Predict, Prevent, Protect - Defense By Design

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jeff McKissack, President of Defense By Design, located in Dallas, TX, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Defense By Design provides consulting and training services to the corporate world of risk management. We primarily focus on three areas of risks and liabilities in business related to safety and security: (1) physical risks, (2) data risks, and (3) reputational risks.

Our primary customers are often insurance companies seeking to help their clients stay out of the courtroom and the newsroom due as claims of negligence arise, but we also serve businesses and companies direct who already realize their legal vulnerabilities in the areas mentioned above.

Tell us about yourself

I began in this field 35 years ago, working with an investigative reporter for 20/20, 60 Minutes, and NBC News. We were tasked with interviewing criminals to determine not 'why' they did what they did but 'how.' The idea was to reverse engineer this predatory process, educating the public, so they knew what and who better to avoid to mitigate their own personal or professional risks related to physical harm and/or fiscal exploitation.

My motivation is simple; I help save people's lives, fortunes, and sometimes their reputations as well. But in business, I help keep employees out of the emergency room while helping keep their employers out of the courtroom and the newsroom.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment is the testimonials from everyday individuals whose lives and/or finances were spared due to the early detection of someone who obviously had a hidden agenda.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Probably one of the hardest things that comes from being a business owner is the ongoing self-motivation to keep pushing forward. It is often easy to look to others to do what 'you' yourself need to do, but no one can sell or market your business better than 'you' if you're truly an entrepreneur.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Never ask anyone to do for you what you are not willing to do for yourself.
Never lose your focus, regardless of what is 'popular' in the zeitgeist.
Stay in your lane — don't pretend to be or do what you are not skilled to be or do. Learn to refer others in such instances and often watch them, in turn, refer you as well.

Your network is your net worth. Always seek to be a connector in business, regardless of your own business. People seek out people who they perceive to represent progress for themselves, their lives, and their businesses. The more you are able to help others connect to what and who they need at any given moment, the more trusted source you will be when it is you that 'they' need at the moment.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.defensebydesign.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DefenseByDesign/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-mckissack-7800a4b/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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