Alexia Idoura Helps Women Protect Their Business From Cyber Attacks

Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business:

I’m the owner of Security Done Easy. I educate women on how to protect their businesses from cyber attacks — without having to become tech experts — because when women-owned businesses are secure, they can confidently grow and innovate, creating positive ripple effects that transform their communities. 

Who are your customers?

Women business owners.

What was your background prior to starting your own business?

I worked in tech, most of it in cybersecurity, for 25+ years, in various roles: technical training, program management, operations, and more. I've freelanced, worked for startups, and worked for large enterprises.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

I read industry news every morning over coffee. I read an article that talked about how small businesses are big targets for cyber criminals because they don't have the resources that large companies do, and that over half of the small businesses attacked fail within six months — because of the loss of revenue, and all the costs associated with cyber attacks, from sites being down, operations halted, money stolen, ransoms paid, penalties issued, being hit with lawsuits, paying for credit monitoring, and more. I dug into those stats and found that women-owned businesses (all underrepresented groups, in fact) have higher rates of attacks and a lower likelihood of having protections in place. I want to change that.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

I think I always "just was." I walked dogs, babysat, delivered newspapers (props to my widowed mom who worked two jobs *and* drove me along my paper route when it was cold out), sold computers (Apple IIs and the first Macs!), helped people figure out what webpages were for and developed them as a side hustle in the mid 90s, freelanced writing technical documentation, consulted in customer success. All while having a great corporate career. I learned from all of it. Now, I'm pulling all of these skills together (well, except the dog walking, maybe) to build a business of my own.

Take us back to when you first launched your business; what was your marketing strategy to get the word out and did it go as planned?

I absolutely underestimated the need to build that list! In my mind, I needed to have everything "ready" before building the list. Don't make my mistake. Build that list, always be building that list, nurture that list, follow up with that list.

What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way so far and what have you learned from it?

As a new business owner, my biggest challenge has been navigating the world of sales and marketing. Aside from my technical knowledge, I knew that building a successful business would require a whole new set of skills. The learning curve was steep — it felt like drinking from a firehose! I also had to get past a limiting belief that I “wasn’t good at” sales or marketing (just like the women I help, who believe they “aren’t technical enough for” protecting their businesses.) I've learned that I actually really enjoy it — both the behind the scenes pieces such as building and analyzing successful pipelines, to the personal connections I make, talking to women about the problems they want to solve.

What accomplishment are the most proud of to date in your business?

Women tell me, I can talk to you about this. That's what I'm most proud of. When I first started talking to women about this idea, they'd use words like stressed and embarrassed. My goal is to foster an inclusive environment where women feel comfortable asking questions and expressing concerns without fear of judgment. I provide an empathetic, communicative, and business-aligned approach. My unique perspective and commitment to empowering women create a supportive environment for women to strengthen their cybersecurity posture.

Do you have any recent wins from the last year that you'd like to celebrate with our community?

Besides breaking even and even being operationally profitable, I'm excited to have been accepted into the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center Milestone Circles program (thanks to another Entreprenista who told me about the program!)

What's next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

I'm working on a physical product that will make security planning even easier and will be a more tactile and less anxiety-inducing experience for women small business owners. I'll continue to refine my online accelerator with each launch and listen to my list to add ways to make it easy for women to take the reins and protect what they've worked hard to build. 

What is your top productivity tip? 

I don't know who said this originally, but it certainly is a useful mantra and I hear it everywhere — done is better than perfect!

What is your approach to work-life balance / integration?

I had to reevaluate what I thought work-life balance really was for me. I work hard. I enjoy it. I spend a lot of time working on my business. As long as I'm here for my kids and I'm enjoying myself, that's good enough for me. I think it was a video I saw by the Hermozis that let me give up the guilt that I wasn't "balanced" enough and that I should be doing all these other things. That pressure just felt like even more to do. I keep it simple: I enjoy the puzzle of business. When I need a break, I take it.

What is one thing you wish you had known when you started your Entreprenista journey?

I did not fully appreciate the depth of knowledge and experience in this community until I was in and talking to people. I learn so much here, and the connections I've made have been genuine and invaluable.

Are you a Mamaprenista? If so, please share your best advice for simultaneously managing a business and a family:

I have four amazing daughters, 12-21 at the time of writing this. They are my pride and joy. A big part of why I do what I do is to set an example for them. Not that they have to do what I do — but that they have choices in life. And there's always more than one way to get to where you want to go. I involve them in my struggles and accomplishments with the business and they've been my cheerleaders. They also know that I am there for them if they need me. I do feel that mom guilt sometimes, but I talk to my girls and they know this is just an intense push right now and that it will benefit us all. We find small simple ways to spend time together, too. I do have a very flexible non-traditional approach to managing my time and energy, and I employ systems and shortcuts where I can — I get groceries delivered, I cook in batches and freeze meals, and yes, we grab food on the go when we need to.

What is your favorite business tool or solution and why?

That's a tough one. The two that supercharge my productivity the most are Motion as a time and project management tool and Perplexity as a research assistant, learning tool, and brainstorming partner.

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?

Connect with other Entreprenistas and just get to know them. Without coming into those conversations with a set outcome or goal, whether it's to sell or not, you'll learn more about each other as people, and you may be surprised by the knowledge and connections and resources and support you give and get.

Learn more about the Entreprenista League and join today!