From Startups to Google with Christopher Mitchell

Hosts Gianna Whitver and Maria Velasquez sit down with Christopher Mitchell from Google’s Chronicle Security and discuss how he went from working at a series of startups to working at one of the largest corporations in the world. Christopher shares stories of his work experience through many company acquisitions and shares what it’s like to go from 160 to 160,000 employees. He dives into how he has found success working on marketing teams and what has led to healthy work environments and relationships. Christopher also shares what has made his teams run efficiently and how he has found success in launching unique cybersecurity marketing events. 

 

Timecoded Guide:

[01:46] Adjusting through acquisitions and onboarding at Google

[11:17] Days at Siemplify and Soc Stock—cybersecurity marketing Woodstock

[19:26] Goals at Siemplify—more than lead generation

[20:32] Key signs of business acquisition and founder aspirations

[28:32] Digital marketing strategy at Google and pros/cons

What it’s like adjusting through acquisitions from 2,000 to 30,000 Employees

Christopher details his journey in cybersecurity marketing, moving from different types of startups, small companies, large companies, and everything in between. During this time, Christopher worked for companies during IPOs and eventually transitioned to Google. He describes what it was like to start at Google’s security business unit and details the breadth and depth of the onboarding process at the company. During this time, his marketing team tripled and Christopher talks about the adjustment period that followed. 

“It's been awesome. I joined when we were 80-ish people. And so through the pandemic, we doubled in size, we 10x our revenue over that span, the marketing team tripled in size—we went from five to 15. So it was awesome to be part of that growth. And it's awesome now seeing all of us thrive at Chronicle and at Google as well. We're still high functioning, we're still kicking butt and taking names.” 

What it’s like working on a marketing dream team

Working at Siemplify, Christopher picked up early examples of excellent operation and teamwork within a marketing unit. Christopher discusses the culture of the Siemplify marketing team while working there and highlights what made it run smoothly. He emphasizes his team’s goals and how they consisted of much more than just high-level lead generation. Christopher also explains how to make yourself available as a resource to your co-workers and why doing so is important in a team. He emphasizes how team culture is integral to success and then dives into his experience with launching a cybersecurity marketing conference. Christopher also explains to Gianna and Maria what “Soc Stock” is and how it became a major success.  

“That's actually one of the biggest words of advice I can have is always help your co-workers as much as possible—even if they're co-workers you don't like. Just help them.”

How to see tell-tale signs of acquisition and set companies apart

Christopher shares some key things that he has noticed when a company is on the path toward acquisition. He highlights product universality and accessibility while diving into what sets companies apart in the cybersecurity space. Christopher also mentions his aspirations in the SaaS space and some possible business plans that he has for the future. Gianna and Maria stress how not everyone gets to say that they are a part of a smooth process between sales and marketing but Christopher shares his experience with the dynamic. He explains what it’s like to have a healthy dynamic between sales and marketing departments—and what has made him excited to go to work every day. Christopher also talks about being a part of a mature and sophisticated team and what it’s like to be responsible for MQL pipeline and revenue targets. 

“We did have an extremely positive relationship with sales, maybe the only positive relationship with sales I've ever experienced in my life. But it was awesome . . . It is so nice.”

Google Adwords, digital marketing strategy, and the pros/cons of working at a large enterprise

Chris talks about the digital marketing strategy at Google and goes into a few pros and cons of working at a large enterprise like Google. He hashes out the big working differences between working on projects at a small company and working at Google. Moving from startups to Google is no small adjustment and Christopher dives more into his adjustment period moving from smaller and mid-size companies to one of the largest in the world. He also relays the importance of marketing teams in building a strong community through big changes.

“It's just a completely different world. I think if I was joining this company without my Simplify peers, I think I would have struggled even more than I did.”

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Definitions: 

MQL Pipeline: MQL stands for ‘marketing qualified lead.’ This is the term that marketers use for prospects interacting with brand content. ‘MQL Pipeline’ is the process in which marketers move prospects through the marketing funnel, exposing them to the brand and turning them into possible customers.

CMO: ‘Chief Marketing Officer’—the chief executive responsible for marketing in an organization. 

IPO: ‘Initial Public Offering’—The public launch of a private company onto the stock market.

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Links:

Spend some time with Christopher on LinkedIn.

Check out Chronicle Security on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Google’s Chronicle Security on their website.

Follow Gianna on LinkedIn.

Catch up with Maria on LinkedIn.

Join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, and keep up with us on Twitter.