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#35 - From The Trenches - Lead with Cybersecurity, Build Lean (Douglas Grosfield)
Douglas Grosfield shares his winding path from law enforcement and personal protection to founding Five Nines IT—leading with cybersecurity and a lean, partner-first model. MSP leaders will learn how clear goals, 90-day planning, and right-fit partnerships create profit and lifestyle freedom.
✅ Enjoyed this episode?
Like, subscribe, and share your biggest takeaway below.
https://beringmckinley.com/bering-mckinley-podcast-blog
In this episode, Josh Peterson sits down with Douglas Grosfield, Founder & CEO of Five Nines IT Solutions, to unpack how a security-led, ultra-lean MSP model can scale profitably while giving owners their time back. From bodyguard work to building and exiting a VAR, Doug explains why leading with cybersecurity, setting clear goals, and orchestrating expert partners beats trying to be “all things to all people.”
👉 Why goals matter: defining the “why,” breaking it into 90-day chunks, and measuring progress weekly
👉 The lean MSP playbook: subcontracted help desk, vetted specialist partners, and 98% pro-services revenue driving margin
👉 Security as the front door: layered controls, compliance realities, user training, and risk-based conversations (not “a box from Costco”)
👉 Partnerships that scale: how to vet providers, ensure quality, and “wear your brand” at the customer edge
👉 Buying back time: moving from 80-hour weeks to a lifestyle-aligned business without sacrificing growth
Visit https://beringmckinley.com
for more MSP resources.
🔗 Resources & Links
• Douglas Grosfield at Five Nines IT Solutions IT:https://www.fiveninesit.ca/
• Bering McKinley MSP Consulting: https://beringmckinley.com
⏱️ Chapters
• 00:00 – From RCMP path to tech: Doug’s origin story
• 01:09 – Personal protection: lessons in risk and readiness
• 03:02 – First MSP: starting “Xylotech,” early business mistakes
• 05:40 – Coaching, chambers, and learning the numbers
• 09:02 – Defining goals and the 90-day cadence
• 14:16 – Why people resist change (and how owners break through)
• 30:44 – Starting Five Nines: choosing a security-led model
• 33:36 – Ten years in: staying virtual, lean, and profitable
• 36:35 – Lead with cybersecurity: layered, compliant, human
• 41:00 – Help desk as a service & partner orchestration
• 48:00 – Profitability of a low-overhead, pro-services engine
• 54:00 – Time leverage, lifestyle, and doing work that excites
• 58:00 – How to reach Five Nines IT
🔍 Primary Keywords
cybersecurity for msps, lean msp model, msp profitability, managed security services
🔍 Secondary Keywords
help desk as a service, msp partnerships, goal setting for business owners, compliance and user training
#️⃣ Hashtags
#beringmckinley #bmkvisionpodcast #msp #msps #cybersecurity #managedservices #mss #mspprofitability #vciso #itsecurity #compliance #helpdesk #vcio #goalsetting #entrepreneurship #smallbusiness #itconsulting #channelpartners #operations #leadership
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By Josh PetersonDouglas Grosfield shares his winding path from law enforcement and personal protection to founding Five Nines IT—leading with cybersecurity and a lean, partner-first model. MSP leaders will learn how clear goals, 90-day planning, and right-fit partnerships create profit and lifestyle freedom.
✅ Enjoyed this episode?
Like, subscribe, and share your biggest takeaway below.
https://beringmckinley.com/bering-mckinley-podcast-blog
In this episode, Josh Peterson sits down with Douglas Grosfield, Founder & CEO of Five Nines IT Solutions, to unpack how a security-led, ultra-lean MSP model can scale profitably while giving owners their time back. From bodyguard work to building and exiting a VAR, Doug explains why leading with cybersecurity, setting clear goals, and orchestrating expert partners beats trying to be “all things to all people.”
👉 Why goals matter: defining the “why,” breaking it into 90-day chunks, and measuring progress weekly
👉 The lean MSP playbook: subcontracted help desk, vetted specialist partners, and 98% pro-services revenue driving margin
👉 Security as the front door: layered controls, compliance realities, user training, and risk-based conversations (not “a box from Costco”)
👉 Partnerships that scale: how to vet providers, ensure quality, and “wear your brand” at the customer edge
👉 Buying back time: moving from 80-hour weeks to a lifestyle-aligned business without sacrificing growth
Visit https://beringmckinley.com
for more MSP resources.
🔗 Resources & Links
• Douglas Grosfield at Five Nines IT Solutions IT:https://www.fiveninesit.ca/
• Bering McKinley MSP Consulting: https://beringmckinley.com
⏱️ Chapters
• 00:00 – From RCMP path to tech: Doug’s origin story
• 01:09 – Personal protection: lessons in risk and readiness
• 03:02 – First MSP: starting “Xylotech,” early business mistakes
• 05:40 – Coaching, chambers, and learning the numbers
• 09:02 – Defining goals and the 90-day cadence
• 14:16 – Why people resist change (and how owners break through)
• 30:44 – Starting Five Nines: choosing a security-led model
• 33:36 – Ten years in: staying virtual, lean, and profitable
• 36:35 – Lead with cybersecurity: layered, compliant, human
• 41:00 – Help desk as a service & partner orchestration
• 48:00 – Profitability of a low-overhead, pro-services engine
• 54:00 – Time leverage, lifestyle, and doing work that excites
• 58:00 – How to reach Five Nines IT
🔍 Primary Keywords
cybersecurity for msps, lean msp model, msp profitability, managed security services
🔍 Secondary Keywords
help desk as a service, msp partnerships, goal setting for business owners, compliance and user training
#️⃣ Hashtags
#beringmckinley #bmkvisionpodcast #msp #msps #cybersecurity #managedservices #mss #mspprofitability #vciso #itsecurity #compliance #helpdesk #vcio #goalsetting #entrepreneurship #smallbusiness #itconsulting #channelpartners #operations #leadership