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MSP Voice

MSP Voice

By MSP360

MSP Voice is a podcast produced by MSP360 where each week we talk to different managed service providers about their business. We cover topics like how to get started, what are some of the best tools and even what to avoid. The goal is to be informative and a go-to resource for any MSP looking to start or grow their business.
© MSP360
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MSP Voice Episode 72 - “Managed Defense, Detection and Response” with Yigal Behar

MSP VoiceJan 22, 2020

00:00
23:28
MSP Voice Episode 72 - “Managed Defense, Detection and Response” with Yigal Behar

MSP Voice Episode 72 - “Managed Defense, Detection and Response” with Yigal Behar

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-72/


Guest: Yigal Behar

Company: 2Secure

This week’s guest is Yigal Behar with 2Secure out of the New York City area. Yigal came to the US from Israel where he had an IT consulting firm and also worked at a company providing security services. Taking his enterprise expertise to the US, he decided to open up a consultancy to help smaller businesses be more secure. Yigal doesn’t like to place his business solely in the MSSP box as he also offers MDDR (Managed Defense, Detection and Response). MDDR has aspects of MSSP but also offers more proactive detection and remediation.

Yigal has also written the book “Digital War: The One Cybersecurity Strategy You Need to Implement Now to Secure Your Business.” Which you can download in ebook form from his website: https://www.2secure.biz/#free

Yigal and I have a great conversation about a number of security issues related to MSPs

Jan 22, 202023:28
MSP Voice Episode 71 - “Longevity as a Startup” with Larry Bianculli

MSP Voice Episode 71 - “Longevity as a Startup” with Larry Bianculli

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-71/

Guest: Larry Bianculli

Company: Contemporary Computer Services, Inc (CCSI)

This week’s guest is Larry Bianculli, managing director,  with CCSI who provide MSP and MSSP services in the New York City/Long Island area. CCSI (which stands for Contemporary Computers Services) has been around since 1974. CCSI has always been focused on services, the founders coming from IBM. CCSI has a range of customers from SMB to fortune 500. They have customers around the US as well as overseas.

Larry has been with CCSI for 4 years and is focused on growing the enterprise and commercial business. Prior to CSSI Larry spent over 15 years working for vendors (both big and small). For their large customers, CCSI helps to augment their IT staff in specialized areas. They’ve seen some great opportunities with co-managed SIEM. CCSI focuses mostly on financial, healthcare, insurance and manufacturing.

Listen to the full episode for more information on how CCSI has been so successful over the years by essentially thinking of themselves as a startup.


Jan 15, 202032:58
MSP Voice Episode 70 - “Pricing and Packaging” with Nigel Moore

MSP Voice Episode 70 - “Pricing and Packaging” with Nigel Moore

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-70/

Guest: Nigel Moore

Company: The Tech Tribe

This week my guest is Nigel Moore with The Tech Tribe who joins us from Australia. Having been in the business since 2002, Nigel has an interesting story about how he came to own his own MSP in 2007. Starting as break-fix, it took a few years to convert everyone to MRR but along the way, he learned quite a bit. Nigel has documented what he learned in a book he wrote called “Package, Price, Profit - The Essential Guide to Packaging and Pricing Your MSP Plans” available from Amazon. Nigel shares a lot of his experiences in this episode that you can put into use today in your own MSP.

While Nigel is no longer running his MSP, he does own a company called The Tech Tribe where he coaches MSPs on how to grow their business. During the podcast, we kept the topics to MSP business and I hope to have Nigel on the MSP Voice Webinar Series soon to talk about The Tech Tribe.


Dec 18, 201933:53
MSP Voice Episode 69 - “Self Made” with Andrew Lassise

MSP Voice Episode 69 - “Self Made” with Andrew Lassise

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-69/


Guest: Andrew Lassise

Company: Rush Tech Support

Andrew started off with a degree in finance in 2009. Unfortunately, because of the recession, he had to switch gears and focus on IT instead of finance. He found a position at a company doing break-fix remotely and then was approached by some friends about starting their own IT company. While the company didn’t last long, they had managed to get a large number of customers. Andrew worked out a deal with previous owners and was able to transition many of those customers to his own, new business...Rush Tech Support.

Rush Tech focuses mostly on residential and through previous work relationships was able to grow even more through mergers with other tech support companies. Andrew was able to grow from just $36,000 in his first year by himself to over $1.75 million the next year. With a lot of continued merger and acquisition growth over the years, Rush Tech is still about 90% residential and 10% MSP. Andrew says they’re going to continue focusing on business and MSP work moving forward even though he still feels there’s a great market for residential.

Andrew also hosts his own podcast called “Self Made and Sober” - With long-term sobriety, Andrew views this podcast as about the necessity for like-minded people trying to maintain sobriety while achieving more in their lives, whether it be personal, in business or spiritual. Each episode will feature guests, people Andrew looks up to in sobriety, in business, and in life. They discuss the ups and downs of their lives, how they achieved sobriety and success in all its many forms.

Dec 11, 201938:30
MSP Voice Episode 68 - “Clients, not Customers” with Thomas O’Brien

MSP Voice Episode 68 - “Clients, not Customers” with Thomas O’Brien

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-68/

Guest: Thomas O’Brien

Company: IDEOLITY

This week I welcome Thomas O’Brien with IDEOLITY to the show. Thomas is in the Kansas City area and has been in business since 1988.  While it took Thomas and his partners about 3 years to settle on IT services, they have been going strong ever since. In 2008 they changed the name of the company to IDEOLITY to better reflect what they do and it’s also much shorter than the previous name. Even though Thomas has been doing IT services for over 30 years, this is actually his 4th career. With the introduction of the Microcomputer, Thomas taught himself the platform and started up a training company to train companies on how to use these new computers. This experience eventually led him to IT services.

With an educational background in psychology and government, Thomas went back to school in 1991 and got his master’s in computer and information management. He says this additional education experience really helped him to better understand the business. Interestingly, IDEOLITY has always been “the IT resource” for their clients and has basically had them on monthly contracts. They were doing break/fix in the early days, mostly because things always broke. While they have a core group of clients who have been with them since the ’90s, many of their customers have been with them for about 10 years. Thomas also recommends continuing education and found some great resources at the Kauffman Foundation which helped him tie the technical to the business aspects at IDEOLITY. Listen to the end to understand the meaning of the title of this episode.


Dec 04, 201934:53
MSP Voice Episode 67 - "Predictable Success" with Phillip Poarch

MSP Voice Episode 67 - "Predictable Success" with Phillip Poarch

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-67/

Guest: Phillip Poarch

Company: Tolar Systems

This week’s guest is Phillip Poarch with Tolar Systems out of Abilene, TX. Tolar has been in business since 1999 where they started with high-end consulting. In 2012 they switched over to the MSP model. Phillip has been with Tolar since 2012, the same year the changed their model. After educating their customer base on the MSP model they’ve had great success in Abilene and surrounding areas. By targeting verticals that have to deal with compliance they are able to use their expertise in security and compliance.

To help their customers understand the importance of technology they share a book by Les McKeown called “Predictable Success: Getting Your Organization on the Growth Track-And Keeping It There”. The book talks about the life cycle of businesses and the importance of technology if they’re on a growth trajectory. By looking at the business's level of maturity, it helps them to recommend the technology they should be implementing.

When I asked Phillip what technology he’s most excited about, he replied it’s is the upcoming release of the Rivian EV. It’s billed as  the first adventure based electric truck. Tolar has already pre-ordered one and they’re very excited for its release. You can find more on Rivian here: https://rivian.com/

Nov 20, 201935:59
MSP Voice Episode 66 - "Open Book" with Eric Rieger

MSP Voice Episode 66 - "Open Book" with Eric Rieger

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-66/

Guest: Eric Rieger

Company: Webit Services

This week’s guest is Eric Rieger from Webit Services out of the Chicago area. In business since 1996, Webit actually started under a different, less fortunate name which Eric explains. Eric had a few different careers before starting Webit which helped him to prepare for running his own business. Besides MSP Webit also helps companies with business intelligence and analytics and has developers on staff.

Inspired by the book “The Great Game of Business” by Jack Stack (Amazon), Eric has adopted Open Book Management at Webit Services. We discuss at length the concepts of Open Book Management and how Webit has implemented it in their business. If you want to learn more, check out the website for The Great Game of Business here: https://www.greatgame.com/

One of the other concepts that Eric talks about is the power of purpose. He mentions a presentation by Clark Gey at the annual Gathering of Games conference. You can find it on YouTube here. After returning from the conference Eric and his team adopted their purpose, “keeping American business secure and productive”. Eric puts this into more perspective about how what they (and MSPs in general) do to keep the economy running.


Oct 23, 201935:44
MSP Voice Episode 65 “Gulf Shores MSP” with Dan Sadlis

MSP Voice Episode 65 “Gulf Shores MSP” with Dan Sadlis

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-65/

This week’s guest is Dan Sadlis out of Gulf Shores, AL. Dan runs Tech Solution, focused on both break-fix and MSP. Because of his location in the Gulf Coast, a lot of his customers are seasonal but he also has managed customers. He only considers himself doing true MSP for the past 3-4 months since he just recently acquired his software stack but he’s been doing services for over 2 years. Dan has enjoyed working on computers from a young age and attended Capitol Technology University in the DC area where he focused on cybersecurity. After school, he returned to Alabama but couldn’t find work in the technology field. After working a few non-tech jobs and doing IT work for people on the side, he realized he could make more money by opening his own business. While he prefers the MSP work, he plans on continuing the break/fix side and getting to know his customers even better.


Oct 16, 201934:24
MSP Voice Episode 64 “Marketing with your Peers” with Esther Deutsch

MSP Voice Episode 64 “Marketing with your Peers” with Esther Deutsch

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-64/

Guest: Esther Deutsch

Company: RCS Professional Services

This week I am joined by Esther Deutsch from RCS Professional Services in New York City. Esther is the Operations Manager at RCS and she gives some great insights into her role and also about a peer group she’s forming aimed at MSP marketing professionals (more information on that down below). Started in 1999 by Jeffrey Tebele, RCS Professional Services traces their roots back to Rockwell Computer and Software, a chain of electronics stores in NYC in the ’80s. By focusing on services Jeffrey has built RCS Professional Services into a multi-state provider of IT services and support. When I asked what vertical markets RCS servers, Esther said that it’s the wish to serve all companies who a Phish Phans (Jeffrey is a huge Phish Phan).

Oct 09, 201925:56
MSP Voice Episode 63 - “A Family Affair” with Nancy Sabino

MSP Voice Episode 63 - “A Family Affair” with Nancy Sabino

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-63/

Guest: Nancy Sabino

Company: SabinoCompTech

This week’s guest is Nancy Sabino with SabinoCompTech out of Houston, TX. Nancy is the CEO and co-founder of SabinoCompTech, her husband, Angle, is the other co-founder and also the COO. Their getting started story is very interesting and they even feature it on their website. In business now for 10 years, Nancy says they’re basically on version 3.0 of their company after some trial and error (and changing business models). They’re now a full-service MSP serving several verticals.

Oct 02, 201923:19
MSP Voice Episode 62 - “Joining the Franchise” with Matt Lewis

MSP Voice Episode 62 - “Joining the Franchise” with Matt Lewis

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-62/


Matt Lewis is a technician for CMIT Solutions of Cincinnati, Northeast. Matt has been working in the MSP business for several years, starting at an MSP while still in college. Matt enjoys MSP work and the variety it provides and is onsite with customers most of his time. Matt is active on Reddit and Discord MSP channels and likes the help they provide through the community.

CMIT Solutions is a national MSP franchise and provides for group buying power and also standardized tools and software. Some franchise locations still use different software if it fits their business and customers better. The franchise model also helps with marketing at the local level which can be a big help for a small MSP. As part of the franchise, you can also get support from other locations as needed.

Sep 04, 201926:11
MSP Voice Episode 61 - “M&A” with Josh Strzalko

MSP Voice Episode 61 - “M&A” with Josh Strzalko

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-61/


Guest: Josh Strzalko

Companies: Spiderhost and Eleet Technologies

Josh started his business, Eleet Technologies, in 2004 after working for a dial-up internet service provider. Eleet started as an IT company but over the years evolved more into a development company focusing on websites and other services. Recently Josh acquired a local MSP hosting company, Spiderhost, and plans to bring the 2 companies together to offer MSP services as well as some of the development services offered by Eleet. Spiderhost focuses on hosting private clouds for their customers and since it’s hosting, their customers can save money since they don’t need a lot of equipment in their office.

Aug 28, 201925:07
MSP Voice Episode 60 - “The Right Tools for the Job” with Marvin Bee

MSP Voice Episode 60 - “The Right Tools for the Job” with Marvin Bee

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-60/


Guest: Marvin Bee https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvin-bee-5a775a5/

Company: MB Systems http://mbsystems.net/


My guest this week is Marvin Bee of MB Systems in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Marvin has been in business for himself for over 20 years. Marvin initially got started because he saw an opportunity at his previous employer that his employer didn’t want to pursue. While Marvin has been successful, his previous employer is no longer in business. Marvin wasn’t convinced that IT was for him but after some experience in college and not liking his marketing job, he decided to move into the computing industry. Marvin is a big believer in using the right tools for the job, especially good quality network testers. Marvin is also the host of a popular MSP podcast called Podnutz Pro https://podnutz.com/category/podnutz-pro/ which is part of the Podnutz tech podcasting network.

Aug 21, 201933:14
MSP Voice Episode 59 - “Purple Ocean” with Tony Tsao

MSP Voice Episode 59 - “Purple Ocean” with Tony Tsao

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-59/

Guest: Tony Tsao

Company: Purplo 

This week’s guest is Tony Tsao with Purplo out of Vancouver, BC. Tony starts off by explaining his company name (hint: red and blue make purple) and then we jump into the interview. Tony has a background in programming but he’s also a CPA and he uses technology to help customers with the business processes. Tony typically starts working with customers on “mini-projects” before transitioning them to the managed services model. This way he knows if the companies are a good fit for each other. Purplo is a big proponent of the desktop as a service (DaaS) and they utilize Azure and CloudJumper to help deliver it.

Aug 14, 201928:04
MSP Voice Episode 58 - “The French Connection” with Gilles Gozlan

MSP Voice Episode 58 - “The French Connection” with Gilles Gozlan

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-58/ 

Guest: Gilles Gozlan

Company: TeamReso 

Gilles is the president of Paris based TeamReso. In business for 10 years, TeamReso has also launched a few other companies including CloudReso (MSP, CloudBackup) and SysReso (customer development). With the EU adopting the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) backup has now become a very sought after service in France. Previously small businesses may not have seen value in backup with the new regulation they now know it’s required. GDPR covers just more than backup so it’s been driving a lot of MSP business over the past several years. Gilles did formally have a break/fix company but he sold that and formed TeamReso to focus on MSP and monthly contracts.

News of the Week

  1. Red flags to notice at an MSP?
    https://www.reddit.com/r/msp/comments/ck1xnl/red_flags_to_notice_at_a_msp/
    Brief: This poster is right out of school and has taken his first job at a small MSP. He’s wondering if there are red flags he needs to watch out for since this is his first job.
  2. How MSPs can profit for hiring under-qualified candidates
    https://www.channelfutures.com/best-practices/how-msps-can-profit-from-hiring-underqualified-candidates
    Brief: Is it better to hire someone without all the qualifications and then train them for the job?
Aug 07, 201932:57
MSP Voice Episode 57 - “Residential and Commercial” with Nate Sheen

MSP Voice Episode 57 - “Residential and Commercial” with Nate Sheen

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-57/ 

Guest: Nate Sheen

Company: DataCom Technologies

This week I am joined by Nate Sheen out of the greater Cleveland, OH area. Nate has owned his own MSP, DataCom Technologies, for over 4 years now and having great success by focusing both on residential and commercial customers. Nate has all his customers on a month-to-month contract, even his residential customers which is great. Nate had a few different jobs before starting his own MSP, including 6 years in sales (but not technology sales). Nate has used his experience gained in sales and put it into his business. Nate loves to help people and he really enjoys helping people understand technology.

Jul 31, 201927:05
MSP Voice Episode 56 - “MSP360 and Sales” with Brian Helwig

MSP Voice Episode 56 - “MSP360 and Sales” with Brian Helwig

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-56/ 

Guest: Brian Helwig

Company: MSP360

This week I’m happy to be joined by Brian Helwig, the CEO of MSP360 (formerly CloudBerry Lab). In case you haven’t heard, CloudBerry Lab is now MSP360. Brian and I previously worked together at Veeam where we had office next to each other. When I heard Brian was joining CloudBerry I was excited to work with him again.

In this episode we start off talking about Brain’s new role as CEO and about CloudBerry’s name change to MSP360 but then we get into a great discussion about hiring (and retaining) sales people. Brian’s experience is building teams, and especially sales teams, makes him the perfect guest to share his advice. To start with, Brian recommends a book, “Never Hire a Bad Salesperson Again” which allows you to identify the key traits to hire someone who’s going to be successful. Brian continues the conversation with some great advice for all of you looking to hire salespeople. 

Jul 24, 201934:38
MSP Voice Episode 55 - “Commit to CoMITS” with Bob Coppedge

MSP Voice Episode 55 - “Commit to CoMITS” with Bob Coppedge

 Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-55/ 


Guest: Bob Coppedge

Company: Simplex-IT

Bob Coppedge is back and he has a new book. You may remember Bob from episode 33, Monthly Recurring Relationships where we talked about his MSP, Simplex-IT, and he also mentioned that he was writing a book about Co-Managed IT. The book is now available and I highly recommend it if you’re looking to grow your business in an area you may have thought there was no opportunity in. Co-Managed IT Services (or CoMITS as Bob calls them) is essentially working with customers who already have an IT staff but helping them to be more efficient. Bob explains the different types of CoMITs and also gives guidance on marketing, selling and delivering CoMITS. Bob talks about all of this and more in this episode and he even gives us a hint about his next book.

Check out Bob’s book on Amazon - The MSP’S Survival Guide To Co-Managed IT Services: A Crotchety Old Geek’s Road Map on Marketing, Selling and Providing Managed Services to Organizations with Existing IT Staff (CoMITs)

Jul 17, 201936:22
MSP Voice Episode 54 - “What’s in a Brand?” with Dave Davenport

MSP Voice Episode 54 - “What’s in a Brand?” with Dave Davenport

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-54/ 


Guest: Dave Davenport

Company: MotherG

MotherG started out in 2006 as a pure play MSP serving the Chicago area (and now expanding to Milwaukee). Over time they’ve gone through several changes, including rebranding to what they’re known as now, MotherG. Dave shares the story of how they picked the name and what it means to them. With such a unique name Dave says that it helps people to remember who they are, much more than their previous name “TransTech Consulting Services”. Dave goes on to share what they’ve done over the years to expand and shares a number of great tips to be successful.

Jul 10, 201936:23
MSP Voice Episode 53 - “SECURITY” with John Kulas

MSP Voice Episode 53 - “SECURITY” with John Kulas

 Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-53/

 

Guest: John Kulas

Company: undisclosed


 This week is a special episode where I have a security expert, John Kulas, join me to talk about security. John has spent a lot of time on the security side working for different companies. While he doesn’t work for an MSP he does have some great tips for MSPs (and others) when it comes to security. John talks first about his experiences in visiting cloud data centers and then shares some great tips on firewall rules. We also discuss some best practices around audits and when they should be performed. We finish things up with a special rapid-fire round. 


Jun 26, 201935:23
MSP Voice Episode 52 - “Diversity in Hiring” with Dawn Sizer

MSP Voice Episode 52 - “Diversity in Hiring” with Dawn Sizer

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-52/


Guest: Dawn Sizer

Company: 3rd Element Consulting 


Dawn owns and runs 3rd Element Consulting in central Pennsylvania and she’s expecting some big growth this year. Some of the verticals they focus on are law enforcement and legal. Having spent time in the male dominated tech industry, Dawn decided that it was time for her to start her own company almost 14 years ago. 3rd Element started out as MSP (without really knowing it) and skipped the break/fix stage. Focusing on law enforcement does create some hurdles in hiring as her employees much pass extensive background checks. 

As I was researching for this interview I came across a few blog posts by Dawn about hiring neurodiverse employees. While originally meant to cover autism, she has expanded this to embrace all neurodiverse individuals. Dawn has written 2 articles on her site to explain the processes they use to support these individuals. Read part 1 Onboarding Neurodiverse Employees and part 2 Supporting Neurodiverse Employees. Dawn further expands on these ideas in this episode. 



Jun 19, 201927:49
MSP Voice Episode 51 - “If You Don’t Ask, You Don’t Get“ with Corey Kirkendoll

MSP Voice Episode 51 - “If You Don’t Ask, You Don’t Get“ with Corey Kirkendoll

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-51/


Guest: Corey Kirkendoll

Company: 5K Technical Services

Corey runs 5K Technical Services out of Plano, TX. 5K specializes in engineering/architecture firms but also does work with local non-profits. Having spent time working for some big tech companies, Corey decided it was time to branch out on his own and start up 5K. While Corey started his career on the technical side, he eventually chose to focus more on the management (non-technical) as his career progressed. 

This mix of technical and business management has helped him grow 5K and he also knew early on that he wanted to focus on managed services and businesses instead of break/fix and consumers. Corey works closely with his technology partners and frequently takes advantage of their joint marketing opportunities. His motto is “If you don’t ask, you don’t get” which is his way of telling you to ask your partners about possible funds and/or activities that you can join them on. Corey also has some great advice for those of you who may be just getting started in managed services.

Jun 11, 201930:39
MSP Voice Episode 50 - “Carve out your Space” with Hank Holbrook

MSP Voice Episode 50 - “Carve out your Space” with Hank Holbrook

 Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-50/


Guest: Hank Holbrook

Company: Bluesky Technology Solutions

Most MSPs on the show offer a range of IT services to small businesses in a particular geographic area, Bluesky Technology is a bit different, they offer one service nationwide. Hank tells me about how focusing on just the one service has helped Bluesky be successful. By partnering with software companies that serve small business, Hank has found some great opportunities to grow his business. By white labeling the backup software (from CloudBerry Lab) they offer their own branded solution. Bluesky has truly carved out its own space in the market.

Jun 05, 201924:23
MSP Voice Episode 49 - “Service is your Edge“ with Bob Wardlow

MSP Voice Episode 49 - “Service is your Edge“ with Bob Wardlow

 Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-49/


Guest: Bob Wardlow

Company: Cortland Computer Systems

Starting out in 1982 selling dedicated $12,000 word processors to law offices, Bob quickly saw the change in the landscape as personal computers became prevalent. Leaving sales and starting Corland in 1993, Bob did maintenance and break/fix for many years before transitioning to managed contracts. Bob has also carved out a specialty in programming Microsoft Access databases. Many small companies still rely on Access and Bob helps keep them running around the country. Bob states that from his early days selling word processors he would try and find out what the business needed and then write small programs to help them...he used this to help get more sales because it was something his competition was not doing. Bob truly believes that “service is your edge” when it comes to retaining customers and also having them give you referrals.

May 29, 201933:45
MSP Voice Episode 48 - 1 Year Anniversary - Talking YouTube with Tom

MSP Voice Episode 48 - 1 Year Anniversary - Talking YouTube with Tom

 Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-48/

Guest: Thomas Lawrence
Company: Lawrence Technology Services

This week I was thrilled to have Tom Lawrence back on the podcast. Tom was our first guest and also our most popular. As we announced earlier in the week, we calculated our top 10 episodes/guests for the first year and Tom came out on top! Besides the Bluetooth speaker that our top 10 received, we also sent Tom a special “trophy” for being #1.

In this episode, Tom and I talk about his success with his YouTube channel and how he’s using it to help him grow his business. Tom also shares some insights on influencer marketing, Belgian chocolates and some of the technology that he currently thinks is pretty cool! Be sure to follow Tom on Twitter as well, he shares some great stuff!
www.youtube.com/user/TheTecknowledge
twitter.com/TomLawrenceTech

Please, don’t forget to take our survey and give me some feedback. It should only take a few minutes and you’ll be entered to win one of 5 $100 Amazon gift cards.
mspvoice.com/msp-voice-survey/

It’s been a great first year and I’m looking forward to the next one!

May 22, 201934:43
MSP Voice Episode 47 - “Is Anybody a True MSP?” with Craig Pollack

MSP Voice Episode 47 - “Is Anybody a True MSP?” with Craig Pollack

 Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-47/


Guest: Craig Pollack

Company: FPA Technology Services, Inc

Craig runs an MSP in the Los Angeles area and has been in business for 28 years. When they started out, FPA did Accounting systems, custom programming, and infrastructure support, now they basically just do infrastructure support (MSP). While FPA now has 25 staff members, Craig still does a majority of the sales and marketing. FPA considers themselves as a high-end full-service boutique MSP with part of their credo being “Do more work for fewer clients (not a little bit of work for a lot of clients).” While successful now, Craig says he wishes he would have focused more on sales and marketing in early days. Listen to the full episode for more great advice from Craig. 

May 15, 201931:11
MSP Voice Episode 46 - “Preparing for Disaster“ with Arismonty Beato

MSP Voice Episode 46 - “Preparing for Disaster“ with Arismonty Beato

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-46/


Guest: Arismonty “Monty” Beato

Company: Eridani Data Services

Arismonty “Monty” is in the Dominican Republic and has built a business by just focusing on a few core services instead of trying to offer everything. With natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes, data protection and continuity services are their main offering. Eridani focuses on building trust with their clients and that is paying off in referrals.

May 08, 201921:56
MSP Voice Episode 45 - “It’s not 9 to 5” with Jorge Prieto

MSP Voice Episode 45 - “It’s not 9 to 5” with Jorge Prieto

 Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-45/


Guest: Jorge Prieto

Company: Blackland Technologies

This week we have Jorge Prieto out of Texas. Jorge has been in services for 14 years and joined forces with his friend about 3 years ago and business has been great. Like most, Jorge started out with break-fix but now almost all of his clients are on a monthly contract. Jorge decided to start his own MSP after getting frustrated and what he had to deal with as a contractor at other companies. Now if he has a difficult customer he can just fire them instead of having to just deal with it for the sake of the contract. Blackland’s main verticals are health care, title companies, and professions services companies. Towards the end, Jorge explains that running your own business isn’t 9 to 5, it’s a bigger commitment. He also explains that MSP does not mean “break-fix on retainer”.

Apr 30, 201937:06
MSP Voice Episode 44 - “Securing Albuquerque” with Joshua Liberman

MSP Voice Episode 44 - “Securing Albuquerque” with Joshua Liberman

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-44/

 

Guest: Joshua Liberman

Company: Net Sciences Inc.

Heading out to California to work in the oil and gas industry, Joshua found himself jobless after an explosion in the refinery he was supposed to be working at. While doing odd jobs and temp work, he stumbled onto an opportunity setting up a PC for the temp agency. Working inside appealed to Joshua so he spent the rest of the summer doing PC setups. After finding out he liked technology, Joshua spent time technical writing and setting up some of the earliest networks. Starting Net Sciences in 1995, Joshua has been in business ever since. Net Sciences has a focus on security and their customers have unbelievable uptimes. Two products that Joshua mentions are Nodeware and Vijilan, feel free to check them out!

NOTE: Joshua’s audio is a little low in some parts (especially the beginning). I’ve tried to even it out but it’s not perfect.


Apr 24, 201941:16
MSP Voice Episode 43 “Plan your Business” with George Monroy

MSP Voice Episode 43 “Plan your Business” with George Monroy

 Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-43/

 

Guest: George Monroy

Company: Monroy IT Services

George Monroy is based out of San Antonio, TX. His route to becoming a MSP started out as being a temp at a company. When that company let go all of their temps, he was actually “hired” back as a consultant. Starting out as part-time, the opportunity eventually grew to his only client until the company was purchased. He then moved to San Antonio and started up his own IT services business. George stresses that for anyone starting out, make sure you have a business plan. While he didn’t start with one he now sees the importance of a proper business plan, especially when you’re starting out! George is also a member of The 20 and recommends them as well as any peer group to help you grow your business. 

Apr 17, 201929:38
MSP Voice Episode 42 - “It’s All About Relationships” with Michael Baker

MSP Voice Episode 42 - “It’s All About Relationships” with Michael Baker

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-42/


Guest: Michael Baker

Company: Atiba


I met Michael at the Robin Robins Sales and Marketing Bootcamp last month in Nashville and he agreed to be my guest on this week’s podcast. Michael is the National Director of Business Development for Atiba which basically means he has a number of responsibilities, including sales and social media. We discuss how Michael approaches social media for Atiba and also about the importance of actual relationships in this world of social media and online services. Michael gives some great advice at the end about the importance of those relationships.

Apr 03, 201927:27
MSP Voice Episode 41 - "It's Not Always About Profit" with Scott Bell

MSP Voice Episode 41 - "It's Not Always About Profit" with Scott Bell

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-41/ 


Guest: Scott Bell 

Company: St. Benedict Technology Consortium


Scott was working in a school and faced a challenge when the school received 400 laptops...how could he get them all set up? He came up with the idea to pool resources from other schools and the idea behind SBTC was born. Unlike many MSPs, Scott runs SBTC as a non-profit. That means that he only supports other non-profits (mostly schools) and also gives him a bit of freedom because he’s not our chasing new customers for profit. Scott has grown his team to over 40 employees in the past 10 years and services 2 of the counties that make up the greater Chicago area (Lake and Cook Counties). Scott talks about why he decided to go this route and also about how it’s rewarding for him and his employees to have an impact on their community.

Mar 26, 201945:52
MSP Voice Episode 40 "Everyone Starts Somewhere" with Tim Taylor

MSP Voice Episode 40 "Everyone Starts Somewhere" with Tim Taylor

 Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-40/

 

Guest: Tim Taylor

Company: Taylorworks

Tim Taylor started in the IT services business 20 years ago working out of the trunk of his car. After a successful IT career he decided that he wanted to go it alone and since that time he’s built an MSP that employs 14 people. Along the way he realized that there weren’t any good books for starting an IT business, so he wrote one. “How to Run a Successful IT Company Without Losing Your Shirt” is available on Amazon so check it out if you like what you hear from Tim. In this episode, Tim shares a number of great stories about how he built his business and the importance of treating your customers right. We also discuss how the MSP business is very much a family business and that small businesses want to work with other small businesses. Tim also consults for other MSPs looking to grow their business through his Tim Taylor Consulting Group

Mar 20, 201937:11
MSP Voice Episode 39 - “Security First” with Anton Kioroglo

MSP Voice Episode 39 - “Security First” with Anton Kioroglo

 Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-39/

 

Guest: Anton Kioroglo

Company: Security First IT

Last week at the Sales and Marketing Bootcamp put on by Robin Robins I met J. David Sims in person. You may remember him from the HIPAA for MSPs webinar he did for us back in January. David introduced me to his MSP business partner, Anton Kioroglo, who agreed to be on this week’s episode. Anton and David formed Security First IT by actually combining their own 2 MSP businesses, essentially a merger. Security First IT is an MSSP mostly focusing on security (Anton) and compliance (David). Anton gives us some good advice on security and how to get started in the MSP/MSSP business. 


Mar 12, 201937:16
MSP Voice Episode 38 - “Up North” with Ross Whitmore

MSP Voice Episode 38 - “Up North” with Ross Whitmore

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-38/


Guest: Ross Whitmore

Company: Northern Technology Services

Ross Whitmore is running his MSP up in a resort town in Michigan. While the area is small, he’s still managed to carve out a nice niche for himself in providing MSP services for local businesses including hospitality and retail. Ross has love technology his entire life and decided a few years ago to give it a try on his own. Ross has a great spirit and a real focus on his customers which he feels is lacking in some of the bigger MSP shops. Through some partnerships with other providers, he’s been able to grow his business and keep his customers happy.

Mar 05, 201933:39
MSP Voice Episode 37 - "Succeeding In Anonymity" with John Gambill

MSP Voice Episode 37 - "Succeeding In Anonymity" with John Gambill

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/

Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-37/

 

Guest: John Gambill

Company: GO Concepts Inc.

John is located in Southwest Ohio and started GO Concepts in 1997 and has gone through a few transitions in that time. Starting with a public/private partnership with Time Warner they helped build out and provide internet services for businesses and homes. After working with an agency on their image and being told “you’re succeeding in anonymity” they decided to change focus. Today GO Concepts focuses almost entirely on serving the County Boards for Developmentally Disabled (DD) agencies and companies that provide services to those boards. They focus on Ohio and with 88 counties, Ohio has plenty of opportunity in this space. They even have a dedicated site for what they do: https://www.itfordd.com/. John is passionate about what they do and it really comes across in this fun interview.

Feb 27, 201942:13
MSP Voice Episode 36 - "Texas 2 Step" With Reese Ormand

MSP Voice Episode 36 - "Texas 2 Step" With Reese Ormand

 Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-36/

Guest: Reese Ormand
Company: Techvera

Based just outside of the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, Techvera was actually started by Reese’s dad as a break/fix consumer repair shop. Getting involved in the business in his teens, Reese went off to college and came back to take over the business and transition to MSP instead of break/fix. They now offer a standard stack to their customers. Reese offers some great tips and insights into their transition from break/fix to MSP.

Feb 19, 201941:16
MSP Voice Episode 35 - “ITBOG” with Scott Sanders

MSP Voice Episode 35 - “ITBOG” with Scott Sanders

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/ 

Show-notes: https://mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-35/ 


Guest: Scott Sanders

Company: Affordable Technology Solutions, LLC

Community: IT Business Owners Group

Scott runs an MSP and break-fix company in Columbia, SC. He started out as residential break/fix and that lead to gaining some commercial clients and MSP. While he’s loyal to those who have been loyal to him he’s not accepting any new residential customers. You may also know Scott from the group he managed, IT Business Owners Group or ITBOG. ITBOG started out on LinkedIn and has now mostly moved to the popular Facebook group by the same name. 

Feb 13, 201936:04
MSP Voice Episode 34 - "MSP Franchise" with Rick Porter

MSP Voice Episode 34 - "MSP Franchise" with Rick Porter

 Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/ 

Show-notes: https://mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-34/ 


Guest: Rick Porter

Company: Cinch I.T.

Rick has been an entrepreneur all his life, starting a DJ business when he was just 16. He found motivation in the US military and then worked for a technology company for a few years before founding Cinch I.T. in 2004. Cinch started off as break/fix but transitioned to MSP soon after. Cinch has been growing ever since and has won numerous awards. Rick is now taking that success and looking to grow by offering franchise opportunities across the country. 

Feb 05, 201949:43
MSP Voice Episode 33 - "Monthly Recurring Relationships" With Bob Coppedge

MSP Voice Episode 33 - "Monthly Recurring Relationships" With Bob Coppedge

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/ 

Show-notes: https://mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-33/ 


Guest: Bob Coppedge

Company: Simplex-IT

My interview with Bob Coppedge of Simplex-IT went a little longer than normal, mostly because we were having a great conversation and Bob is a great guy to interview. While Bob is focusing on the business and not “in the business” he has built a successful MSP that has been around for about 11 years. Simplex skipped the break-fix phase and jumped directly into MSP work from the start. Now with over 13 employees, Simplex is still growing. Bob has written a book, “A CEO’s Survival Guide to Information Technology”, and is working on another one due out later this year that is written specifically for MSPs. Bob’s second book with detail how Simplex has had a lot of success in co-managed IT, basically helping to augment an existing IT staff with MSP services. If you want to connect with Bob, hit him up on LinkedIn or drop him an email at bob@simplex-it.com. 

Jan 29, 201946:28
MSP Voice Episode 32 - "An Apple a Day" with Jeff Sagraves

MSP Voice Episode 32 - "An Apple a Day" with Jeff Sagraves

  Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/ 

Show-notes: https://mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-32/ 


Guest: Jeff Sagraves

Company: BlueLine


Jeff is the president of Blueline and based in Charlotte, NC. They consider themselves a technology solutions provider which includes managed services but also a broader set of services. One of their differentiators from other MSPs is that about half of their organization is focused on Apple support, including hiring former Apple Geniuses. Part of their job is to make Macs work in a Windows environment which isn’t always easy. Blueline does focus a lot on both public and charter schools where Apple products are more prevalent. Jeff didn’t have a technical background but came into services after working for some of the big consulting companies. Jeff focuses on working on the business instead of working in the business and has set up a lot of repeatable methodologies that work well for Blueline and their 20% year over year growth.

Jan 23, 201940:43
MSP Voice Episode 31 - "From Copiers to MSP" with Matthew Opyd

MSP Voice Episode 31 - "From Copiers to MSP" with Matthew Opyd

 Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/ 

Show-notes: https://mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-31/ 

 

Guest: Matthew Opyd

Company: Proven IT 


 Matthew Opyd got started in break/fix on his own when he was 16 years old and then went to work for an MSP when he was 19. Now several years later, he’s the service manager overseeing over 30 techs and the project team. Proven started out in 2002 selling copiers as Proven Business Systems and moved into offering MSP services about 3 years ago. Proven IT is based in the Chicago area with several offices. They still offer copier and business services as well as MSP. They server multiple verticals rather than specializing in just one. 


Jan 15, 201937:21
MSP Voice Episode 30 - "I Saw The Sign" with Omer Choudhary

MSP Voice Episode 30 - "I Saw The Sign" with Omer Choudhary

 

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: https://mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-30/

Guest: Omer Choudhary
Company: IQ Interactive

IQ Interactive provides solutions for digital signage and point-of-sale. Rather than managing a customer’s IT infrastructure, they manage digital signs (equipment) and they also have a content management system that they’ve developed. Omer started off in IT pretty young and worked for a few companies before starting IQ Interactive. They also partner with other “traditional” MSPs who provide the IT stack while IQ Interactive handles the digital signage.

Jan 09, 201934:02
MSP Voice Episode 29 - "Prescription For Success" With Bart Rogacewicz

MSP Voice Episode 29 - "Prescription For Success" With Bart Rogacewicz

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-29/

Guest: Bart Rogacewicz
Company: BestRX

BestRX is an MSP/Software company who supports independent pharmacies across the US. Typically when we think of a pharmacy we think of the big ones like CVS and Walmart but there’s actually a number of independent pharmacies all over the US. These independent pharmacies need IT and software just like any other small business and BestRX has software and support to help them meet their needs
Dec 18, 201836:29
MSP Voice Episode 28 - "MSP Pioneer" with Tim Shea

MSP Voice Episode 28 - "MSP Pioneer" with Tim Shea

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-28/

Tim has been a MSP Pioneer since the 90’s. After leaving a value added reseller in 1991 Tim started his own company because he saw the future in network services. In 1996 Tim and his partner realized that they need to provide their services for a fixed fee...hence pioneering the manager services model. They even had to write their first RMM tool themselves. Tim sold that company and founded Alpha NetSolutions in 2002 and has been going strong ever since. Now they focus on small businesses in New England, mostly manufacturing, custom home builders and dentists.
Dec 11, 201838:37
MSP Voice Episode 27 - "Learn More With MSP" with John Watkins

MSP Voice Episode 27 - "Learn More With MSP" with John Watkins

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-27/
John Watkins, who is an engineer by heart, started right out of high school in IT and later teamed up with a local break-fix shop that had multiple locations in the Tampa Bay area. After about 3 years they transition to full MSP and have been growing steadily ever since. As John says , “You’ll never learn more than working for an MSP”.
Dec 04, 201830:06
MSP Voice Episode 26 - "Hospitality as a Vertical" with Krunal Patel

MSP Voice Episode 26 - "Hospitality as a Vertical" with Krunal Patel

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-26/
Krunal is in the UK and he and his company support the hospitality industry (hotels, coffee shops, etc).
They’ve been in business since 2009 after Krunal saw some opportunities to consolidate IT services for hotels and retail outlets and provide a one stop shop. Since many hotels are owned by a franchisee Krunal and his team have carved out a great niche for their company. They’re usually involved from design through build and outfitting.
Nov 28, 201832:10
MSP Voice Episode 25 - "Technology Success" with Doug Miller

MSP Voice Episode 25 - "Technology Success" with Doug Miller

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-25/

Doug is the found and CEO of Brightworks Group. Brightworks has been in business for 7 years and they consider themselves at technology success providers. While similar to a MSP, Brightworks Group works with a unique set of customers focused in the high end financial and private equity services. With offices in Chicago and Indianapolis they have a largely mobile workforce to serve their clients (some of which have offices overseas).
Nov 20, 201844:04
MSP Voice Episode 24 - Dental Hygiene With Daniel De Steno

MSP Voice Episode 24 - Dental Hygiene With Daniel De Steno

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-24/

Guest: Daniel De Steno
Company: Nova Computer Solutions

Daniel started his MSP practice in 2000 after his employer wanted him to move to Korea for 2 years without his family. Since his wife worked at a dental practice he started looking into it and made the decision that he’d give it a try. 18 years later and his business is going strong. He’s even created a dental office design center where dentists can get an idea of what technology solutions they want for their practice.
Nov 13, 201837:23
MSP Voice Episode 23 - "Association Nation" with Michael Drobnis

MSP Voice Episode 23 - "Association Nation" with Michael Drobnis

Podcast main page: www.mspvoice.com/
Show-notes: www.mspvoice.com/msp-voice-episode-23/

Guest: Michael Drobnis
Company: OptfinITy

This week’s guest is Michael Drobnis from OptfinITy. Michael has been in business for 17 years. He started with basic break/fix doing a lot of the technical work but then moved to managed services where Michael took a more active role in managing the business. OptfinITy now has 14 employees and they focus a lot on associations. They also encourage their employees to be a member of a chamber of commerce.
Nov 06, 201826:43