TechLok Innovations: Securing the Future with Ryan Angott

In this episode, Adam House Sr. interviews Ryan Angott, CEO and Co-founder of TechLok Solutions, a company focused on innovative laptop security solutions. Ryan shares his unique journey from the cybersecurity world to starting his own business with his father. He discusses his experiences with the $7/hour staffing model, how they’ve scaled TechLok, and the critical lessons learned from making a million-dollar mistake. Ryan also offers insights on how to identify and capitalize on new markets, raise capital, and find the right team for high-growth startups. Whether you're an entrepreneur looking for practical advice or a founder in need of inspiration, this episode is filled with valuable takeaways.

Key Takeaways:
$7 Entrepreneur Philosophy: Ryan’s story of leveraging affordable VA staffing from the Philippines to streamline operations and reduce costs for startups.
Navigating Father-Son Business Dynamics: The challenges and rewards of building a business with a family member, and how to maintain personal and professional boundaries.

Learning from Mistakes: How a million-dollar mistake in manufacturing led to a complete pivot and valuable lessons on strategic partnerships.

Target Market Focus: Discovering their ideal customer profile through market research and shifting from consumer to B2B sales.

Scaling with the Right Team: The importance of building the right team and how to strategically raise capital without losing too much equity.

Featured Guest:
Name: Ryan Angott
Title: CEO and Co-founder of TechLok Solutions
Bio: Ryan Angott has a background in cybersecurity and entrepreneurship, having co-founded TechLok Solutions and the Strategic Staffing Assistant. His unique approach to leveraging $7/hour virtual assistants and his dedication to securing mobile devices for a work-from-anywhere world have made him a prominent figure in tech innovation.

Topics Covered:
What Does it Mean to be a $7 Entrepreneur?: The concept behind using affordable staffing options to scale startups and optimize operations.

The Journey of Building TechLok: From the inception of the idea with his father to overcoming manufacturing challenges and pivoting during COVID-19.

Navigating Family Dynamics in Business: Balancing personal relationships while scaling a business with a family member.

Raising Capital and Making Strategic Decisions: Ryan shares his experience of raising over $2 million and the importance of timing in bringing on investors.

Finding the Right Market Fit: How TechLok discovered their B2B sweet spot and focused on corporate IT managers as their primary customers.

Notable Quotes:
"Every great thing comes with a downside, but it’s always doable with the right community around you." — Ryan Angott
"We made a million-dollar mistake by choosing the wrong factory, but that lesson helped us identify our real value and the right partners." — Ryan Angott
"As an entrepreneur, if you don’t have a good money person in your corner, get one—trade equity, whatever it takes." — Ryan Angott
Resources Mentioned:

Call to Action:

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to the House of Bricks Podcast for more interviews with innovative entrepreneurs and business leaders. Share this episode with your network to help others gain valuable insights from Ryan's entrepreneurial journey.

--------------------------------

How to Connect:
Social Media: Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

--------------------------------

*TIMESTAMPS:*
00:00 - Introduction to Founder Spotlight
00:24 - Meet Adam
00:31 - The $7-an-Hour Entrepreneur
02:15 - Tech Lock & Family Dynamics
05:00 - Tech Lock’s Patents & Journey
06:30 - Family Business Challenges
08:00 - Virtual Assistants in Startups
10:00 - Business Grind & Adaptation
12:00 - Future Plans
15:00 - Inventory Forecasting Challenges
15:11 - Balancing Cash Flow & Inventory
16:01 - Scaling & Product Ecosystem
17:18 - Raising Capital & Equity
18:22 - Overcoming Manufacturing Challenges
19:04 - Growth vs. Spending
19:13 - Financing Strategies
26:43 - Outro

#Entrepreneurship #FamilyBusiness #StartupJourney

[jerrylily]

Ryans story is incredible—his openness about mistakes makes this so motivating

[peavu]

I love hearing about the $7 entrepreneur concept. Such a smart approach to staffing and scaling!

[RanuAkter-fj]

Really appreciated the insights Ryan shared in this episode. The $7 Entrepreneur Philosophy and the lessons learned from the million-dollar mistake were particularly eye-opening. It's inspiring to see how strategic decisions and resilience can lead to growth. Looking forward to more episodes like this. Thanks for the valuable takeaways!

[amityeric]

Raising over $2 million while keeping the vision intact 👏😮 Inspiring journey

[sanjayluu]

🤔 Navigating family business dynamics isnt easy. How do they maintain balance?

[winifredchantoya]

Curious, how did they identify their B2B market fit so effectively during COVID-19?