Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in cybersecurity but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jaafar Mothafer, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer of Hush, located in Detroit, MI, USA.

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

At Hush, we believe in a world where using the internet, and personal privacy can co-exist. It's no secret that the digital world has a dark side. We believe that the best way to protect against bad internet actors is by safeguarding personal privacy. Anyone, from kids to organizations, can be targeted by harassment, fraud, social engineering, or worse. We created Hush to change this reality, one risk removal at a time. Our mission is to inform and protect everyone's right to privacy. Our smart AI frequently scans the web for personal information that poses a financial, physical, reputation, or identity risk. It then alerts our members to any sensitive information found online. Hush removes high-risk items with the click of a button, putting our members in control of their digital privacy.

Tell us about yourself

I come from a family of entrepreneurs. In high school, I started my first company building websites and apps after teaching myself how to code. At the time, I didn't know much about startups it was just a way to do something fun and earn some money. Initially, I was headed toward a career in law and public policy. I even had the opportunity to work for a think tank in DC. Although I enjoyed working on important problems through public policy initiatives, I realized that technology could make a more significant impact faster. So, I decided to return to my roots and find a way to work on critical issues through technology and entrepreneurship. I joined Venture for America's two-year entrepreneurship fellowship after college and have been working at startups ever since on everything from education to mobility (autonomous vehicles) to various applications of AI. A few years ago, my co-founders and I realized how easily everyone's information could be found online and the danger that posed to individuals, their families, and their organizations (a majority of hacks these days happen through social engineering). It made no sense that nothing out there could offer comprehensive online protection when so much of our lives are online. We knew that we could and should do something about it, so we built Hush.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

There are many accomplishments to be proud of. Specifically, building an AI product that can scan the entire web, identify vulnerabilities, and remove information is a significant challenge. I'm particularly proud of our team's work to overcome these obstacles and deliver a top-notch experience to our members. Removing someone's private information from the web is always a cause for celebration, and our team takes pride in doing so. We know that every piece of information removed makes our members a little bit safer.

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

Radical accountability. At a startup, nothing gets done until you make it happen, which means constantly adapting, taking ownership and correcting failures, and finding a way to keep moving forward. It's always go, go, go, which can make it tough to unplug. You really have to want it. Otherwise, you'll burn out fast.

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

I've written about this topic before in more detail on my blog, but first and foremost, make sure it's something you really want to do. Everything starts and ends with you. The chances of getting rich off a startup are really low, and it's really tough building something new. But you also have more freedom than other careers can offer. You get to decide what problem you want to work on, and you're constantly growing and learning. And it may very well be the best choice you will ever make. If you decide to build a startup, then my advice is:

  1. Start with the problem, not the solution. Be clear on who has the problem you are trying to solve, how widespread it is, and how urgent it is for those who have it. You don't want to work on a problem very few people have or one that most people don't care about solving. From there, you can figure out the right solution.
  2. Make sure you have product market fit (PMF). PMF is binary. Either you have it, or you don't. And if you don't, nothing else matters as much as finding PMF. All of your energy and business activities should be oriented around this. Once you've found PMF, you can worry about scaling, building a larger team, and all the other things that come with building a company.
  3. Don't do it alone. Find partners that complement you. Make sure it's people you really like working with. Almost all the skills you will need can be learned on the job, but it's hard to change someone's personality or energy.
  4. Test any and all assumptions. If you have a theory about your market, your users, your customers, and so on, run an experiment and get real data to help you make your decisions.
  5. Ask for help. Find out who tried to do what you are doing already (someone has) and figure out what they learned. Other founders are almost always willing to help and share lessons learned.
  6. Think really long and hard about your go-to-market strategy. It's really easy (and fun) to get caught up in product, design, and engineering, but you have to eventually figure out how to turn your product into a sustainable business.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website (Company): https://ai.gohush.com/
Website (Personal): https://jaafarmothafer.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaafarMothafer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jnmothafer/

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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