In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups

this founder got to $7M ARR in under 2 years: here’s why Vanta is compliance theatre not real cybersecurity

Sep 30, 2024

Bryan Onel, co-founder of Oneleet, shares his fascinating transition from hacker to cybersecurity entrepreneur. He reveals his bootstrapping journey that led to achieving $7 million ARR in just 20 months. Bryan emphasizes the importance of community-driven growth and authentic customer relationships. He critiques compliance-focused companies for prioritizing checklists over real security, advocating for a deeper understanding of cybersecurity beyond mere compliance. His insights on leveraging testimonials and engaging strategically in the industry are both innovative and inspiring.

41:34

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Episode guests

Bryan Onel

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Quick takeaways

Transitioning from a hacker to an entrepreneur, Bryan Onel emphasizes the necessity of genuine solutions over superficial compliance in cybersecurity.

The success of Oneleet from zero to $7 million ARR highlights the power of community-driven growth and authentic marketing strategies.

Collaboration with close partners and transparent communication can mitigate startup challenges while aligning everyone towards a common mission.

Deep dives

From Hacking to Founding a Company

The speaker shares their journey from being a hacker to becoming a co-founder of a successful company called One Leap. Initially hired to perform penetration testing for various companies, they pivoted towards building their own cybersecurity products after realizing the tools needed for effective prevention. This transition was fueled by their experience working directly with businesses that lacked the necessary security measures. The push to create solutions tailored to these challenges ultimately led to the founding of One Leap.

Intro

2min

Building Onely: A Hacker’s Journey to Entrepreneurship

11min

Scaling Success and Security Challenges

12min

Engaging Engineers: Strategic Marketing in Tech

3min

Innovative Strategies in AI-Powered SEO for E-Commerce

2min

Mastering Startup Finances

7min

Building Trust Through Engagement

5min

In this episode, Bryan Onel, co-founder of Oneleet, discusses his journey from hacker to cybersecurity entrepreneur. Bryan shares insights on bootstrapping strategies within a venture-backed model, the importance of community-driven growth, and how to differentiate from competitors by being authentic and customer-focused. Bryan also discusses tactical approaches to leveraging testimonials, participating in relevant conversations, and calling out industry inadequacies to drive growth and establish Oneleet as a leading alternative to incumbent platforms like Vanta -- a strategy that helped grow Oneleet from zero to $7 million ARR in 20 months.

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Timestamps:

(00:10) Being a successful founder requires total commitment and an all-consuming passion for the business.

(02:10) Bryan transitioned from being a hacker to building cybersecurity tools after realizing the need for companies to defend themselves against breaches.

(04:01) Working with close partners, like friends or family, can simplify the challenges of maintaining work-life boundaries in a startup.

(19:21) Many compliance-focused companies prioritize checklists over real security, leading to a false sense of safety for their clients.

(37:12) Building trust by genuinely helping potential clients, even if it means advising them not to purchase, can lead to strong word-of-mouth referrals.

Host Links:

Personal email newsletter - https://investorupdate.beehiiv.com/subscribe

https://twitter.com/codyschneiderxx

https://www.linkedin.com/in/codyxschneider/

https://codyschneider.com/

https://inthepitpodcast.com/

Guest Links:

https://nl.linkedin.com/in/bryan-onel

https://x.com/BryanOnel86

https://www.oneleet.com/

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