TAMPA 鈥� His least favorite four-letter word is 鈥渨ait.鈥� The only time he鈥檚 been to Silicon Valley is to buy one of their companies. And the cyber security advice he gives his family: Don鈥檛 click on anything.
Those were the advice gems ReliaQuest founder Brian Murphy shared at Thursday鈥檚 Conversation with a CEO event hosted by the 国产短视频 Muma College of Business.
During the hour-long conversation, Murphy fielded questions from Interim Dean GJ de Vreede, as well as queries from the audience.
He happily doled out professional advice to young executives 鈥� 鈥淵ou have to be maniacal on who you allow to coach you.鈥� 鈥� and college students just starting their academic journeys 鈥� 鈥淒on鈥檛 build your resume. Build your knowledge.鈥�
In 2007, Murphy founded the global cybersecurity company ReliaQuest. He grew the boot-strapped startup into a high-growth unicorn with a valuation of over $1 billion, with backing from firms such as FTV Capital and KKR Growth.
Since 2018, the company has partnered with the Muma College of Business to host the ReliaQuest Labs, an intensive training lab where industry experts teach students how to detect and neutralize cyber threats. More than 350 students over seven cohorts have completed the program, with the latest cohort graduating next week.
Among other key takeaways from the Conversation with a CEO event:
He encouraged students, especially those just starting their college careers or those looking for their first full-time jobs, to go all in.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all possible. Play wide open. Be open to an opportunity when someone brings it to you and go head first in everything. Don鈥檛 be afraid to sell out. Don鈥檛 be afraid to look foolish,鈥� he said.
Murphy said to stop worrying about external appearances and to just worry about what you learn.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e good enough, you鈥檙e old enough. Don鈥檛 waste a minute. Don鈥檛 work from home. Go get around people. If you鈥檙e sitting in your side bedroom, I guarantee you you鈥檙e not learning what you need to be learning. You don鈥檛 put a limit on yourself,鈥� he said.
On how to increase personal cyber security and not get hacked:
鈥淒o the simple things savagely well. Don鈥檛 click on anything. Your bank is never going to send you an email with a link in it that you need to click. They never will. They will never have you confirm a wire transfer. Be as skeptical digitally as you are in person,鈥� he said.
Technological advancements have only made it cheaper and easier for bad actors to be bad.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all going to get beat in cyber. It鈥檚 just did they get in the bank lobby or get in the vault?鈥� he said.
When asked about the broader tech ecosystem, Murphy said he doesn鈥檛 put much thought into it.
鈥淭he community needs to realize it鈥檚 about that business growing and not about the organization in that community,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not about the nonprofit. It鈥檚 not about the chamber. It is about that company growing because that鈥檚 what鈥檚 going to create jobs. That鈥檚 what鈥檚 going to create income.鈥�
On the reasons why he鈥檚 kept the company headquartered in Tampa:
鈥淔or me, Tampa had everything that we need and it鈥檚 been a great jumping off point. I think too much is made of where you live. We make too much of geography and success of businesses. I just never bought into, I have to be from a certain place or go to a certain school.鈥�
With hindsight as 20/20, he was asked if there is anything he would do differently as CEO:
鈥淣o, because I think you need to take the punches you need to take. I think what I would probably go back and just tell myself, 鈥楪ood. That鈥檚 OK. If you can just keep moving forward and operate within our values, it鈥檒l all work out鈥�. But I wouldn鈥檛 necessarily change anything. I think it happened for the right reasons.鈥�
Murphy also described the origins of the mental performance program at ReliaQuest, where every meeting starts with a 10-minute 鈥淢indset Moment.鈥�
In 2012, as ReliaQuest was growing exponentially, he invited sports psychologist Trevor Moawad, who has worked closely with famed college football coaches Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher, to visit Tampa and to help create a mental performance group, he said.
鈥淚t seems silly, but it鈥檚 just to get your mind in the moment. That 鈥渕indset moment鈥� is don鈥檛 let your last meeting bleed into the next meeting. Be in the room. Clear your mind. What are we here for? What鈥檚 the clarity and how do we make this the most actionable amount of time possible?鈥� he said.
Murphy ended the conversation by saying he wishes he had a better story about how he came up with the company鈥檚 name. He said he knew he didn鈥檛 want to call it Brian Murphy and Associates. He sat down with a friend who owned a marketing firm and ReliaQuest was the name that stood out.
鈥淎 name is never going to mean anything until you make it mean something,鈥� he said.