MSP Business School

Chris Johnson is a leading cybersecurity specialist and consultant at Pinpoint Solutions. Having run an MSP himself, Chris knows the challenges surrounding security implementation and compliance when it comes to needs both within your organization and with your clients. In this episode, Chris shares how he helps MSPs on their cybersecurity journey through consultation, implementation, and even acting as your MSP's cybersecurity specialist on sales calls.

When it comes to paying salespeople, it can be difficult to determine the right split between guaranteed income and commission-based earnings. In this episode, the hosts lay out their approach to building sales compensation plans. Brian asks Tim and Robb to share from their experiences of helping MSP owners devise these structures, diving into the philosophy behind setting base pay, bonuses, and commissions.

Brett Jaffe of ConnectStrat is a name well known in the MSP industry. In this episode, Brett sits down with Brian and Robb to talk about how ConnectStrat came to be, the methods they use with their clients, and how creating a business operating system unique to the MSP industry has helped countless owners redefine and successfully reach their goals.

Ryan O'Halloran's unique set of experiences, coupled with the timing of his entry into the channel, have granted him a fascinating perspective on the MSP industry. In this episode, the hosts sit down with the CTO at Access One to discuss how he leverages these factors to push the technologies that Access One uses and to drive policies and procedures.

In this episode, Brian, Tim, and Robb use their combined knowledge to deliver expert tips and tricks on how to build a successful follow-up process that results in closed deals. Sales may be one of the most brutal parts of building a company, but by implementing the strategies and mindsets shared in this episode, you're certain to harness the power of prospecting.

On this episode of MSP Business School, we're joined by Paul Schroeder and Lucy Nguyen, Account Executive and Content Marketing Specialist at ChannelAssist, a company that provides end to end development and management of channel engagement and incentive programs. Paul and Lucy share excellent suggestions on how to incentivize behaviors with your sales team in order to increase revenue and how ChannelAssist helps companies create these programs.

For this special episode of MSP Business School, the hosts share how they got into sales positions early in their careers. Wins and losses, horror stories and personal triumphs, this episode is packed with no-holds-barred stories and invaluable lessons.

When new technologies arise, like the new Windows 365, it can help to have a partner who understands how to shape the technology to fit the needs of your clients. Will Ominsky of Nerdio comes on the show to share how they assist MSPs to leverage new technologies quickly, early, and easily.

Security is the hot topic these days, with MSPs desperately trying to add that extra "S" by starting a new arm inside their existing organization or by outsourcing to partners. But how do you sell security to clients, especially those whose IT budgets are already pretty tight? For this roundtable discussion, hosts Brian Doyle, Tim McNeil, and Robb Rogers deep dive into tactics you can use to help your prospects and customers understand the importance of adding security.

Jay McBain is the principal analyst for global channels at Forrester, one of the most influential global research and advisory firms in the world. Jay is a recognized expert in the future of channels (he was named the 2021 Channel Influencer of the Year by Channel Partners Magazine), and in this episode he sits down with the guys to talk about how to determine who should be in your network and how to take advantage of the exciting changes we're seeing in the industry.

Too many times we see an MSP slap an extra "S" in their description and think they're good to go when it comes to security and compliance. In this episode, Michael Crean of Solutions Granted walks us through the main differences between an MSP and an MSSP, showing that it takes a little more work to provide the security your clients need.

In this episode of MSP Business School, hosts Brian Doyle, Tim McNeil, and Robb Rogers sit down to discuss how MSPs handle issues and how to best approach your clients when conflicts and problems inevitably arise. They talk about how to get in front of a problem, reminding us that "bad news doesn't get better with age," and that the best way to ensure your client feels taken care of is to communicate early and often.

What do you do when a pandemic hits and your clients are almost exclusively in an industry that shuts down completely? Senior Account Manager James Pelham from TMB Systems – a UK-based MSP that specializes in hospitality (and specifically hotels) – shares the ups and downs of the past sixteen months, giving us a glimpse into the rollercoaster ride experienced by the hospitality industry during lockdown and the shifts made by TMB to make sure their clients made it through the storm.

Sean Lardo is the VP of Partner Development at OIT, an organization that specializes in telecommunications and distributed networking. Having started as an MSP working with clients in many different industries, Sean understands the unique needs of OIT's partners in the MSP industry. In this episode, Sean and the guys discuss how partnering with your vendors can help your MSP reap great benefits and rewards.

In this episode of MSP Business School, hosts Brian Doyle, Tim McNeil, and Robb Rogers sit down to discuss the challenges that MSPs typically face when hiring sales professionals. They take us on a deep dive into the sales recruiting process, why MSPs struggle with it, and the game-changing approach Tim and Robb implement in their own business.

You don't often think of ransomware and growth in the same sentence, but for Gary Jones and VCPI, an attack a few months before the pandemic was the catalyst for a whole new approach to security. Add in a healthy dose of automation, and this episode is packed with unconventional ways to expand your MSP and deepen your client relationships.

A former MSP owner who successfully grew his business for over 20 years before selling it in 2018, Shawn Walsh of Encore Strategic Consulting knows a thing or two about leadership. In this episode, the guys sit down with Shawn to pick his brain about what makes a good leader and how to develop the skills and qualities needed to lead a team to profitability.

As one of the leaders and founders of Aligned Technology Solutions – an MSP with offices in both the DC area and Orlando, Florida – Don Sauer has seen quite a few shifts and changes in the industry over the past few decades. In this episode, Brian, Tim, and Robb sit down with Don to talk about his path to building a successful MSP and the pivotal decisions that helped propel Aligned to the top.

Doug is the CEO of TruTechnology based in Jacksonville, FL. Doug had a personal situation that caused him to have to delegate more than he had at that point. T here he learned the lesson many founders find, that by getting out of the way and trusting the team his business flourished.

Zay is the Director of Business Development and Partner at IT Help, Inc. Zay, a New York based tech firm where COVID hit hardest, had to find a creative way to grow the organization when companies were leaving the city. Starting with an outsourcing strategy to allow for scale and meet the demands of almost any market, Zay has built the blueprint for his company's long-term success.

Today we discuss what is the responsibility of the MSP owner upon exit. Most look to take care of their team, especially if they are not being retained, but how about our responsibility to your community? We give our thoughts about an owners community approach after selling their baby.

Dave Hodgdon is someone who truly believes that a company's success – and therefore its owner's eventual exit – relies on its people. As the president and founder of PCGIT, an MSP that he began in 1996, Dave has a unique exit strategy that exhibits his faith in his people, ensures his top employees remain with the company, and shows his commitment to making others successful. 1:08 – Dave gives us a quick background on Portsmouth Computer Group and how they slowly transformed over the years from a training company to an MSP, to eventually offering security. 7:09 – The guys ask Dave how his company has handled the work from home phenomenon over the past year, particularly when it comes to security. Dave details the difficulties they've encountered as well as the significant increase in the number of risk assessments they've conducted. He shares how his team has managed to maintain a sense of company culture while working remotely, and stresses the importance of fostering community in the workplace. 13:20 – Dave shares his incredibly unique, twofold exit and retention strategy. He explains why the venture capital route isn't right for him and how he's able to feel like he has more control over his legacy. Dave believes that treating your people like partners is the most surefire way to increase revenue and exponentially grow your company's value. 20:00 – Dave digs into the details of how his plan works, clarifying some points and making it clear that with his approach, he and his people have skin in the game, and both sides end up winning. In closing, Dave reminds us that giving the best client experience is the most important thing. He stresses that if there's an issue that needs to be resolved, or you feel something is off, a phone call or a visit in person is far more effective than an email.

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This episode of MSP Business School serves as a follow up to last week's Special Edition episode (episode 45). A few weeks ago, Robb and Tim joined Brian for his monthly learning series at vCIOToolbox to talk about the future of sales in a post-pandemic world. In this episode, the guys answer some follow up questions that came from that webinar and dive deeper into a few important sales topics they come across on a regular basis.

Prospecting changed dramatically when the pandemic upended our lives and sent most of us to home offices. While sales meetings have been conducted almost exclusively virtually for the past year, this will soon be behind us (hopefully), and a new sales model will emerge. Are you ready? For this special episode of MSP Business School, your hosts Brian Doyle, Robb Rogers, and Tim McNeil discuss the future of sales as a part of vCIOToolbox's monthly learning webinar series. Robb and Tim talk about the strategies they're beginning to employ with their teams at OSR and the changes that sales teams should be expecting. They share the steps that every MSP should consider in order to set their teams up for long term success. 6:51 – Tim and Robb share their expectations for sales post-Covid. They talk about their experiences in sales pre-Covid and how those were changed during the pandemic, both positively and negatively. They also discuss which Covid-era practices they see sticking around. 14:53 – Brian, Tim, and Robb talk about the benefits of tools such as email campaigns and LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and how they're being used differently today than they were a year ago. They discuss how to employ LinkedIn most successfully and how they see it continuing to be useful in the upcoming land grab. 29:26 – Tim and Robb go into the differences between how virtual meetings and onsite meetings were viewed pre-pandemic versus now. They dive into how the expectations have shifted and where they see the trend going. 38:50 – Robb and Tim remind us of the importance of building stories around your MSP, giving us excellent examples on how to do that effectively. 47:35 – Robb and Tim tackle questions from an audience member about virtual events and how to implement them, and also about how to effectively use business groups to grow your network.

Jamie D'Agostino is the Founder and CEO of Netology, an MSP out of Stamford, CT. Having been in business for nearly two decades, Jamie is no stranger to the various types of specific and individual requests MSPs encounter. In this episode of MSP Business School, Jamie shares an example from his own life about the importance of setting defined boundaries with your clients. 1:50 – Jamie gives us some background on Netology and how they've operated for the past 18 years. He talks about the changes he's seen in the industry, specifically around the conversations he's had with potential clients in recent years, and gives us some insight into which partner vendors he sees the most referrals coming from. 7:28 – We talk about the changes the pandemic has had on Netology, including both the negative and positives impacts. Jamie shares that it was a very busy year for them, and that although several of their clients experienced downsizing, they weren't too negatively affected because of the heavy load of projects they've been completing. 15:53 – Jamie tells us about an account he recently lost that had a major impact on his company. He lays out the difficulties they had with this particular client, sharing that the revenue wasn't worth the amount of extra work they were being asked to do. Jamie and the hosts discuss the importance of boundary setting within a contract, and the even greater importance of keeping those boundaries. 21:14 – We wrap up the episode with a discussion about the parallels between client relationships and romantic relationships, and the telltale signs that a potential new client may not be the best fit. Jamie leaves us with a reminder to take it easy on ourselves, and urges us to remember that even though we're coming out of the pandemic, it's been a very tough year on everyone.

In this episode of MSP Business School, Dave Cava shares with us how a vertical focus delivers tremendous payoffs. Centered almost exclusively on the financial sector, Dave and his partner grew Proactive Technologies into a very successful MSP: in the span of just 11.5 years, they were bringing in $10 million annually before a very profitable acquisition in 2019. While many MSPs are hesitant to have such a narrow approach and instead choose to remain generalists, Dave reminds us that being the top expert and "go-to" business in a single, particular field provides an unparalleled advantage. Show Notes

Ross Brouse is the president and COO of Continuous, an IT company specializing in "making IT personal." As someone who's always curious about how things work, Ross shares his experience with the delicate balance between being involved in all aspects of your company and trying to control every outcome. He gives us a glimpse at how the DEY (Do Everything Yourself) approach taught him some very valuable lessons about the importance of letting go and trusting your team. 1:36 – We talk with Ross about his path to the MSP world, how quitting a job was the best decision he ever made, and why flexibility matters when it comes to your MSP's operations and offerings. Ross also shares his journey from film school to IT, and how running an MSP is incredibly similar to making a movie. 6:16 – We discuss the things that make Continuous unique, and how their team managed to shift from the commodity world to the consulting world. Ross also shares how Entrepreneurial Operating Systems changed the way he approaches everything about the company – not just with clients, but internally as well. Ross tells his engineers that they are "80% psychologist and 20% technologists" and that as long as they keep that in mind, they'll do the right thing. 10:45 – Ross shares a story about how losing $200K on a single salesperson was the wakeup call he needed in order to finally get the company's sales and marketing on track… and how to avoid that mistake yourself. 20:30 – Ross explains how consistent discipline and owning responsibility for every success and failure at the company helped him break out of the cycle of control and ultimately find growth and success. 23:13 – Ross updates us on how this mindset shift and pivot are going, and leaves us with parting thoughts about growth and change.

In this episode, MSP Business School's hosts Brian Doyle, Tim McNeil, and Robb Rogers sit down for a roundtable discussion about three of the trends they're seeing for MSPs in 2021. Brian, Tim, and Robb offer their insight, advice, and predictions about everything from what an MSP needs to consider before making the shift to becoming an MSSP, to what the future of sales will be in a post-Covid world.

n this episode, we talk with Tim about the strategies Switchfast employed to keep business growing through the pandemic, focusing on the importance of improving current client relationships. He walks us through the M&A process that contributed heavily to the company's growth, pointing to the methodical due diligence of Switchfast's CEO as the number one reason for its success.

After running MSPs for the first half of his career, James Kernan found himself speaking at conferences about his experience growing and selling businesses. Fifteen years later, his consulting firm has become one of the most successful management consulting firms in the country.

Kevin Clune is passionate about helping Managed Service Providers learn from his own experiences in the industry. As the former Operations and Marketing Director of a US-based Managed Services company (which he helped grow to an eventual acquisition in 2018), Kevin has first-hand experience with the challenges facing MSPs. Kevin began writing a blog immediately after this exit, focused solely on educating other MSPs and offering resources he wished he'd had when he was starting out. This grew into MSPGrowthHacks.com, a service where Clune and co-founder Paul Green (another ex-MSP Exec) share with other MSPs how they turned their struggling IT Businesses upside down, grew revenue, cultivated profit, and ultimately successfully sold their businesses. In this episode of MSP Business School, we chat with Kevin about MSP Growth Hacks, their brand new, in-depth, and exhaustive resource MSP Growth Guide (a publication that gathers all resources available to MSPs into one central, easy-to-use pamphlet), and the mindsets that are crucial for all MSPs to adopt. We dive into out-of-the-box strategies MSPs can employ when growing their networks – including how to leverage relationships you may not traditionally consider – and focus on how to foster a community that shares resources rather than hoard them. We explore a turning point in Kevin's career that helped him shape this mindset of abundance in client and vendor relationships and launched him into an exploration of connections with people outside of those he was transacting with, to the benefit of his MSP. We talk about how addressing the pain point for a vendor led to an extended network of new clients and new contracts. We wrap up with a brief discussion about what we can expect from MSP Growth Hacks in the near future – spoiler alert: we've got a very exciting resource to look forward to that is certain to be a game changer.

Many MSP's hire their first sales rep and expect a windfall...then are surprised when it does not work out. In our episode today we discuss why your sales rep failed and why that may be your fault. Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/ Hosts Brian Doyle. https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoyl... Robb Rogers. https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-roge... Tim McNeil https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmcneil3/ Sponsors vCIOToolbox https://vciotoolbox.com OSR Manage https://osrmanage.com

Craig found inspiration when a client had a phishing attack that caused an employee to purchase $26K on gift cards based on an email. The problem was obvious and he set out to create training that is easy to use and for end users to consume.

Teresa is a woman who enjoys a good fight. As a former Marine, she has seen the threats our country faces each day and when she neared retirement she wanted to keep up the good fight and prepared for a career in cybersecurity. In launching PNT Professional Services with her husband, she put her aim on continuing the fight to protect our great nation. Additionally, they wanted to create an opportunity for service veterans to gain the skills to start a post-military career in cybersecurity. In our conversation today Teresa shares with us the training MSSP's should consider for their staff as they build their security practices. In fact, Teresa is holding a virtual conference, The RNT Cyber Ethics Conference, bringing some of the top minds together for 20+ sessions over three days (Feb.16-18) for only $50! A woman with many anecdotes around tales of cyber threats we focus in on a story of a modern day cattle heist. The Wild, Wild West has gone Hi Tech. Join us today for an action packed episode that will put you in a secure state of mind.

Today we turn the tables and have our Co-Host Brian Doyle on the show to talk about the importance of the vCIO Role. As the CEO and Co-Founder of vCIOToolbox, Brian works with MSP's globally to build strategic account management programs. These programs help the MSP keep the client informed, elevate their perception as a partner, and drive a technology roadmap that creates win/win outcomes for both the client and MSP. In our discussion we talk about how MSP's often focus on client acquisition and service delivery. Those are two key pillars in all service providers, but often overlook is a strong process of staying engaged with the client post-sale and on-boarding. Brian talks about how MSP value is always equated to MRR, but one of the most overlooked steps for many MSP's is managing and controlling the client relationship. Too many times, once on-boarded, the primary point of contact for the client is the helpdesk team. Thus the health of the relationship often is being guarded by your most junior employees. We focus the discussion on what steps an MSP can take to grow closer to their client, maximize long-term value of each relationship, and create happier clients.

Jesse Hill is the President of Tier 3 IT Solutions a MSP located in Edmonton, Alberta. Jesse chats with us about running a business he grew up in and the lessons he has learned since taking over the business. We start with Jesse's story about an acquisition they made and the challenges they faced during the transition and in their approach to the merging cultures. He discusses things that they did not evaluate during this acquisition that impacted the bottom line. Jesse then moves to a story of an event that helped shape Tier 3 Solutions. He attended a conference that helped him see that they truly did not have a defined sales process and how this led to an overhaul of their sales division. We discuss how you can't shortcut the process and steps they took to get sales in line and improve the close rates. Jesse then shares steps they are focused on for 2021 that will help them grow and develop as an organization in 2021. Tier 3 is planning improvements to keep the team engaged as they continue to work remotely. He also talks about how they work to continually improve the relationship with the team and help them feel closer to the decision making process.

Abe Garver and Focus Investment Banking are Merger and Acquisition specialists focusing on the small to mid-market Managed Service Providers with transaction sizes between $5M and $50M.

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/ Guest Guy Walton. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cybervirture/ CAMO Hosts Brian Doyle. https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoyl... Robb Rogers. https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-roge... Tim McNeil https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmcneil3/ Sponsors vCIOToolbox https://vciotoolbox.com OSR Manage https://osrmanage.com

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/ Guest Guy Walton. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cybervirture/ CAMO Hosts Brian Doyle. https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoyl... Robb Rogers. https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-roge... Tim McNeil https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmcneil3/ Sponsors vCIOToolbox https://vciotoolbox.com OSR Manage https://osrmanage.com

Velta Technologies is a firm that specializes in providing security services for the industrial space. Based out of St. Charles, Mo. their practice focuses on the security needs of the manufacturing, utility, and maritime verticals. Craig serves as a Cyber Security Engineer for the organization and in this episode he shares with us an area not often travelled by many MSP's, but can be an area of opportunity, Operational Technology Networks or OT. With the growth of IoT devices coupled with aging production machines this area can often be overlooking in its importance and access within each business and become a huge target for the hacking community. Craig starts the discussion describing what is the first step in security the OT, a Cyber Security Assessment for exposure risks and technology gaps. He then shares with us about how electrical utilities have many compliance regulations for its power generation system and need to be NERC compliant (North American Electrical Reliability Corporation). These regulations map to the areas of critical infrastructure supporting municipal areas. A big area of concern for the plant side of these industrial businesses is the people side of technology. Craig shares what the biggest threat is to the industrial plant networks, rogue assets connecting to the OT network. When technicians com in to service the plant, they often connect to the network and their asset now becomes a point of vulnerability on the network. At the end of the day it all comes back to common sense, similar to the traditional IT network. Ensure you have controls to support the network security and limit access and the risk will be reduced.

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/ Stuart Selbst joins us in today's episode to discuss the customer experience and steps we can take to have long-term success. We begin the discussion talking about Stuart's path from corporate IT, to MSP, to MSP Coach, to Vendor, and back to MSP. We talk about the customer journey and how important it is to stay in front of your customers to drive long-term success, but that also requires the right individual to lead the customer relationship. We talk about a solid customer relationship breeding loyalty and financial reward for the MSP as the relationship becomes the gift that keeps on giving. Stuart discusses how he had a client that he built such a strong relationship with that they asked to increase their fee. They looked at the value given and the long term need, and quickly realized they were not paying enough to ensure that the MSP (their trusted partner) would be there when called upon. Robb shares how right now the hunters are looking for vulnerable relationships as COVID rages on. These relationships can be ripe for the picking. Stuart talks about how you can re-enagage with your clients and change perception. Guest Stuart Selbst https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartselbst/ Hosts Brian Doyle. https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoyl... Robb Rogers. https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-roge... Tim McNeil https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmcneil3/ Sponsors vCIOToolbox https://vciotoolbox.com OSR Manage https://osrmanage.com

Today we discuss the marketplace as the pandemic rages on. May MSP's are fighting to stay afloat as we head into what looks like it can be a long winter. Robb starts the discussion sharing that in the peer groups he operates sales pro's are indicating that the race to the bottom is on. We then dive into the difference between building strategic relationships for the long-term vs. solution selling. The goal of a strategic approach is getting closer to the customer and by leveraging a more aligned approach to client management, margins can be preserved. Brian talks about the fact that the solutions starts through understanding. We are seeing a trend to solution first selling where solutions are't being fully fleshed out and quotes are hitting the streets. We then discussed how both companies strategies need to be aligned to have a successful relationship and to box out commoditized competitors. Tim and Brin discuss how sales reps can struggle with the strategic discussion as it is a conversation that many reps are not accustomed to holding and as a result their only sales tool is the discount. We then discuss that training and a culture of empowerment can help sales teams to elevate and preserve margin when taking on a small shop delivering only a lower price. Robb then shares practical tactics for how sales people can approach their meetings.

Peter Strahan is the Managing Director for Lantech located Dublin, Ireland. Peter shares with us a story of a disaster in the form of a fire that hit his customer's building and how in that moment Lantech's unseen value came front and center.

Robert Cioffi is COO & Co-Founder of Progressive Computing located in Yonkers, NY. Launching in 1993 very early in his and his partner's careers they learned a lot through the school of hard knocks. One of the primary drivers of his company's long-term success was engaging a coach and being part of a peer group. Robert starts the conversation is it takes a certain mindset and ego to start a company, but that can also be one of the biggest blockers to growth. Coaching helped him learn the things he didn't know and start changing the business model, launching managed services in the early 00's. He speaks about his business model and how it differs from the average MSP. Many speak of the "All you can eat (AYCE)" model, but Progressive has taken that to a very literal stance. They include all projects within their plans. They view the relationship as a true partnership with their clients and truly have adopted and internal IT department mindset of we do what the client needs done, no questions asked. A true win-win proposition, eliminating project cost resistance and reduces the overall support cost to Progressive. An EOS practitioner, Robert talks about how it has been a game changer for his company. This structure helped accelerate the growth of the company providing clarity to what it would take to get to the next step. Robert talks about the future of the cloud and cybersecurity within their business. He expands on how Microsoft Teams has accelerated cloud use for clients and how the conversations around fully cloud solutions have increased. We also speak about the M&A climate in the space and the ultimate plan for his organization in the long-term. We have a deep discussion on how to be humble and embrace the guidance of those that have been there to support our journey. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable and open can lead you to some of the best experience and lead you to some of the critical external input that you can leverage to grow.

Carrie Simpson launched Managed Sales Pros in 2013 as a call center serving the MSP market. Starting with a contract in her native country, Canada, the operations quickly grew. A contract opportunity was presented to her and almost overnight she launched operations in the U.S. Managed Sales Pros hit a market need that is large in the MSP community, customer acquisition through cold calling. With many of the MSP's being Technologist led organizations, sales can often be a foreign process. Sometime acquisition comes quickly and without the intention to sell. Carrie speaks of how she reached out to a company to help her with her strong pipeline and staffing needs. With more business than people she could hire in the Las Vegas market, she approached EB Quckstart for assistance with overflow. Their response was how about we just buy your operation, and before you knew it the deal was done. Post-acquisition Carrie still operates Managed Sales Pros in Canada, but has her eye on the next chapter as she shares her plans for the future (hint...a one-stop shop for webinars).

Jeff Grande and Mike Paone launched TBNG Consulting started their company as many MSP's have, bootstrapping the business while working full-time jobs, in their caae from different states. They accelerated the growth through grit and determination knocking on neighborhood doors and working evenings to kick off the company. One growth hack that they learned was truly engaging the channel and making investments to become the local leader in newer channel entrants and building long term relationships. Mike shares how he grew those relationships, but does add you "have to sleep with one eye open". n It is also about having clear boundaries with the vendor on what they are willing to sell. In sharing how they grew TBNG Jeff shares that no growth comes without peril. IT was a constant reinvestment into the business and hiring quality people that they trusted then helping them learn their role. They also talked about understanding where your deficiencies personally are. In 2012 they reflected on their business growth and while growth has been steady they needed to accelerate growth to make the business what they wanted it to be. They looked into the family and brought Jeff's brother Michael into the team so they could focus on growing the business while Michael who runs the administrative side of the business so Mike and Jeff can continue to build the sales team. It was a big transition and came with swallowing some ego along the way, but it has extremely accelerated growth.

Today we turn the tables and interview two of MSP Business Schools Co-Hosts, Robb Rogers and Tim McNeil. Robb and Tim started OSR Manage. Originally started as an MSP Lead Generation company OSR has morphed into a Virtual Sales Management juggernaut. The OSR Manage team focuses on helping Tech Founders build winning sales teams. Their approach which is a mix of Executive, and Sales coaching coupled with peer groups for the individual reps has helped 100's of companies succeed in s

Leigh Wood Owner and Director of Node IT Solutions in Biggleswade, England joins us today and shares a story of persistence in the face of adversity. We learn how when faced with a crisis that can cause a company to cease operations, Leigh and his team rose up and met the challenge head on. Leigh starts with a conversation of his companies rise from its roots as an IT consultancy and its ultimate migration into becoming an MSP. Having formed Node IT Solutions with a co-founder, Leigh initially served as the lead technician. Soon his partner left the business and Leigh began the transition from technician to the business leader holding the main responsibility for Node IT's sales. We then moved to a discussion of the biggest challenge that Leigh faced as a small business owner. Returning from vacation, Leigh stepped off the plane to a text none of us would ever like to receive, a client who owed 50,000 pounds announced that they had gone out of business and that debt will never be collected. Leigh then shares his story of the how this event forced him to look at the weaknesses in the business and his own leadership. He discusses the steps that he and his team took to get Node IT Solutions back on track and strengthen the operation. He also shared what he did in seeking the help he personally required (and the mentor that came into his life) so he could become a stronger leader. We close his story with a discussion of the progress that he and his team made in recovering from this loss, and how this event prepared the company to be poised for long-term success.