Marty Roesch is the founder and CEO of Sourcefire, one of the very first commercial open source companies, that was acquired by Cisco in 2013 for $2.7 billion. On today’s episode, Jon Sakoda speaks with Marty Roesch on his journey to CEO, including how laser tag became his foray into cybersecurity and why he considers himself a “particularly good benevolent dictator”. 

1. Have Empathy For Your Users [14:19-15:19] - Marty got the motivation to continue developing Sourcefire alongside his 9-5 from the direct interactions he had with its users. Later on, his business model relied on the understanding he had of the actual problems users deploying Sourcefire had and creating solutions that go above and beyond.
2. Sometimes You Have To Call BS On Yourself [15:39-16:39] - When you become encumbered by success, it’s easy to lose sight of yourself. As Marty scaled Sourcefire, he had to re-examine his beliefs and have moments of introspection. If you’re a founder experiencing rapid growth, remember to tether yourself to your fundamental values.
3. Ask For Help When You Need It [25:59-26:55] - Marty created the success that is Sourcefire with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering. When he decided to branch out on his own and build a company, he had to be honest with himself and the people around him. Listen to learn how asking the simple questions got him to where he is today.
4. Don’t Try To Be The Smartest Guy In The Room [26:45-27:15] - When Marty was starting to understand how to turn his idea into a business, someone told him that the sole key to running a successful business is hiring good people. Listen to hear why he believes the strength of your organization is the strength of your people.

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