Austin, Brooklyn Associates

The Great Consulting Illusion: When Your Expert Has Only Mastered Instagram Filters Have you ever noticed how some consultants' LinkedIn profiles shine brighter than their actual expertise? Let's talk about the elephant in the conference room: the rise of the "Insta-Expert." You know the type. Their profile picture looks like it was shot by Annie Leibovitz. Their background images scream "SUCCESS" in 72-point font. And their bio? A masterclass in buzzword bingo. The Tell-Tale Signs You're Dealing With a Marketing Maestro (Not a Master) 1. They've "disrupted" more industries than they've worked in 2. Their case studies are vaguer than your aunt's Facebook relationship status 3. Every post begins with "Unpopular opinion..." followed by the most popular opinion ever 4. They've somehow "revolutionized" every company they've touched (for exactly 3 months each) The Real-World Experience Equation Real expertise isn't measured in followers or likes. It's measured in: - Battle scars from failed projects - Late nights solving actual problems - That one time everything went wrong and you had to fix it without a "life hack" - Coffee-stained notebooks full of real solutions A Humble Suggestion Before you hire that consultant with the perfect Instagram grid and zero grey hairs, ask them about their biggest failure. If their answer involves losing followers during a platform algorithm change, maybe keep looking. Remember: Real experts are usually too busy actually doing the work to tell you how amazing they are at doing the work every 3 hours on LinkedIn. The Bottom Line There's nothing wrong with great marketing - we all need it. But when the marketing skill-to-actual-expertise ratio starts looking like a tech bubble valuation, it's time to ask some hard questions. Or as I like to say: Just because someone can write a thread about building a rocket, doesn't mean they can get you to the moon. 🚀 --- #ConsultingLife #ThoughtLeadership #BusinessHumor #MarketingTruth #ProfessionalDevelopment #BusinessAdvice #CareerAdvice #ConsultingHumor #RealTalk #ExpertiseMatters #LinkedInLife #BusinessReality #ConsultingTips #TruthBomb #ProfessionalGrowth #BusinessLessons #cmmc #cio #ciso #entrepreneur *Note: This post was written while wearing regular business casual attire, not a $5,000 suit in front of a rented Lamborghini.*

https://lnkd.in/eNDtG-h8 Meet the team behind Simplix 's second place win at last weeks Black Orlando Tech Pitch competition. I'm so proud of all of us for building a product that can genuinely help #smallbusinesses be more secure and obtain compliance. Proud to be based out of Orlando but we ARE global in our reach! We are raising a round, any introductions would be great! Come lead our round! We are building some cool sh*t! #mexico #chicago #orlando #cybersecurity #grc #cio #ciso #cmmc #soc2 #nist #fundraising #seedround cc: Kim Scott Daniel D.

I serve on the Black Orlando Tech board and am incredibly proud of the pitch event we hosted last week. It is a huge milestone, and I am blessed to be part of an organization that highly values innovation and supports our entrepreneurs by providing them with the capital to help them reach their next milestone. Thank you to all the founders who participated in the pitch event. Your presence and participation were crucial to its success. Congratulations to the winning founders! 🏆 1st Place – $10,000 Soarce | Mason Mincey 🥈 2nd Place – $5,000 Simplix | Wilfredo.. Lassalle Jr. 🥉 3rd Place – $2,500 Crypto Tutors | Nina Blankenship Lisa Fancyfied Francoeur 🇭🇹 Thank you to BOT's founders, Joshua Walker and Mike Felix, for their leadership. Also, to our operation mavens, Safia Porter and Emily Walker, MSM, thank you for all your work behind the scenes and for facilitating a smooth event. You ladies are truly legendary. I am incredibly proud of my husband, Jehue Francois, the Start-Up Director at BOT, for his vision and execution behind the pitch competition. You and your co-founder, Joel Francois, at KoFound.Co, are indeed gems, and we appreciate your dedication to pushing our entrepreneurs at the BOT start-up accelerator program and changing the trajectory of their companies. Lastly, I want to express my deep appreciation to my co-judges, Bryan Young, Dr. Laine Powell, and Rupert Meghnot. Your expertise and dedication were invaluable to the event's success. I also want to thank our sponsors, Orange County Government and Innovus Innovation Center, for their unwavering support. Also, founders, please sign up for the BOT accelerator program below if you want additional resources. Link: https://lnkd.in/ehMYWAif #LaunchpadLiftoff #BlackOrlandoTech #TechEntrepreneurs #PitchCompetition #InnovateForward #TechStartUp #Orlando #CentralFlorida #Innovation #founders #Tech #capital #funding

Feeling so blessed and my heart is full after an incredible night at The Launchpad Liftoff Pitch Competition! 💫 I’m beyond grateful to our founders for entrusting the BOT team and myself with their vision to uplift and empower our community. A huge congratulations to the winners and all the finalists — your passion, innovation, and hard work are truly inspiring! Soarce | Mason Mincey Simplix | Wilfredo.. Lassalle Jr. Crypto Tutors | Nina Blankenship Lisa Fancyfied Francoeur 🇭🇹 Jay Grubbs Porcenel Joachim Chris Cyrille Maya P. Byfield, Ph.D. Maryann Kilgallon Christina Cevetillo Shayden Poole Marcus Herndon Being part of an organization like Black Orlando Tech that’s dedicated to providing real opportunities for growth is a dream come true. Here’s to building a future where everyone has the chance to thrive! 🚀✨ #GratefulHeart #CommunityEmpowerment #BlackOrlandoTech #LaunchpadLiftoff #BlessedAndInspired #Technology 

Thrilled to share that we secured 2nd place at Black Orlando Tech Launchpad Liftoff! A big thanks to Wilfredo.. Lassalle Jr.. for leading with passion and precision. Check out how we're advancing cyber security at www.simplix.io and connect with us to dive deeper into our journey! #Simplixio #CyberSecurity #PitchCompetition #Innovation #Launchpad #Liftoff #LaunchpadLiftoff

Congratulations to Our 2024 Launchpad Liftoff Pitch Competition Winners! 🎉 We are beyond excited to announce the winners of this year's competition, which showcases the incredible innovation and talent from our community of underrepresented tech founders! 🏆 1st Place – $10,000 Soarce | Mason Mincey 🥈 2nd Place – $5,000 Simplix | Wilfredo.. Lassalle Jr. 🥉 3rd Place – $2,500 Crypto Tutors | Nina Blankenship Lisa Fancyfied Francoeur 🇭🇹 Thank you to all the amazing startups who participated, including our partner, KoFound.Co, our judges, Katleen Francois, Bryan Young, Dr. Laine Powell, and Rupert Meghnot, and our sponsors, Orange County Government and Innovus Innovation Center. We’re excited to see where you go next and continue supporting your journeys! Let’s keep uplifting and innovating together! ⭐️ #LaunchpadLiftoff #BlackOrlandoTech #TechEntrepreneurs #PitchCompetition #InnovateForward #TechStartUp #Orlando

Last evening Black Orlando Tech hosted Launchpad Liftoff: an early stage pitch competition! Orlando continues to innovate! 3 of the presenters were National Science Foundation (NSF) grant recipients. Thanks to Jack Henkel, the team at Cenfluence and Florida High Tech Corridor for all of their efforts to support the ecosystem. A Big shout out to Soarce and Mason Mincey for taking home the top prize of $10K. Crypto Tutors impressed as well as Simplix So many other great founders including JArthur Grubbs, III that are making an impact in multiple ways. A few other notables pitching or in attendance Porcenel Joachim Maryann Kilgallon Lisa Fancyfied Francoeur 🇭🇹 Christina Cevetillo Chris Cyrille Spot - Social Fitness App PocketContent.io icebreaker Beau Bennett MBA Scott Hill Keep the innovation train rolling!

Tonight I had the opportunity to attend the Black Orlando Tech Pitch competition called, Launchpad Liftoff. It was an incredible time to connect with many early stage founders! The 3 top winners of the competition were. 1.) $10,000 Prize Soarce, Mason Mincey which is textile manufacturing using Seaweed. Such an innovative concept. 2.) $5,000 Prize Simplix, Wilfredo.. Lassalle Jr. which does computer security and safety. 3.) $2,500 Prize Crypto Tutors, Nina Blankenship which does blockchain and web3 training. Other founders that did a great job pitching were: Porcenel Joachim Maryann Kilgallon Lisa Fancyfied Francoeur 🇭🇹 Marcus Harndon Jay Grubbs Christina Cevetillo Chris Cyrille Spot - Social Fitness App Aqua Insight Inc. PocketContent.io icebreaker It was great to connect with Scott Hill and Paul Coulter!!

NYU Tandon School of Engineering & Austin, Brooklyn Associates Summer Immersion Lab - July 25th NYU Tandon School of Engineering - 6 Metrotech, Brooklyn, NY 11201 ·   Phase One - 10:00 AM – Austin, Brooklyn Associates, NYU Tandon School of Engineering & Cyber Warrior Network will introduce students to a classroom gamified "Esports meets "Call To Duty" meets ethical hacking, "Solve The Problem & "Save The Network" experience. The experience introduces the students to a real-world gaming platform for security enthusiasts. The Esport "Call To Duty" platform is the next generation of esports hacking tournaments that will test and reveal the students' cyber security skills and help them understand the next steps required to gain specific skills. Phase Two – 2:30 PM – The 1.5-hour panel discussion will occur in the NYU Tandon Pfizer auditorium. Real-world cybersecurity industry experts Elizabeth Agosto, Yonesy Núñez, and Darrell Hawkins will participate in a live interactive discussion with the attending students. Our security experts will comment on the state, status, future, and opportunities in cybersecurity. These industry experts will inform the students of their roles, responsibilities, expertise, and journey to get to where they are today and where they are headed in the future. The panel will be entirely interactive, with industry experts and students engaging in lively dialogue. #nextgeneration, nyutandon, #aba, #simplexcmmi, #cwn, #immersionlab

Game On: Celebrating National Video Games Day in the Workplace Today we level up our professional lives as we celebrate National Video Games Day! While some may think gaming and work don't mix, savvy leaders know better. Let's explore how video game principles can power up your career: 1. Embrace the grind: Just like leveling up your character, professional growth takes consistent effort. Put in the work, gain the XP. 2. Teamwork makes the dream work: Whether you're raiding in WoW or collaborating on a project, communication and coordination are key. 3. Learn from your losses: Every "Game Over" is a chance to refine your strategy. Failure is just a checkpoint on the road to success. 4. Easter eggs exist IRL: Stay curious and explore. You never know what hidden opportunities you might uncover in your career. 5. Cheat codes are overrated: There's no substitute for genuine skill and hard work. (Though we wouldn't mind a "coffee refill" power-up!) So the next time someone tells you to stop playing games at work, just tell them you're honing your professional skills. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some, uh, "strategic planning" to do in Civilization VI. What's your favorite game, and how has it influenced your work life? Share in the comments! #NationalVideoGamesDay #GamificationAtWork #ProfessionalDevelopment #WorkplaceInnovation #GameOnCareerOn #CIO #CISO #CEO #cmmc #startup #entrepreneur #jlsgaming #simplix