RLS Consulting Is (Re)Opening for Business!

In this very first blog post, I’m giving a little behind the scenes look at RLS Consulting and what brought us here today. What may seem like a sudden change has actually been building for some time.

First, a little background and a quick catch up on what the last 6 years have done to shape this new path.

A Look Back

Back in 2018, I created RLS Consulting, LLC as a way to provide Sales as a Service to Rigid Bits, LLC, a small cybersecurity firm that friends had started a little over a year prior. I had been successful in Vertafore’s sales team but was drawn to the world of cybersecurity, and entrepreneurship. I also saw a path for Rigid Bits’ success within the same independent insurance industry that would form our first vertical and couldn’t wait to take the leap and get started.

Not everyone is cut out for the start-up world but, for me, it was an invaluable experience that I will always cherish and have technically revisited with this new direction of RLS. But in 2018, I didn’t have a clue how much it would shape my future (or truly how much work it would take). Everything was built from the ground up, and we did it without any outside funding or debt. It was harder, but we were able to keep on a path of our own design thanks to those sacrifices.

In those early years, it tested my knowledge of sales, marketing, technology, and cybersecurity. I’ve always considered myself a lifetime learner, but the only way forward was to take ownership of the knowledge and skills that made up who I was as an individual. It set me on a trajectory of self-discovery and education that will forever be important to me and that has given me the realization that we are only held back by the limitations we set for ourselves.

The Startup Journey

Over the next several years, we went from being no one, to one of the most trusted and sought after cybersecurity firms in the independent insurance industry. We served everyone from some of the smallest single-person offices, to some of the largest with several clients falling in the Top 100 Insurance Agents and Brokers list.

We worked tirelessly to share resources, educate, and collaborate with like-minded peers that were also focused on protecting hardworking American businesses from cyber threats. Many times, it felt like we were swimming upstream; despite our best efforts, there still are many misconceptions and false information that get passed around about cybersecurity, even today.

After being acquired by Adar, Inc. (now Rhodian Group) in 2022, RLS Consulting was put on a brief hold while I helped to merge the companies.

It’s exciting to have a chance to turn back to the world of entrepreneurship and continue to help businesses more broadly with the lessons I’ve learned over the years.

Today

Now, with a new focus from RLS Consulting, expanding beyond just Sales as a Service, I look back at the totality of my career and see a plethora of ways to help businesses (in and out of the insurance industry) with many of the types of challenges I’ve seen over the years.

I’ve seen so many businesses suffer from misinformation, bad advice, biases, and succumbing to the weight of overwhelming decisions. It’s avoidable and I know I can help.

Core Beliefs

As I think to the future about what I can do with all of the skills and knowledge picked up through my career, several core beliefs keep coming to mind:

Companies should not let the experience in the sales process prevent them from making an informed technology decision
Misinformation and biases put businesses and people at risk
Cybersecurity doesn't have to be complicated
Cybersecurity begins at the individual
Knowledge should be shared to help others succeed

I’m sure these will evolve, but all services coming from RLS Consulting will tie back in some way or another to supporting these ideas.

Stay tuned for more posts about what each of these beliefs mean and how we’re working to help others in our mission to protect businesses and people.

What’s Next?

We have a lot in store and some cool things we’ll be rolling out over the next few weeks.

If you want to stay in the loop, please be sure to sign up for our newsletter.

And, if you are planning for any changes to your IT, Cybersecurity, or Technology plans for 2024, or are almost ready to sign off on a new contract, now is a great time to talk about it.

Even if there’s not a path ahead where we work together, I will help you avoid common mistakes I’ve seen over the years. Let’s chat!

Thanks for reading!

-Ryan

Ryan Smith

Ryan's experience across cybersecurity, sales, insurance, technology, education, and mathematics have helped him become a business-oriented problem solver that can simplify complex topics.

His eclectic and diverse background is now able to be leveraged by businesses that are interested in outside perspectives to help them overcome challenges.

Take our free Simplifying Cyber Risk course now at SIMPLIFYCYBERRISK.COM!

RLS Consulting Is (Re)Opening for Business!