SMB Community Podcast: Business Advice for Small MSP Owners

Looking forward to Episode 100! As we close in on the end of 2020, we are also fast approaching our 100th episode.

Thank you for following us, sharing our podcasts, and giving us the big thumbs-up.

Topic 1: AI Reveals Racial Inequalities in NYC

We've talked about the layers of bias within Artificial Intelligence, and the impact of human bias on the creation of AI. So this topic looks at using AI to find bias inside existing databases. It's very meta.

https://thenextweb.com/neural/2020/11/30/ai-reveals-vast-racial-inequities-in-nyc-homeownership/

Topic 2: Growth in renewable energy finally takes off.

I think we all know that various electrical generating systems have become cheaper, but this article has some jaw-dropping statistics. Solar energy is going to dominate the world for one really good reason: It's not cheaper BY FAR than anything else.

Price of electricity from solar dropped 89% in ten years !!!
Price of solar photovoltaic cells dropped 99.6% since 1976.

https://ourworldindata.org/cheap-renewables-growth

Topic 3: "Edge" (whatever that means) Brings Opportunity.

And while we're at it, we all hate the term Edge. Having said that, the real focus is on new and various protocols that you can just let run wild. Complexity brings opportunity!

We discuss.

https://smartermsp.com/survey-unveils-edge-computing-opportunity-for-msps/

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Sponsor Memo:

PC Matic — Endpoint Security built on a zero trust philosophy, allowing only trusted applications and blocking all the rest. Light weight, simple to deploy, easy to manage, find out about PC Matic's unique lead sharing program for MSPs backed by a prime-time national TV campaign. Together, we bring advanced security solutions combined with more than sales enablement . . . we bring actual leads. Find out more about PC Matic by visiting http://PCMatic.com/msp/.

:-)

Karl interviews Manuel Palachuk, author and coach.

Manuel is introducing a new kind of interactive event call The IT Confidential. See https://theitconfidential.com.

The new venture is a bit like a webinar/podcast with a major twist: A live audience. The goal is to take a hard look at some issues that others are not talking about in the channel. Plus, he got a cool look and feel for the web site.

One other fronts:

We start by checking in on how things are going during the pandemic. So far, our industry seems to be doing pretty well. There are exceptions, of course, but the overall picture is pretty positive.

We also look at the bigger picture and what the "next normal" will look like when the pandemic is over. Next year might be a lot like this year. But Manuel suspect 2022 should be much closer to the old normal.

AND Manuel is announcing a new training series call Agile IT Service Delivery. Like "agile" in software development, Agile Service Delivery is a self-improving service delivery process based on continuous incremental improvement.

You can find out more about that at https://agileservicedelivery.com/.

In general, you can learn more about Manuel at ManuelPalachuk.com, and you can contact him at "manuelpalachuk" on all the social media.

:-)

About the SMB Community Podcast: Weekly business advice for small MSP owners from Amy Babinchak and James Kernan of the Small Biz Thoughts community — MSP sales, MSP pricing and agreements, hiring and leading an MSP team, MSP operations, selling your MSP, and AI for small MSPs. Produced by MSP Radio. More for MSP owners at smallbizthoughts.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Announcement: Killing IT Podcast is available on Audible / Amazon podcasts. If you have an Audible account, just search for “The Killing IT Podcast.”
Direct Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Killing-IT-Podcast-Podcast/B08JJNTC1N

Topic 1: The Robo-job Apocalypse is Being Delayed.

We've covered this story from several angles over the last years. Turns out robots are adding more jobs than they are taking away. Robots are affected how much people get paid, not whether they have jobs.

Link:
1 big thing: The robo-job apocalypse is being delayed

https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-future-8f74f9a3-b35f-4b62-831e-d7215c0618f4.html?chunk=0&utm_term=emshare#story0

Topic 2: A great resource to explore - NATO's research on evil actors in worldwide technology.

Start with the web site https://www.stratcomcoe.org/publications.

We particularly love this report:
https://www.stratcomcoe.org/black-market-social-media-manipulation

Also check out the quarterly report on robot trolling. All really good, well-researched, and a little scary.

Book cited: The Big Switch by Nicholas Carr.

Topic 3: Turns out, Facebook CAN tweak the algorithm.

Facebook has long claimed that they cannot make changes to their "news" algorithm. Specifically, they have claimed that they cannot start tweaking the viral nature of trends on their own platform.

Now they are saying that they had to crank down the viral nature of some posts during the election. The goal was to diminish extreme divisiveness.

It may or may not be good. But clearly they can adjust their algorithm. We discuss.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/24/21612728/facebook-news-feed-us-election-change-mainstream-news-misinformation

Another fun show! Share with your friends.

:-)

Karl caught up with Chris Timm from Sondela Consulting. Chris has a long history in the SMB IT community. He is a former MSP owner and spent a few years at Autotask.

Today Chris is a coach and thought leader around making the most of your PSA. He runs a podcast with Rayanne Buchianico at http://psaimpact.net/. Check it out!

But our focus here is Chris's new book! PSA Profitability is available on Amazon and Kindle. The Amazon.com link is https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1838111301/.

Here Tim gives us some great advice about picking the right PSA for your business. Like many software packages, the right tool for one company is not the right tool for all companies. A good PSA with be customizable for your procedures and processes.

Chris is a huge advocate of tracking all time in the PSA. But, at the same time, he says that you shouldn't buy a PSA if all you need is a ticketing system. If you need a ticketing system, go buy one. A PSA is a much bigger-picture tool. Yes, it includes a ticketing module. But it's a lot more than that.

Overall, a great conversation.

Related Links: - Web: www.sondelaconsulting.com - Podcast: psaimpact.net - Book: www.psaprofitability.com

:-)

About the SMB Community Podcast: Weekly business advice for small MSP owners from Amy Babinchak and James Kernan of the Small Biz Thoughts community — MSP sales, MSP pricing and agreements, hiring and leading an MSP team, MSP operations, selling your MSP, and AI for small MSPs. Produced by MSP Radio. More for MSP owners at smallbizthoughts.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A bit of wisdom from Dave on marketing: If you are only buying a sure thing for marketing, you are LAST.

Note: This space is available. YOU could be advertising here.

Topic 1: Modern "Proctored" Exams are creating excessive anxiety.

Cheating-detection companies made millions during the pandemic, and now students are fighting back. (This was originally a Washington Post article, but you need a subscription to read it there.)

You should read at least some of this article to get the gist of what's going on. Aside from over-doing distrust, the over-use of technology is making the system worst. This is also a reflection of how behind the times education is.

https://www.stripes.com/cheating-detection-companies-made-millions-during-the-pandemic-and-now-students-are-fighting-back-1.651909

Our conclusion: If you're paid to give advice, don't ignore stupid stuff like this. Earn your pay and speak up!

Topic 2: Eight Smart Cities to Watch During Pandemic

A great look at some actual, real-world application of various technologies. This is a longer article and very good. Is your city on the list?

It's really amazing how much cool stuff is being done to improve the livability of cities with technologies that help with citizen participation, traffic managements, safety, and more. This is way beyond traffic lights and road sensors.

https://statetechmagazine.com/article/2020/11/8-smart-cities-watch-2020

https://www.analyticsinsight.net/frost-sullivan-report-predicts-26-new-smart-cities-by-2025/

Note that there's also a HUGE opportunity here. These are cities, not states or federal governments. Cities hire people like you to make this stuff happen.

Topic 3: Video games are good for well-being (University of Oxford study).

People who play video games for long periods of time tend to report feeling happier than those who do not, the study shows. The Oxford Internet Institute research focused on two games: Nintendo's Animal Crossing and Electronic Art's Plants vs Zombies.

In an unusual step, the developers of the games shared anonymized data about how long each participant had played. These logs were then linked to a survey in which the players answered questions about their well-being.

A total of 3,274 gamers took part!!! All were over eighteen years of age. In previous research, data gathered about the duration of subjects' gaming sessions was based on self-reported "guesstimates," which can be inaccurate.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54954622

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Using LinkedIn to Generate Leads for MSPs with Nathaniel Freedman, Tech Pro Marketing

Karl interviews Nathaniel Freedman, CEO of Tech Pro Marketing.

As Nate says: You don't want marketing help from just anyone — you want it from someone who is focused exclusively on using MSP Marketing to help MSPs generate leads. Tech Pro Marketing is dedicated to delivering predictable, quality leads to Managed Service Providers and help fill their sales pipelne.

Karl and Nate explore ways you can do better with your lead generation, specifically with LinkedIn.

Related Resources:

• https://www.techpromarketing.com
• https://smartermsp.com/author/nate-freedman/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/natefreedman/

:-)

About the SMB Community Podcast: Weekly business advice for small MSP owners from Amy Babinchak and James Kernan of the Small Biz Thoughts community — MSP sales, MSP pricing and agreements, hiring and leading an MSP team, MSP operations, selling your MSP, and AI for small MSPs. Produced by MSP Radio. More for MSP owners at smallbizthoughts.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Topic 1: 3D printing that makes sense.

We have covered 3D printing several times. Now we get to report on some seriously cool applications. Medical applications are some of the coolest applications for 3D printing.

3d Printing is moving out of the "emerging" phase and finding some real uses in the real world.

https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-future-a832ca67-a3a6-46a4-b805-9e9471b3e8a8.html (See story #3)

Topic 2: AI Analysis of Reddit users.

Here's an interesting use of AI. The folks over at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) analyzed the words and moods of writers on Reddit over time. They found some interesting shifts in personal emotions over time.

We look into the tech as well as the environment (Reddit). There are always questions about the research techniques, but it helps a lot that this is from MIT and not some random blogger.

https://thenextweb.com/neural/2020/11/06/mit-ai-analysis-of-reddit-shows-anxiety-levels-are-sky-high-since-pandemic/

Topic 3: Taking the middle ground on facial recognition and bias.

We've covered the racial biases that are often built into facial recognition. Now, the Detroit city counsel is taking the middle ground: Don't throw it away; but don't use it as it ships (filled with problems).

This is another area where the prices are coming down and the use cases are increasing.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/technology/facial-recognition-software-police.html

Sponsor Note: Gozynta Tixt

Headaches with customers texting your technicians? Gozynta Tixt brings your texting conversation into service tickets. Set your MSP apart by allowing your customers to communicate the way they want, without losing control of the conversation. Since text messages are 10 times more likely to be opened than email, you can get your tickets to "Resolved" faster! An essential tool for supporting a growing remote workforce. Go to www.tixt.us to sign up for a free 30 day trial.

:-)

Karl caught up with coach Erick Simpson (www.ericksimpson.com). He works with a lot of partners, and we talk about what partners are experiencing as the extended "work from home" world evolves.

Luckily, many IT service providers are thriving and doing well helping their clients to be successful. That is a great example of technology that used to be "nice" and is no critical. So that has turned into an unexpected opportunity.

But we are also faced with an unexpected challenge: Selling remotely. Erick talks about how we can use the extended functions of Zoom (or Teams or whatever) to help you deliver a killer sales presentation.

From there, we dive into some specifics. How do you do qualifications and meeting setups remotely? Be prepared. Make the technology invisible.

Plus lots of other great tips and information!

Web site: www.ericksimpson.com

:-)

Sponsor Note: Gatekeeper from Calyptix Security Introducing Gatekeeper from Calyptix Security: zero trust access securing RDP and SSH connections with two factor authentication without open ports to the internet, client installs or VPN. Two years of partner driven development brings audit friendly access across all types of devices. Reduce stress and implement proper safeguards as advised by the FBI, NSA and DHS, all in a purpose-built solution for small businesses. Interested? Learn even more by visiting calyptix.com/gatekeeper, and when you do, tell them Karl sent you.

About the SMB Community Podcast: Weekly business advice for small MSP owners from Amy Babinchak and James Kernan of the Small Biz Thoughts community — MSP sales, MSP pricing and agreements, hiring and leading an MSP team, MSP operations, selling your MSP, and AI for small MSPs. Produced by MSP Radio. More for MSP owners at smallbizthoughts.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Topic 1: Walmart fires inventory robots.

Walmart fires inventory robots after five years. Goes back to humans. Plus, they learned a lesson about customer service (and customer experience).

Related Link:

https://interestingengineering.com/walmart-thinks-humans-do-it-better-fires-all-inventory-robots

Topic 2: Who am I to pick the algorithm?

We've talked about AI algorithms having biases built in. Now the question is, how do you manage the choice of picking the algorithms? What's the decision process for determining the presence of bias? Would the people who do well at building culture also be good at picking the best algorithms?

Book referenced: A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink. (Please see our entire Reading List of books mentioned on this podcast.)

Related Link:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/11/02/opinion/who-am-i-decide-when-algorithms-should-make-important-decisions/

Topic 3: Life after the pandemic: AI and Traffic Sensors already in automobiles.

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications in the transport sector are stimulating innovations for better and more targeted use of vehicles and infrastructure. This could optimize network performance, support the monitoring and management of traffic, and create the base for solutions that pave the way to future mobility, particularly in cities.

Related Link:

https://thenextweb.com/shift/2020/11/04/heres-how-ai-is-helping-cities-improve-traffic-management-syndication/

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Our Sponsor this week:

PC Matic — Endpoint Security built on a zero trust philosophy, allowing only trusted applications and blocking all the rest. Light weight, simple to deploy, easy to manage, find out about PC Matic's unique lead sharing program for MSPs backed by a prime-time national TV campaign. Together, we bring advanced security solutions combined with more than sales enablement … we bring actual leads. Find out more about PC Matic by visiting PCMatic.com/msp/

:-)

Karl interviews Ben Niernberg from MNJ Technologies. MNJ is an MSP that also helps other MSPs resell phone services and Internet connectivity.

Ben currently oversees all sales, marketing, services and vendor management relations for MNJ Technologies. Before joining MNJ, he spent a decade at Canon Solutions America, a subsidiary of Canon USA Company, where he was in a variety of management and executive roles. At MNJ, Ben remains focused on working with new and existing customers to solve their technology and services business issues that they deal with every day. Ben is thrilled about the future of MNJ Technologies and the exciting growth that has already been realized.

For many organizations, connectivity is a key financial, administrative and usability pain point. Legacy solutions like MPLS may be adding unnecessary expense. Traditional circuit/bandwidth services and newer SD-WAN offerings are typically sourced from different providers, making it difficult to optimize spend as well as forcing IT teams to manage multiple bills and complicating troubleshooting. Slow connections frustrate employees (especially those now working from home) while also hampering productivity.

Managed services provider MNJ Technologies is solving those problems for mid-market customers by consolidating all telecom services under one roof through its role as both a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) and SD-WAN provider.

Web Sites: https://www.mnjtech.com/

:-)

About the SMB Community Podcast: Weekly business advice for small MSP owners from Amy Babinchak and James Kernan of the Small Biz Thoughts community — MSP sales, MSP pricing and agreements, hiring and leading an MSP team, MSP operations, selling your MSP, and AI for small MSPs. Produced by MSP Radio. More for MSP owners at smallbizthoughts.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.