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.

Today I'm joined by Peter Melby CEO of Greystone Technologies.

Peter tells a fantastic story about how he grew his company from 800 bucks to cover rent and beer to a 10 Million dollar MSP powerhouse. Peter also shares his view on company culture and how that influenced his decisions in recent acquisition activity.

Please enjoy the fantastic shared in my conversation with Peter.

Joining me on the podcast today is Keith Daser, Director of Data & Security with WBM Technologies.

Keith came to the technology field from sales and we chat about building a funnel, why selling IT service contracts is harder than selling products, and how to manage a skeptical prospect.

It's a great episode with a few tips that could help you grow your business. Please enjoy my conversation with Keith.

Joining me today is the MSP Channel champion, Ernest Murry of Genuine Technology.

Ernest is a well-recognized member of the MSP community. His focus on SOPs and strong technical standards is often used as a reference point for others.

We also talk quite a bit about his view of security in our industry and Ernest provides a host of insights from his experience growing his Managed service business.

Please enjoy our conversation.

Joining me today on the MSP insights series is Ron Harris, VP of Sales and Partner at Omega Computers.

Ron and I talk about how they developed their pricing strategy. Omega also has a very low client churn rate and we explore that as well. Ron tells us why they decided to roll their own MSP tools, the strength of their brand presence, and why the up-market clients are where you should be.

It's a great conversation with Ron as he shares his experience in growing a successful MSP. Please enjoy.

Joining me today on the MSP insights series is Paul Vedder with VXIT.

Paul talks about the division of responsibilities running his MSP with a partner. How to handle the conflict created by winning a new client away from a competitor. We also chat about one of VXIT's superpowers, which is brand sophistication. Paul is also one of the co-founders of the MSP community IT Pool Party, so we chat a bit about community building.

It was great to connect with Paul for a very friendly and open conversation, like catching up over a beer. So please enjoy the discussion and lessons learned.

Today on the podcast we're continuing our series of interviews with MSP owners and operators. Joining me today is Aaron Zimmerman founder of TotalCareIT.

Aaron shares his experience growing his IT business from side hustle to a full-time gig. Aaron shares what he's learned operating in a more rural market. Aaron also recounts a difficult period where he lost a significant portion of his revenue, but ultimately was better off.

Lots of great stories and experiences were shared in the episode, please enjoy my discussion with Aaron.

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 Paul Green, MSP marketing expert. Paul and I talk about why IT companies really struggle with marketing, despite knowing it's important.

Paul details where to start from scratch on your marketing strategy and how to focus down on qualified leads.

We also chat about the tremendous opportunity to market to your existing client base.

Finally, we talk about how many MSP websites are downright embarrassing and why you should ensure your website represents you in the market.

Paul is knowledgeable and super passionate about MSP marketing, so grab a notepad and get ready to soak up some learnings here.

Today on the podcast I'm joined again by Eric Rieger of Webit.

Eric and I are chatting about the important topic of Mental health. It's a heavy topic, but one that doesn't get enough of the spotlight. The IT industry can be an extremely challenging field. Lots of demands, risks, and an extreme pace of change. Now after almost 2 years of a pandemic, the cracks are starting to show in even the most stoic of us all.

In the conversation today, Eric shares his challenges with mental health. We also chat about some management practices that can help.

So if you're struggling with a mental health challenge or even if you're not there's great info for everyone in this episode of the podcast. Please relax for an hour zone out and enjoy the episode.

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 Evolved Radio I'm chatting with Jay McBain, Principal Analyst at Forrester Research.

Jay is a well-recognized and trusted voice in the IT Channel. He lives and breathes this stuff. He's super passionate about the industry trends and our industry future.

I get Jay's insights on the evolution of the distributors, the role of community in the channel, and his perspective on potential regulation of the IT industry.

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 Evolved Radio I joined again by Piers Steel. Piers is a Professor at the University of Calgary. He has an interesting field of study, procrastination.

I had Piers on the podcast a couple of years back in episode 41. We explored the psychological roots of procrastination.

Today Piers and I hit on something that I'm sure you have felt in the past year, Quarantine Procrastination. We also chat about some systems to help you and of course, end up talking about productivity since we're both a bit obsessed with the topic.

Enjoy the discussion and I hope you find it interesting and helpful.

Today on Evolved Radio I'm chatting with Vadim Vladimirksiy, CEO of Nerdio.

Vadim and I discuss our shared experience in the early days of remote-delivered desktop computing. Vadim was an early visionary of what the technology could eventually become. He built an MSP and set to work in building a solid cloud desktop solution for his clients. His success with the platform led him to spin out Nerdio from his MSP and have built one of the channel's leading solutions for serving and managing Windows Virtual Desktops (WVD).

We talk about some of the early issues with the technology and how things have matured. As the company name implies this episode gets pretty nerdy, so get ready to go deep to better understand the power of Windows Virtual Desktops past and present.

Today on the podcast I'm chatting with John Hammond, a Security researcher with Huntress Labs. John and I discuss the recent Microsoft Exchange attack sweeping the globe, the evolution of the AV platform, and some really cool security training platforms that John reviews on his Youtube channel. It's a scary world out there on the internet and we're here to arm you with some resources to stay safe.

Today on the podcast I'm joined by Megan Gilhooly, VP of Customer Experience at Zoomin. Megan has made it her mission to change how organizations think about product content

Megan has a really interesting perspective on how information creates a user experience. This spans from technical documentation to user prompts in software. It's an area of the technology industry that isn't as flashy as others, but the conversation with Megan really opened my eyes to the importance of being intentional about how you present information to anyone. Users of a product, technical staff reading documentation. These are all areas that would benefit from an intentional approach.

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 Douglas Fiore with Tech Data.

Doug is a former Microsoft Dynamics business owner who now works as a partner enablement manager for Tech Data. Doug and I discuss some of the opportunities available to Microsoft cloud partners. Dynamics is a growing practice area for many MS partners and if you haven't considered how it could help your business, this podcast will help to highlight the opportunity available.

Today on the podcast I'm joined by Steve Petryschuk, Technology Advocate with Auvik Networks.

Steve is here to chat about the findings of Auvik's network field report. Auvik surveyed hundreds of IT Pros to get their perspective on their knowledge and practices around network management. The report is an interesting mix of insights. I've included a link to the full report in the show notes, so be sure to check that out. For now, enjoy my conversation with Steve as we discuss some of the insights from the report as well as some general discussion about network management.

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 chatting with Gabriel Gumbs (@gabrielgumbs), CIO of Spirion. Gabe had an early passion for technology and focused on the security field. Gabe has deep experience as a security practitioner. In the interview, we discuss where people tend to go wrong when implementing a security framework. We discuss some of the industry frameworks and how they can be leveraged for your own needs. We also touch on finding the balance between security policies and user friction. I hope you enjoy this thought-provoking discussion with an innovative leader in the security and privacy space.

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 joined by Luis Giraldo. Luis is well known in the MSP channel for his role at IT glue, but Luis has recently moved to Solarwinds. Also, a lesser-known fact is that Luis is also an MSP owner. I'm not sure where he finds so many hours in the day, but I'm glad to have him as a return guest on the podcast. Luis was one of the very early guests of the podcast way back on episode five, which I'll link to in the show notes.

The topic for today is MSP tools again, Luis and I are chatting about the evolution of the RMM tool for MSPs and how the pandemic is influencing network management.