“Simply put, we protect the go-to-market worldwide,” says Guy Tytunovich, Founder and CEO of Cheq.ai who created the category of go to market security. During his ten years working in government cybersecurity, Guy realized that there are attack factors and vulnerabilities that most people within the company know nothing about. Cheq.ai was founded to predict all of these vulnerabilities, even the ones the client doesn’t recognize. Today, the company is valued at $1 billion.
Guy discusses what led to the decision to create a category, and the obstacles involved. While building his business, he was given two major opportunities that turned out to be the worst thing that ever happened to him. He discusses what they are as well as why entrepreneurs are–and should be–anxious at all times.
He reveals the importance of perseverance, the uselessness of following the playbook and the most important thing to read (hint: it’s not a book).
Quotes:
“Product market fit is a relative thing.” ([12:16]-[12:19] | Guy)
“I found that a lot of times, the perception is that the problems go away as you scale. But my experience has been that that’s not the case.” ([14:35]-[14:42] | Brendan)
“What stays constant is the fact that you need to be, in my opinion, at least as an entrepreneur, as a CEO, for you to evolve with the company, you need to remain incredibly obsessed. And incredibly anxious. Always.” ([17:00]-[17:19] | Guy)
“We had this thesis or hypothesis: if you throw your fishing net out there, you’re going to catch 100 fish, but one of them is going to be really big tuna.” ([24:31]-[24:48] | Guy)
“The playbook is worthless, unless you have incredible people. The playbook is worthless, unless you have incredible culture, the playbook is worthless, unless you have a certain amount of product market fit. At the very least, the playbook is worthless, if you are not a reasonable person who doesn’t make decisions on a whim. Execution is more important than anything. If you don’t know how to follow the playbook, you’re not going to be successful.” ([36:45]-[37:24] | Guy)
“I think a lot of entrepreneurs fall for the romanticism of talent and genius, and we make that mistake. And hire people with a lot of talent and a lot of promises that have a lot of experience, which is significantly more important than talent.” ([48:25]-[48:44] | Guy)
Connect with Brendan Dell:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendandell/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BrendanDell
Instagram: @thebrendandell
TikTok: @brendandell39
Buy a copy of Brendan’s Book, The 12 Immutable Laws of High-Impact Messaging: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780578210926
Connect with Guy Tytunovich:
LinkedIn: @guytytunovich
Check out Guy Tytunovich’s recommended books:
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780345391803
Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points that Challenge Every Company by Andrew S. Grove
https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780385483827
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About the Author
Brendan Dell
Brendan Dell is an author and the founder of The Daily Creative. As a freelancer he's worked with clients like Expedia, Cvent, Panasonic, Brother, Windstream and 100+ more to build unignorable tech brands. At The Daily Creative, he shares advice and lessons to help freelancers level up.
