Why Thinking Like the "Anti-Peer" Helped Jack Murphy Win in Tech

From remixing Slim Shady to reshaping compliance tech, Jack Murphy brings bold energy and fresh perspective to Motion 3 Technology. What started with a leap of faith and a resignation letter has evolved into a dual-pronged VCIO/CTO and MSP firm making waves in compliance-heavy industries. As part of our Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Spotlight series, Jack shares how failure shaped resilience, unconventional thinking fueled growth, and staying “anti-peer” set his company apart. His story is a dynamic reminder that when your brain hurts, you're innovating—and that’s where real progress begins.

Hi, Jack Murphy! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us about your business. Who do you serve, how do you serve them, and what's the impact that your business and work makes?

May I have your attention, please?, Will the real Motion 3 Technology please stand up? I repeat, will the real Motion 3 Technology please stand up? We're gonna have a problem here…. Putting my company's age and generational statistics aside through this poor remix of the classic Slim Shady, it is essential to know that my company primarily serves compliance-based industries, such as accounting firms, CPAs, and Firms, and has expanded its compliance reach to clients needing to meet FedRAMP, ITAR, and CMMC 2 compliance. Motion 3 Technology is a VCIO/VCTO, and an MSP company wrapped up like a Vanilla and chocolate Hershey hug. We believe you shouldn't have one service without the other. What is strategy without implementation and education?   How can you dimmish your support needs without a strategy?

Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.

Simple, when I set my resignation date with my last employer before going out on my own.

Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.

I was fortunate that both my Father and my mother-in-law, as well as my father-in-law, were entrepreneurial.  I believe it was helpful, especially watching my Dad try to start a business, fail, and then start it again with great success.  It is essential to understand that failing at entrepreneurship is not death.  If you allow your anxiety to take over, it can feel this way.  But it is not death.  The experience involves learning lessons and implementing change based on those lessons.  As the shampoo bottle says, rinse, lather, and repeat as needed.  While I had to take the leap of faith myself, I believe it was, and is, advantageous to know that it can be done.  

Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?

Zapier, Microsoft Power Automate, Google App Sheet.  These are all low code no code applications that have democratized automation and workflows between apps and services.  They allow me to not have to type something 3 times into 3 different apps.  I know have the ability to make a phone call, hangup, and have a summary of the phone call attached to a ticket in my Service program.

We know that success is very often a non-linear path. Tell us about a failure, pivot point, or lesson that changed your course or direction and helped to get you where you are today.

Not enough space here to go throug all of the Zig Zags of getting to where I am today.  Generally speaking I went through a hot out of the gate experience and believed I had this business thing figured out.  Then came the drought of business shortly after.  This was followed by a slow grind to build up my reputation in the community and continue to define my company.  I believed I had both defined and cemented "What my company is," before I even filed for incorporation.  When I finally moved out of the "will I be able to pull this off" and had some stability I opposed again and took on too many things.  My clients let me know and in a short period of time lost several clients back to back.  What have I learned?  Make sure there is time for myself, make sure I have time for my clients, and when my brain really really hurts.  It means I am thinking about what will need to happen next and what I may need to learn to make the "next" thing happen.  When the brain hurts it means you are moving in the correct direction.

What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?

From the beginning, I have always attempted to be the anti- [fill in the blank] of my peers.  Notably, there was a period in my company when it was easy to review my accounting and see very flat revenue.  The chart did not go positive or negative.  This was a period when I felt like I was both being cautious and trying to catch up to what my competitors were doing.  When I recognized that I was on this path of convergence, I was able to exit and become the "Anti" peer again.  The act of doing this brought excitement back into my life, and my clients picked up on that.  It was in this moment that I left the bloody ocean of Managed Service Provider Technology Solutions and charted my path as a V-CIO / CTO.  Boy, did my brain hurt during the transition, and it still does, but that means I'm putting in the effort to keep my company in blue water with plenty of food to feed the health of my company!

What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?

You will get a lot of free advice when you start your company.  Remember, it's free, and the free advice is usually not advice, but rather someone else's angst about starting a company or pursuing an entrepreneurial venture.  When I started, I needed a break from coaching and consultants.  I needed to feel in charge of my decisions.  Your experience may be different, but when you're ready to be supported again by coaches and consultants, it's okay to be choosy and fire often.  There is nothing better than feeling like you have a team of trusted advisors.  Don't settle.

Want to dive deeper into Jack's work? Check out the links below!

• Visit Motion 3 Technology website: motion3.tech
• Connect with Jack Murphy on LinkedIn: Jack Murphy
• Follow Motion 3 Technology on LinkedIn: Motion 3 Technology