In this episode of MSP Business School, host Brian Doyle engages in a compelling conversation with Chris Johnson from GTIA about the upcoming Channel Con event and the importance of the GTIA Cybersecurity Trust Mark. Doyle shares his excitement about Channel Con being an excellent opportunity to network with vendors, customers, and partners in an educational and social environment. The discussion shifts focus to the GTIA Cybersecurity Trust Mark, where Chris elaborates on its significance in helping MSPs evidence their cybersecurity posture.

The episode dives into the nuanced aspects of compliance, governance, and cybersecurity maturity. With an emphasis on understanding frameworks like the Trust Mark, both Brian and Chris highlight how they offer a structured way for MSPs to demonstrate their cybersecurity resilience and improve their internal processes. They discuss the real-world implications of policies, evidence collection, and the importance of embracing governance for long-term business viability. The episode serves as a wealth of insights into strategic business practices that bolster security and trust.

• GTIA Cybersecurity Trust Mark: An initiative aimed at enhancing MSPs’ cybersecurity resilience through compliance and governance best practices.

• Channel Con Event: An upcoming conference facilitating networking and education among MSPs and their partners, held in Nashville.

• Importance of Governance: Governance must align with leadership and strategy to ensure effective cybersecurity implementation.

• Assessment Process: Understanding and preparing for cybersecurity assessments is crucial for MSPs to effectively demonstrate their security posture.

• Industry Collaboration: The Channel Con event exemplifies the collaborative spirit of MSPs and vendors working together towards industry betterment.

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/

Host Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylevciotoolbox/

Sponsor vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com

Guest Name: Chris Johnson LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisjohnson1337msp/

Company: GTIA Website https://gtia.org/

In this enlightening episode, Brian Doyle delves into the often-misunderstood world of strategic planning in customer success. While many in the industry are just starting to embrace strategy as a novel concept, Brian brings clarity and depth to the conversation by distinguishing between tactical and strategic initiatives. A frequent fixture on LinkedIn, Brian uses his platform to express his views on thriving as a service provider and how to leap from mere problem-solvers to proactive business partners.

Focusing on building joint strategic plans with customers, Brian underlines the importance of understanding client goals and challenges to foster trust and collaboration. The episode highlights the nuances of technology roadmaps, warning against the oversimplification of categorizing them as strategic plans. Instead, it critiques this oversimplification as a failure to advance business outcomes. Detailed discussions cover how service providers can become indispensable by connecting technology services with client business goals, outlining the necessity of evolving as management consultants to enhance client relationships and secure long-term partnerships.

• Differentiating strategic initiatives from tactical tasks is crucial for service providers aiming to align closer with customer goals.

• Building joint strategic plans with customers helps establish a productive and transparent partnership, allowing for better alignment on shared goals.

• Understanding and utilizing current technologies can create low-cost, high-impact improvements in client operations, fostering trust.

• Reinforcing strategies with clear, cause-and-effect scenarios increases the perceived value and importance of proposed solutions.

• Ensuring customers are positioned as the hero in their stories, with service providers acting as expert guides, strengthens long-term relationships.

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/

Host Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylevciotoolbox/

Sponsor vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com

In this engaging session, Brian Doyle delves into the art of conducting effective Technology Business Reviews (TBRs) for MSPs. With insights drawn from his years of experience, Brian highlights the top five mistakes to avoid in TBR delivery, ensuring that these interactions build stronger client relationships and drive business value. Through this coaching session, Brian equips IT professionals with actionable strategies to improve their client communication and presentation techniques. Brian outlines the critical importance of assembling the right stakeholder mix in TBR meetings, emphasizing roles such as financial executives and line-of-business managers. He cautions against common pitfalls like inconsistent data presentation and overly technical jargon that can derail the effectiveness of these sessions. By articulating clear business-to-technology alignments, Brian underscores how MSPs can transform TBRs into strategic planning opportunities that resonate with clients' business drivers and objectives. The session is not just about troubleshooting; it's about paving a path for effective engagement with key decision-makers and enhancing the consultative value offered to clients. These insights are vital for any MSP looking to solidify their position as a trusted advisor in the eyes of their clients.

Key Takeaways 

• Stakeholder Engagement: Successfully conducting TBRs requires engaging the right mix of stakeholders, including C-level executives and line-of-business managers, to ensure comprehensive strategic alignment.
• Meeting Management: Establish clear agendas and maintain focus, preventing clients from derailing meetings with unrelated issues, thus preserving the session's strategic objectives.
• Consistency and Clarity: Deliver consistent, non-technical data across meetings to help clients track progress and understand the strategic value being delivered.
• Business-Technology Alignment: Clearly communicate how technology initiatives align with business goals, offering clients a straightforward view of potential ROI and strategic benefits.
• Leveraging Relationships: Cultivate relationships with decision-makers by positioning yourself as a partner in achieving their strategic priorities.

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/

Host Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylevciotoolbox/

Sponsor vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com

In this episode of MSP Business School, Brian Doyle dishes out a raw and insightful exploration of business reviews within the MSP industry. Addressing a trending topic on LinkedIn, Brian questions why strategic business reviews are suddenly being regarded as novel. By revisiting the foundational purpose of Business Reviews, he seeks to realign them with their intended strategic nature. Through this episode, Brian emphasizes how MSPs can harness effective roles such as VCIOs, account managers, and customer success reps to better execute these reviews.

Brian discusses the importance of establishing strategic business reviews that prioritize client outcomes over mere sales efforts. He highlights how a truly strategic QBR can transform client relationships, enhance retention, and open avenues for new revenue opportunities. Throughout the episode, Brian reiterates the critical role of VCIOs in marrying technical insights with business strategies to deliver meaningful value to customers. By focusing on understanding a client's goals, challenges, and overall business objectives, MSPs can create and present tailored roadmaps that align with strategic initiatives.

• Strategic business reviews should focus on client outcomes and long-term goals rather than solely attempting to drive immediate sales.

• The roles of account managers, customer success reps, and particularly VCIOs are crucial in conducting effective strategic business reviews.

• A successful QBR involves understanding the client's business challenges, goals, and aligning proposed solutions with these strategic objectives.

• Consistently delivering fresh insights and updating meeting cadences can revitalize client engagement and involvement in their business reviews.

• Demonstrating risk, ROI, and the tangible benefits of proposed projects can significantly reduce sales friction and enhance client decision-making processes.

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/

Host Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylevciotoolbox/

Sponsor vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com

In this insightful episode, Brian Doyle leads a detailed examination of VCIO and fractional VCIO services, much to the benefit of Managed Service Providers (MSPs) looking to expand their leadership roles. By delving into strategies that elevate MSPs beyond standard practices, Brian showcases how these roles fulfill a crucial need for innovation and cybersecurity adherence in businesses lacking internal CIOs. Throughout the discussion, he shares how fractional VCIO services present new opportunities for MSPs to charge for deeper strategic services.

Through the lens of his extensive 17-year experience in the MSP industry, Brian reveals the pitfalls MSPs often face by offering comprehensive VCIO services without sufficient compensation. By detailing the distinctions between traditional technology business reviews and the strategic integration potential of fractional VCIO, Brian provides a roadmap for MSPs to enhance their customer relations while capturing new revenue streams. He also explores the importance of understanding client operations and the collaboration required across all organizational levels to effectively implement these services.

• VCIO as a Service Benefits: Discover the essential role of VCIO and fractional VCIO services in bridging strategic leadership gaps within businesses, pushing beyond typical QBR obligations.

• Monetizing Strategic Services: Brian explains how MSPs can successfully transition from free service delivery to a revenue-generating fractional VCIO model.

• Customer Engagement and Strategy: Learn how to engage with key customer stakeholders across varying levels, ensuring alignment of technology strategies with business objectives.

• Building Effective Packages: Insights into creating tiered service packages that scale with client needs, potentially unlocking new revenue for MSPs.

• Common Pitfalls: Guard against common errors in providing uncompensated services, ensuring profitability while maintaining high-value client relationship

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/

Host Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylevciotoolbox/

Sponsor vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com

Delve into the intricacies of Technology Business Reviews with host Brian Doyle on MSP Business School. Explore how these reviews have evolved and learn innovative strategies for engaging clients amid data overload. Brian outlines a quarterly approach to QBRs, focusing on core reviews, security, health, and a year-end summary. Discover how to create joint strategic plans, assess risks, and gather valuable feedback from stakeholders. This episode is essential for MSPs looking to refine their client engagement strategies and optimize their review processes.

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/

Host Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylevciotoolbox/

Sponsor vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/

Guest Name: Joel Cahill LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-cahill/

Company: INFIMA Security Website: https://infimasec.com/

Host Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylevciotoolbox/

In this engaging episode of MSP Business School, hosted by Brian Doyle, listeners are introduced to Joel Cahill, co-founder of Infima, a cybersecurity company grounded in behavioral science. With Brian navigating through a scratchy voice due to Connecticut's pollen season, the discussion takes a dive into Joel's transition from a high-paced Wall Street career to steering a company aimed at refining security awareness training. This career leap was not just a change of industry but also a melding of unique backgrounds with Joel's trading insights meeting his co-founder's cybersecurity prowess from his time working with the Department of Defense.

The conversation unpacks the application of behavioral science in both finance and cybersecurity, revealing insights into why people often react impulsively to potential phishing threats and how proper training can counteract these tendencies. Joel elucidates on the creation of Infima's automated security training solutions, shedding light on how these solutions reduce the strain on MSPs while empowering employees to become vigilant cyber defenders. This process doesn't just bolster cybersecurity but significantly adds value for MSPs looking to deepen their impact and effectiveness within their clientele.

• Behavioral Science in Cybersecurity: Joel explains the crossover of behavioral science principles from his trading experience to enhancing security awareness training.

• System 1 and System 2 Thinking: The episode dives into Kahneman's concept of System 1 and System 2 thinking and its relevance to cybersecurity training, particularly in phishing awareness.

• Company Culture and Cyber Awareness: Encouragement of a supportive company culture where employees are empowered to report mistakes promptly to mitigate cyber risks.

• Fully Automated Security Solutions: Infima's innovative approach to providing an automated and fully managed security awareness training platform for MSPs.

• The Value of Communication: Stressing the importance of MSPs effectively communicating with clients to bring value through understanding and overcoming cybersecurity challenges.

Sponsor vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/

Guest Name: Jim Houghton LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshoughton/

Company: JCMR Technology Website: https://jcmr.net/

Host Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylevciotoolbox/

In this latest episode of MSP Business School hosted by Brian Doyle, listeners are introduced to Jim Houghton, the COO of JCMR. This engaging conversation dives into Jim's extensive 34-year journey within the IT sector. Listeners gain insights into his various roles, from engineering to consulting, and some of the critical lessons he has learned managing both startups and roles within Fortune 500 companies. Doyle and Houghton explore the evolution of technology within companies, touching on the influence of technological advancements on business processes.

The episode provides an in-depth look at the differences between operating within large corporations and MSPs. Jim brings to light the challenges of aligning resources and sales strategies to a company's operational scale and skillset. Key discussions also include leveraging AI and automation for business transformation, understanding customer needs, and moving beyond the allure of “shiny toy syndrome” in tech. With both profound insights and pragmatic advice, this episode is a treasure trove of knowledge for those navigating the IT and MSP landscape.

• Differentiating Corporate and MSP Operations: Understand how the dynamics and processes in MSPs differ drastically from those in large corporate settings, with an emphasis on sales cycles and resource management.

• Technology Evolution in Business Processes: Explore how emerging technologies, especially AI, should be strategically aligned with current business goals to enable process disruption and innovation.

• Customer-Centric Solutions: Successful MSPs tailor their offerings, addressing real customer pain points and avoiding the trap of technology for technology’s sake.

• Learning from Experience: Jim shares valuable lessons on adaptability and career progression, emphasizing the importance of being a lifelong learner and adapting to industry changes.

• Balance in Solutions: Navigating client engagements by delivering manageable and scalable tech solutions little by little, rather than overwhelming them with more than they can handle both financially and operationally.

Sponsor vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/

Guest Name: Matt Yesbeck LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattyesbeck/

Company: Yesteck Website: https://yesteck.io/

Host Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylevciotoolbox/

In this insightful episode of the MSP Business School podcast, host Brian Doyle welcomes Matt Yesbeck, a seasoned IT professional and entrepreneur who has carved a unique path in the managed service provider (MSP) industry. Yesbeck shares his journey from years spent in IT, through various corporate roles, to founding Yesteck IT Services and the innovative platform MSPX. This platform aims to streamline the process of buying and selling MSP contracts, unlocking new growth opportunities for MSP businesses.

Highlighting the challenges many MSPs face, Yesbeck discusses how the idea for MSPX was born out of necessity. His son, tasked with pruning customers that no longer fit their business model, discovered the lack of a centralized place to divest these contracts efficiently. Yesbeck explains how MSPX is set to revolutionize the industry by providing a trusted marketplace backed by escrow transactions and AI-driven contract evaluations. This not only facilitates easier contract transfers but also ensures secure buyer-seller interactions, promising a value-based approach to expanding one's MSP business portfolio.

• Innovative Path to MSPX: Matt Yesbeck shares his unique career transition from IT technician to business owner and innovator in the MSP sector.

• Marketplace Solution: MSPX provides a platform for MSPs to buy and sell contracts, addressing a previously unmet need in the industry.

• Secured Transactions: The marketplace offers escrow-backed transactions to ensure confidence and security in the transfer of MSP contracts.

• Growth Opportunities: MSPX offers smaller MSPs a unique avenue for growth, facilitating easier access to new contracts and clients.

• Business Flexibility: The platform's features, such as revenue-based financing, empower smaller MSPs to expand without traditional financial constraints.

Sponsor vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/

Guest Name: Dustin Puryear LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinpuryear/

Company: Giant Rocket Ship Website: https://giantrocketship.com/

Host Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylevciotoolbox/

In this episode of MSP Business School, host Brian Doyle is joined by Dustin Puryear of Giant Rocketship to delve into effective solutions for enhancing service delivery within MSP operations. Dustin shares his journey from managing an MSP to developing a vendor product that addresses the industry’s common pain points. The conversation focuses on how Giant Rocketship innovates ticket management and service coordination through automation, reducing backlog and improving client satisfaction.

Dustin Puryear explains the genesis of Giant Rocketship as a response to the inefficiencies he noticed in ticket management during his MSP tenure. By automating the dispatch and prioritization of tasks, Rocketship helps MSPs manage workloads more effectively, saving time and resources. Dustin highlights the importance of focusing on the volume of work rather than ticket numbers, a common oversight in service delivery operations. With trends towards AI and automation, the discussion underscores the evolving nature of MSP business models and the necessity of adapting to new technologies.

Key Takeaways:

• Streamlining Operations: Giant Rocketship automates the dispatch process, helping MSPs reduce ticket backlogs and improve service efficiency. 

• Prioritization Through Automation: By prioritizing tickets based on SLA, customer impact, and team capabilities, the system ensures that urgent tasks are addressed promptly. 

• Cost-Effectiveness: Implementing automation can help MSPs reassign resources and potentially reduce staffing needs, significantly improving ROI. 

• Evolving Perceptions: Dustin emphasizes shifting from ticket-focused to activity-focused operations to enhance service delivery and customer satisfaction. 

• Industry Trends: The adoption of AI and automation in MSPs is reshaping traditional service delivery models, necessitating a more strategic approach to technology and resources. 

Sponsor vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com