Today, we welcome Joel Abramson, managing partner at TopDown.
In this episode, we will explore the ever-relevant topic of maximizing productivity in an increasingly remote and digital work environment. Joel shares his insights on the challenges that businesses face, such as the distractions of technology and the need for better tools to monitor productivity. Together, we delve into Produce 8, an innovative response to the plateaued productivity issues.
We'll also discuss how the pandemic has brought new concerns over employee productivity to the forefront for many CEOs. Joel illuminates the fine line between automation benefits and the additional burdens it can place on technicians.
Join us as we examine strategies to avoid burnout and boredom by focusing on meaningful work, setting intentional goals, and unlocking efficiencies with better workflow and tool optimization. We'll tackle the tricky balance of keeping an eye on the bottom line while improving the work experience to boost engagement and productivity.
We're here to equip you with the tools and thought processes needed to not just survive but thrive in the modern business landscape. So let's evolve your approach to managing time and engagement with Joel Abramson on the Evolved Radio Podcast.
This episode is brought to you by Evolved Management Training Courses.
Online courses specifically crafted for MSP needs. A Service Manager BootCamp course, a project manager for MSPs course, an MSP security fundamentals course, and an IT Documentation Done RIght course.
In this episode, I’m joined by my long-time friend and marketing expert, Matt Rouse, co-founder of Hook SEO and author of “Will AI take my job?” Together, we delve into the world of small and medium-sized business (SMB) marketing and explore the fascinating role that artificial intelligence plays in this domain. From their personal experiences in the industry to the essential strategies and tactics that maximize digital advertising ROI, we cover it all. We also reveal their insights on leveraging AI tools to enhance SEO, advertising, and content creation. So, get ready to dive deep into the world of SMB marketing and AI as we uncover valuable tips and strategies for businesses of all sizes. Let's jump right in!
This episode is brought to you by Evolved Management Training Courses.
Online courses specifically crafted for MSP needs. A Service Manager BootCamp course, a project manager for MSPs course, an MSP security fundamentals course, and an IT Documentation Done RIght course.
Welcome back to another episode of Evolved Radio Podcast! In today's episode, Todd is joined by Jake Gregorich, VP of Growth for Lyra Technology Group, to discuss some fascinating topics related to the challenges and strategies involved in exiting a business. Together, they dive into the concept of the "Death Valley" in the 1 to 5 Million range, where businesses face difficulties due to lack of buyer interest, low selling prices, and stalled organic growth. But fear not, because our experts are here to guide you with tactical and strategic approaches to overcome this hurdle.
They explore the importance of implementing cybersecurity measures and running opt-out campaigns to ensure clients adopt best practices, ultimately leading to impressive year-over-year growth of 8 to 10%. Additionally, our speakers share their insight on being more prescriptive about the technology stack, challenging the idea of assuming client preferences and instead advocating for what they believe is best.
Furthermore, they delve into the fascinating world of successful managed service providers (MSPs) and the key factors that contributed to their achievements. By appointing a second in command and giving them equity, these MSPs experienced significant growth and even achieved valuations 10 times higher than the initial value. Our experts provide valuable insights on finding the right person to drive growth in your business and the benefits of promoting them, including potentially granting them a stake in your business.
But that's not all! Todd and Jake also shed light on the division between the external-facing aspects of a business and its internal operations. Through various examples, they illustrate the potential pitfalls of centralization and the importance of preserving culture and customer relationships during integration into larger businesses.
In terms of marketing and sales strategies, our speakers stress the value of being present in the same places as your ideal customers. Whether it's through multichannel marketing, retargeting warm leads, or even speaking at events, it's all about gaining authority and credibility in the eyes of your target audience.
So, for an episode packed with actionable advice and insights on business exit strategies, growth, marketing, and more, tune in to this exciting episode of Evolved Radio Podcast!
This episode is brought to you by Evolved Management Training Courses.
Online courses specifically crafted for MSP needs. A Service Manager BootCamp course, a project manager for MSPs course, an MSP security fundamentals course, and an IT Documentation Done RIght course.
Today on the Evolved Radio Podcast, I’m chatting with Shane Mishler from SD Tech. Shane and I discuss the power of partnership. The lessons he’s learned in running an IT business with his business partner. We chat about the pros and cons of having a business partner.
I explore how Shane and his partner share the responsibilities of the business and ensure effective communication between them. We also dig into how partnerships should be considered with clients and vendors.
This is a great conversation for anyone who owns a business with someone or is considering taking on a partner.
This episode is brought to you by Evolved Training. Training courses built for MSPs.
Today on the Evolved Radio podcast, I'm chatting with Ben Worthen, CEO of Message Lab, an award-winning agency that combines journalism, data, and design to create content that resonates with any audience. Having studied how more than 1 million people engage with online content, Ben is the go-to expert when it comes to customer engagement and brand storytelling.
This episode is packed with practical takeaways that will help you improve your marketing by engaging with people in the correct way and at the correct point in their journey. I especially liked Ben's concept of the idea store.
Today on the podcast I'm joined by Bad Ass IT guy, Ben Brennan, Founder of QSTAC. Now I call him badass cause he did write a book called "Badass IT support." That idea of delivering top-shelf badass support forms the basis of what we talk about in our discussion on the podcast today.
We talk about Ben's experience rising up in the ranks of IT and what it taught him about IT that led him to develop his customer satisfaction software QSTAC. Ben is also a trained therapist, so his perspective on the psychology of work is an area we really connected on. We also talk a bit about Ben's journey as an entrepreneur starting a software company. There's lots to get in to here, so I hope you enjoy my conversation with Ben.
Joining me today on the Evolved Radio Podcast is Stephen Pasiciel with Kerkhoff Technologies. Head of coaching, culture, and talent development.
Stephen and I discuss emotional intelligence or EQ. Emotional intelligence is often a stronger indicator of people's future success. However, it's an amorphic subject that isn't well understood by most. We talk about coaching, and how you can check in with people beyond the "hey how ya' doin'?"
We talk mental health and what leaders should be looking for in their staff as red flags. We also help define EQ and emotional intelligence to better understand these terms in a business context.
Please enjoy this important conversation with Stephen.
My first guest to kick off this series is Brad Ruben, President of Archway Computers.
Brad's business isn't a typical MSP. Brad's early experiences in the IT industry shaped some of his decisions about how he runs things. His approach is intentional and has served him really well in growing the company. Brad's primary role in the business is sales, so we also chat about how he thinks about sales and growth. Please enjoy this insightful conversation with Brad.
Today on the podcast I'm joined by Eric Rieger with WebIT. Eric has been running his MSP for 25 years and has learned many lessons through his growth.
One that has had a profound impact on his business is using a system called open-book management. This is the practice of being highly transparent with your finances. Sharing as much financial information as possible with your staff and using it to instill a sense of ownership and awareness of the company finances.
We also talk about his experience in developing an employee stock ownership program or ESOP.
Eric's insights here are super valuable and align very closely with what I've observed in leveraging open-book management practices. So please enjoy this enlightening conversation with Eric Rieger.
Today on the podcast I'm joined by Matt Lee, CISSP, Director of technology and security with Iconic IT.
Matt and I chat about his experience and lessons learned in growing an MSP from a handful of staff to a multi-million dollar business. We talk about staffing, team structure, client management, and tech stack. There are a ton of insights that you may find familiar in your growth story. There are also come great takeaways that could help you in your business.
Matt is a great guy, very open and honest and this was a fun discussion that I'm sure you'll enjoy.
Today on the podcast I'm chatting with Rick McCutcheon. Rick is a Microsoft Dynamics 365 MVP.
Rick has a strong history in the CRM and Dynamics world. Now Rick helps businesses and vendors develop their Dynamics businesses.
In the podcast Rick and build on the previous episode, growing your cloud business. We chat about the opportunity that's available in building a dynamics practice, how to do it, and the huge impact it could have on your business.
Today on the podcast I'm speaking with Stephen King (@sKingGForce)with Growth Force.
Stephen is the CEO of GrowthForce one of the largest providers of outsourced bookkeeping and controller services in the US.
With three decades of experience in supporting businesses with their finances, Stephen has seen it all. The topic of today's conversation is an important one, Fraud! Stephen and I discuss how businesses are impacted by fraud and how to build better systems and processes in your business to ensure you're not one of the thousands of businesses every year that have money stolen from their business.
This discussion spans cybersecurity, process management, human psychology, and trust.
Please enjoy this useful discussion on how to protect your business from financial fraud.
Today on the podcast I'm joined by Stephen King, President, and CEO of GrowthForce.
GrowthForce is one of the largest outsourced accounting services in the US. His experience as a top executive in a Fortune 500 company is now put to work helping his team provide accounting system design and data-based management.
In our discussion today we talk about the tough times that likely lay ahead for the economy in 2021. Why and HOW businesses should be preparing for a rough economic future. We also chat about the human element and how to balance the needs of your company with the desire to be a compassionate leader.
Regardless of where you're at in your company journey, you should always know your numbers. This episode is a great resource to reflect on what you need to know and how you should be preparing for the future in order to protect your company's future.
Today on the podcast I'm speaking with Josh Weiss with LA Creative Technologies.
Josh experienced very difficult personal events in the past year. The standard pressure of running an MSP was compounded by his girlfriend being diagnosed with cancer and his father entering palliative care. Then to top if off the coronavirus pandemic forced everyone into lockdown.
It would have been understandable that Josh would have been overwhelmed by the pressure.
Instead, adversity has created an opportunity to reflect on his values and his habits.
Josh and I talk about what these challenges have taught him about how he lives his life and how he manages his business.
To be honest, I have avoided talking about the pandemic in the podcast, but I also see now how this event will have long-lasting impacts on our businesses and our society.
I hope you enjoy this discussion with Josh Weiss on adversity and values.
Resources:
Psychological Safety blog post I mention.
Profit First - The Book that Josh mentions.
Today on the podcast I'm chatting with Linda Rose. Linda is an author, speaker, and advisor. Linda's background building, running and selling not one, but several technology companies. In the episode today we explore some of the lessons she's condensed from her experience into a book entitled, "Get acquired for millions."
Linda and I discuss topics like valuing your company and what goes into that. Should you still be considering selling in a depressed market, how should you be preparing your company for a sale, and you may be surprised by how long that process takes.
Linda also has some valuable resources to share on the show notes. So check those out as well.
https://www.evolvedmgmt.com/podcast
Today on the podcast I'm joined by Nate Freedman from Tech Pro Marketing.
We talk about some of the common mistakes IT companies make when building their marketing engine. We also discuss some of the effective tactics in marketing to your clients. We focus heavily on using LinkedIn as a vehicle for generating leads. We also touch on using your website and paid click campaigns. There are tons of useful ideas and strategies in this episode, so listen up and maybe make a few notes.
On the podcast today, I'm speaking with Rachel Gertz about project management. Rachel is a return guest to the podcast. We've previously talked about the role of the project manager in episode 9. She also joined me in episode 19 to talk about some futuristic topics like AI and medicine.
Today, we dive deeper into project management, especially people that find themselves as accidental project managers. We share some tips about dealing with people, how to run project meetings, and the huge career opportunities in project management.
Art Markman (@abmarkman) is a leading cognitive scientist. Art is a professor of psychology and marketing at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also the author of several books and hundreds of scholarly articles.
Today we discuss his new book "Bring Your Brain to Work. Using Cognitive Science to Get a Job, Do It Well, and Advance Your Career."
Art also has a podcast called "Two Guys on Your Head."
Mark is a Professor of Service Excellence at the University of Victoria, Gustavson School of Business. Author of "The science of service, the proven formula to drive customer loyalty and stand out from the crowd." Available on Amazon. Mark has done work with the govt. Of British Columbia, Telus, Whistler Blackcomb and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
Today on the podcast, my guest is Nigel Moore, Founder of The Tech Tribe.
Nigel built and sold a successful MSP in Sydney. He now is leading a tribe of MSP owners looking to grow their MSP practice.
Nigel and I talk about the evolution of the IT service company to an MSP.
The mistakes people make and what makes it difficult. We also explore the idea of if you should do TnM & MSP or just go pure MSP.
Nigel is a fantastic guy and is truly passionate about the industry.
Managed Services in a Month - by Karl Palachuk
The Tech Tribe discount link here. Use this link and get 40% off your first month and the tech tribe will donate mosquito nets to communities in Africa!
Richard Tubb is one of the best-known experts in the global IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) community. His track record speaks for itself, as he launched and sold his own MSP business before creating a leading MSP media and consultancy practice. Richard is also the author of the IT Business Owner's Survival Guide and the author of the Tubblog.
We discuss why you may need a business coach, what business owners tend to struggle with most, and how technology is evolving MSP businesses as well as their client's businesses.
Several books are mentioned in the podcast in addition to Richard's book.
Tim Kane is co-founder and CEO of myHSA. myHSA is a technology company that facilitates Insurance brokers with the ability to offer in-house health spending accounts. In my interview with Tim, we explore his evolution from brick and mortar business owner to digital entrepreneur. His journey has been filled with hard lessons about building a software business as a non-technical founder. His passion, determination, and strong focus on customer service have served him well. Tim and his co-founder Steve have grown the company from two people and a database to 8+ staff and a fast growing client base.
Today's podcast I'm joined by Raj Goel, CISSP. Raj is the founder of Brainlink and the creator of SOP Culture. Raj and I explore the benefits and the challenges of creating a SOP driven culture in your business. SOP Culture was formed out of years of Raj standardizing his teams work at Brainlink to ensure a consistency of service that gives him an unusual competitive edge in the market.
Rob Malec is an author, consultant, active keynote speaker to the business community and business columnist. He is the President of Businessworks Consulting Inc. Based in Vancouver British Columbia he has been helping his clients increase the revenue their company’s generate while operating more effectively as an organization since 2001.