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Dawn talks with Roddy Bergeron, Cybersecurity Technical Fellow at Sherweb, about why businesses keep buying cybersecurity and still struggle with it. Roddy lays out his "four P's" of a security program (people, policy, process, and technology, in that order) and explains why a tool-first approach leads to misconfigured, underused security. They dig into how MSPs talk to clients in "nerd" instead of business outcomes, why clients rarely take risk seriously until something happens, and why security is an ongoing conversation instead of a one-time project.  The second half tackles AI: why every organization is already using it whether they admit it or not, how to start with policy and guardrails, and why most "AI projects" are really just automations. If your team hasn't started that conversation yet, 3EC's free Executive AI Briefing Series walks you through it in 15 minutes a week: 3EC Executive AI Briefing Series.  Roddy closes with a reminder to stay curious, inspired by Cliff Stoll's DEF CON talk: DEF CON 34: Stalking the Wily Hacker, 40 Years Later.

Dawn sits down with Robert Sharp, President and CEO of HENNGE Inc., the US arm of Japan's leading SMB cloud identity security company. They dig into why identity has become the new front door to every business, how attackers shifted from breaking in to logging in once COVID pushed everyone to the cloud, and why MFA alone isn't the finish line. They also cover the licensing gap that leaves many small businesses without conditional access, the "I'm too small to be a target" myth (illustrated by Robert's daughter's coffee shop), supply chain risk, offboarding blind spots, and where authentication is headed in the next five years.

Dawn Sizer interviews Josh Hohbein about what business owners should look for when evaluating a Managed Service Provider (MSP). They discuss the surprisingly low barrier to entry in the MSP industry, the risks of inexperienced providers managing critical business systems, and why operational maturity matters more than company size or years in business. Ask your MSP two simple questions: How are you keeping my data safe? and What is your incident response plan? The quality of those answers will tell you more than any sales presentation ever will.

AI is already inside most businesses, whether leadership approved it or not. In this episode I spoke with Saurabh Sahir of Kipling Secure about the growing problem of ungoverned AI use in small and midsized businesses. Employees are using AI tools, browser extensions, embedded features, personal accounts and transcription devices to work faster. Most are not trying to create risk. They are trying to do their jobs. The problem is that confidential documents, customer information, financial data, HR records and other sensitive information may be moving into tools the business has never reviewed.

In this episode of Rebel Executives, we dive into the world of business growth and operational excellence with Larry Garcia from Strety. Discover how implementing a business operating system can revolutionize your company's scalability and efficiency. Dawn and Larry share their expert insights, practical tips, and real-world examples to help you unlock your business's full potential. Whether you're a startup or an established enterprise, this episode is packed with valuable strategies to take your business to the next level. Tune in and learn how to scale your success

Cyber Security can be expensive. Hiring a CISO even more so. There are ways of making both affordable. David Primor (who was the Executive Director of the Israel National Cyber Directorate) CEO of Founder of Cynomi joins us to tell us how!

Controlling the Chaos of business and life is impossible. Learning to live and thrive in the chaos is completely do-able. Join Dawn and Corinne as they talk through the process.

The US leaving Afghanistan was as smooth as a bad teenage break up. West Point grad, Retired Army Col., PhD., Author and CNN Commentator Jeff McCausland is BACK! He fills us in on what could have gone better, why it didn't, and how to apply lessons learned to your business.

Can your business survive a change in market? Gary Norris can help you test your business and make it so it can. Learn about removing obstacles so that you can be your own vehicle for growth no matter what is going on in the world.

Kyle Slaymaker joins me to explain how to use Clubhouse to launch your coaching career and understanding the selling process.

Ever wonder how patent infringement is investigated or how they brought down Pirate Bay? This episode is all about the (not so) seedy underbelly of corporate and private investigations. Dawn's guest Ski (Mike Jaczewski) tells us what it's like to be a gumshoe detective in 2021!

Episode 19 is all about how to patent an idea or thing and make money on it. Trevor Prentice from The IP Link schools us on patents - how to get them, protect them, and ways to monetize them.

Does your accounting add up? This episode is all about the little mistakes we all make in our book keeping and how to avoid making them. Listen in as Dawn and Matt go over a few things to avoid as well as how to really make the most out of your accounting.

If you though Estate Planning was for old people, you are dead wrong! Could you business survive if you were laid up for weeks or months? With the right planning, it can! Listen in as Pam and Dawn go over what you need to get a plan in place.

Dawn and her guest Kathy Svetina of NewCastle Finance talk about why you need a fractional CFO. Find out what difference a CFO can make for your business. Learn about the differences between a controller and a CFO. The best part? Kathy's business is just for other women business owners!