Even though he’s the president of an IT company and a staunch advocate for online privacy, Ken Cox sees himself as – an artist. His claim isn’t without merit, as he did spend a while DJing when he was young, going so far as to tour with Insane Clown Posse. But the art he refers to now, when his touring days are long behind him, is entirely different.
“I consider myself an artist, and my favorite thing to create are small businesses that create employment for wonderful people that work there,” he explains.
His art form is practical, too. For Ken, small businesses are not only the real backbone of the economy. They also play an essential role in the culture. Making sure that they’re around and able to thrive economically is one of the ways Ken is benefiting the community and making sure he’s leaving the world a better place than he found it.
“I think the youth don’t find mentorship in schools,” he explains. “Our youth finds our mentorship in small businesses on Main Street by the business owners. I believe that very passionately.”
Ken has been hard at work for the benefit of small businesses in his tech industry and other industries. Through his podcast Clicks and Bricks, he’s been able to cover a variety of topics that range from interesting to essential for small business owners. Viewers can tune in and hear about everything from ADA compliance to risk mitigation, from storytelling in marketing to a guide on achieving six-figure profits in a year of business.
The podcast caters to entrepreneurs, business owners, and people looking for ways to make it in the world through business. It goes hand in hand with small-business services Hostirian offers, which include hosting, email services, and even telecommunication services.
“I like working with the electrician with 100 employees and the gym owner with 20 employees,” Ken explains. “Those people I want to serve because I think they’re getting crushed the hardest. And I can save them time, privacy, and much money.”
Through his privacy advocacy work, Ken has been a vocal supporter of the rights of consumers and small businesses to access services that will treat their data with the utmost care. He’s seen all too often how big corporations such as Google buckle under the lightest pressure from governments and hand over data. He has no doubts they’d be doing so for money, too. In his book, a communication company that doesn’t protect the privacy of the communication it facilitates isn’t a good service provider.
Ken Cox’s journey to becoming an expert in IT and a successful businessman hasn’t been straightforward. Ken’s been open about his childhood homelessness and troubles with the law. He managed to lift himself through his work in the tech industry.
At a critical point, however, he turned to an unhealthy lifestyle and alcoholism, which he beat by boxing training, eventually leading to him owning a boxing gym. He keeps it open so that today’s kids can learn resilience and discipline through boxing. He wants them to have a fighting chance in a world where the odds might be against them, just like he wants small businesses to have space to grow and not be swallowed up by big companies or an overreaching government.
