Secure & Simple — Podcast for Consultants and CISOs on Cybersecurity Governance and Compliance

In this Secure and Simple Podcast episode, host Dejan Kosutic interviews Taylor Hersam, founder and former CEO of Eden Data, a compliance consultancy providing SOC 2, ISO 27001, CMMC and other framework services that grew rapidly after starting on Upwork during COVID, later scaling to nearly 100 people and being acquired by Riveron in 2025. Taylor explains how he gamified Upwork to build reviews, tested and refined a subscription-based consulting model, and positioned Eden as an external security and compliance team with clear scoping to avoid overreach. He discusses why subscription pricing appeals to clients needing ongoing compliance, key scaling challenges, KPIs like customer satisfaction and revenue per headcount, and how AI is shifting consulting away from time-and-materials toward value, requiring firms to use customer feedback, employee input, and market signals to focus services.

Links from the episode:
- Conformio software to streamline and scale ISO 27001 implementation and maintenance for your clients: https://advisera.co/Conformio-software
- White label documentation toolkits for NIS2, DORA, ISO 27001, and other ISO standards to create all the required documents for your clients: https://advisera.co/page-all-toolkits
- Accredited Lead Auditor and Lead Implementer courses for various standards and frameworks to show your expertise to potential clients: https://advisera.co/Consultant-Courses
- Company Training Academy with numerous videos for NIS2, DORA, ISO 27001, and other frameworks to organize training and awareness programs for your client’s workforce: https://advisera.co/page-Company-Training-Account 
- Beginner's Course for ISO, Cybersecurity, and AI Consultants: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHwD3nQun7caKFq80LxNNYKIabATlyA7t
- How to Grow Your Cybersecurity, ISO, or AI Consultancy: Advanced Course:https://advisera.co/GrowYourConsultancyTraining