MSP Mindset with Damien Stevens

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In this week's episode, Damien sits down with Jon Salisbury, CEO at Nexigen, to talk about what 20 years of AI experimentation has taught him as an MSP leader. Jon explains why MSPs should stop thinking only in terms of tools and start focusing on use cases, governance, literacy, data quality, and culture. He also breaks down why “locking down” AI is not enough, and why creating a safe “Golden Road” may be the best way to reduce shadow AI and help clients adopt AI responsibly.

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In this episode of MSP Mindset, we're joined by Ben Smoker, CEO of Sota, a top 10 MSP in the UK, about why Sota chose to dogfood AI internally before selling it to customers. Instead of leading with tools or rushing a new offer to market, Sota spent months testing AI across finance, HR, compliance, sales, service, and back-office workflows to understand what actually saves time, where governance matters, and how MSPs can create meaningful client outcomes with AI.

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In this week's episode, Damien sits down with John Snyder, CEO of Net Friends, to unpack how he used AI to improve client reporting, reduce wasted scoping time, and increase project win rates from 47% to 65%. He shares how his team moved from reports nobody read to QBR-style insights that got clients responding within minutes, asking better questions, and requesting follow-up meetings.

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What happens when an MSP goes all-in on automation first—and then layers in AI the right way? In this episode, Brian Luckey (CIO of Integris) reveals how his team scaled capacity exponentially, saving tens of thousands of hours, increasing profitability, and transforming how work gets done across the organization. If you’re still relying on traditional service models, this conversation will show you why the future belongs to MSPs who combine automation, clean data, and AI-driven workflows to do more with less.

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In this episode, Arlin Sorenson joins Damien to break down a harsh reality: most MSP owners are building jobs—not businesses. Drawing from decades of experience, scaling a $17M MSP, and working with thousands of owners through peer groups, Arlin explains why profitability, leadership, and mindset—not effort—determine whether you’ll ever get paid for your company.

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In this episode, Dan breaks down exactly how he went from $1M to $55M in revenue, what actually changed at each stage of growth, and the hard decisions that made it possible—from firing clients to merging companies to bringing on private equity.

If you’re serious about scaling your MSP, this is a real-world blueprint. You’ll learn how to increase profitability, pay yourself properly, avoid burnout, and build a company that doesn’t depend entirely on you.

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On this week's episode, Scott Breitman, President of Dymin Solutions, shares the brutal truth behind scaling an MSP: you can’t grow if you’re still the hero. From losing his entire team to rebuilding with stronger culture and systems, Scott reveals how stepping out of operations, enforcing core values, and making tough leadership decisions helped grow his MSP to $7M+.

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What would you do if your business collapsed overnight… and your family was in danger?

In this week's episode, Roland shares how he went from running a 150-person tech company in Zimbabwe to fleeing political violence, rebuilding from scratch in the U.S., and ultimately scaling a successful MSP. From near-death experiences to closing deals in the ICU, his story of resilience and faith shows what it really takes to survive—and win—in business.

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Running an MSP can feel exhausting when every client treats IT like a commodity. But when you find the right clients, something surprising happens: joy.

In this episode, Macr Mansfield, founder of Celera Networks, talks about a topic most MSP owners rarely discuss: the joy that comes from working with the right clients.

After more than two decades building and scaling his MSP, he explains how alignment with clients transforms the relationship from “the IT company” into a true strategic partner. Instead of chasing every referral, he shares how defining the right industries, understanding their technology depth, and creating strategic conversations helps MSPs find clients who truly value their expertise.

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In this episode, Damien sits down with Kevin, founder of ITPartners+ to unpack one of the most dramatic culture turnarounds in the MSP industry.

Kevin realized the culture inside his company had become toxic — so toxic that the only way forward was to fire every single employee and rebuild from scratch. That decision forced him to rethink leadership, hiring, culture, and what kind of company he wanted to build.

The result? Explosive growth from $3.5M to $14M, a mission-driven company culture, and a bold goal to invest $1 million per year into community impact.

Kevin also shares hard-earned lessons about escaping owner-led sales, building a real sales team, using acquisitions to scale faster, and why MSP owners must learn to get out of their own way.

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📺 Watch on YT: https://www.youtube.com/@mspmindset