First things first, Karl shares how he started in the IT & MSP space, how it all began for him, and how he got to where he is today.  

Karl says he has loved technology from day one and that took him to who he is now.  

Karl and I exchange sharing career experiences and he shares how he learned a lot about “the right way to do things”. 

We then briefly talk about one of Karl’s key pillars to his thinking which is around prioritisation of what you’re doing and not be interrupt-driven. Both of us agree that contrary to popular beliefs, business isn’t what makes us successful.  

Karl says that before MSPs become independent, they are judged by the amount of business and stress they have but actually, none of those two contributes to an MSP’s success. 

Karl and I then tackle company culture, and I ask him when he realised that it is one of the key pillars to business success. Karl thinks most consultants go into business because of bad bosses. We also weigh in on good and bad bosses and we both agree that good company culture is all about building relationships. 

We then move on to talking about client management and Karl shares his tips on the key things MSPs need to focus on to ensure that they make the money and keep their clients well.  

Karl says it’s a rule of life to only work with people you like and like you. He also highlights that with clients, it’s a must to always be engaging in a high-level, two-way conversation with clients.  

As a result, MSPs can properly determine what shall be done and then go and put those things in place. Communication is key. 

Karl and I also briefly talk about sales and having quarterly business reviews, which he calls road map meetings. 

We then continued to tackle finance by asking Karl about some of the fundaments that MSPs should consider in terms of profitability, and Karl answers with “Get prepaid for everything.”  

He then explains how and why it matters. We also talk about Karl’s comment that I noted, saying that it’s not our responsibility to save our client’s money, and why it’s something for an MSP to consider. 

Finally, Karl and I talk about service delivery. I ask Karl what things MSPs should really consider in making sure that their service delivery toolbox is ticked off and he answers, having a PSA. It’s not absolutely necessary but it’s very useful to keep track of everything that needs to be done, and I relate it to scalability. 

To wrap up this value-loaded episode, I ask Karl for two tips for MSPs, one for the 6-figure MSPs and one for the 7-figure MSPs. Don’t miss it! 

I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as Karl and I enjoyed creating it. This is a truly pillar episode of the series and I suggest that you listen to this episode as many times as you can and make sure you get every ounce of value from this pillar episode. 

 

You can reach out to Karl Palachuk in his social media accounts here – 

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk 

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/karlpalachuk 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karlpalachuk/ 

You can also visit Karl Palachuk’s website at – www.smallbizthoughts.com 

Or his community website at – www.smallbizthoughts.org 

Download Karl Palachuk’s book here – https://www.absolutelyunbreakablerules.com/ 

You can access all the other IT Experts Podcasts here –  https://innovatetosuccess.com/podcast/ 

If you're looking to scale your IT & MSP business and you don't know where to start, just navigate and explore here on our website www.innovatetosuccess.com where we've got a whole load of tips, tricks, strategies and community to help you grow and scale your IT and your MSP business. 

I also invite you to come and take the IT experts test and we can help you to work out what to focus on right now to get you the quickest results in your business. You can take the test here – https://bit.ly/ITEtest 

If we’re not connected already, let’s connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over here at our website, innovatetosuccess.com 

Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] 

Until next time, you look after yourself and I’ll catch up with you soon!