprises in industries such as financial, healthcare, and manufacturing.
When and how did you start your business?
After leaving the military, myself and several fellow service members wanted to continue pursuing careers in cybersecurity and bring the lessons learned while serving to the private sector. We bootstrapped the business and have grown it organically through reputation and word of mouth.
What challenges did you face when starting your business?
Making the deliberate choice to bootstrap meant we knew growth would be slower over a longer period of time but that we would be able to control more of our own destiny and the business over that same period of time.
What has been the key to your business's success?
An obsessive dedication to the concept that our final report deliverables we provide to our clients are not ours, but theirs. Our reports are not our products, they belong to the client. Therefore, they must be as useful and actionable as possible both for maximum value and to align with our mission to: Make the world more cyber resilient.
What important lessons have you learned that can help others succeed in business?
Never stop learning, reading, and talking to others. Practice being a life-long learner and reader. The only way to grow a business is to continue to grow personally, make investments into both.
What common mistakes should they be aware of and avoid?
You rarely the sole reason for the business's successes or failures. This is not to absolve you of responsibility but simply to say that you should not be as hard on yourself for when things go wrong and should also remain humble for when things go right.
What else would you like the NaVOBA community to know about you and your business?
NaVOBA is not the only veteran owned business community out there, but it is the best due to NaVOBA's efforts to create partnerships and opportunities for its members. Other communities operate in a more closed off and isolationist manner, NaVOBA does the opposite to the extreme benefit of its members such as its alliance with DisabilityIN, NGLCC, and more.
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