SMB Community Podcast

To finish off the calendar year 2024, host James Kernan sits down with Karl Palachuk to discuss this year's hot topic: mergers & acquisitions. In this episode, James and Karl uncover the importance of timing and understanding when the ideal time to buy/sell a practice would be.

Our upcoming events and more:

Check out the link below for details on upcoming 2025 events:

http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind

New Book Release: I'm proud to announce the release of my new book, The Anthology of Cybersecurity Experts! This collection brings together 15 of the nation's top minds in cybersecurity, sharing real-world solutions to combat today's most pressing threats. Whether you're an MSP, IT leader, or simply passionate about protecting your data, this book is packed with expert advice to help you stay secure and ahead of the curve. Available now on Amazon! https://a.co/d/f2NKASI

Sponsor Memo:

Since 2006, Kernan Consulting has been through over 30 transactions in mergers & acquisitions - and just this past year, we have been involved in six (6).

If you are interested in either buying, selling, or valuation information, please reach out.

There is alot of activity and you can be a part of it.

For more information, reach out at kernanconsulting.com

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Now nearly halfway into December, James and Amy return to discuss Q4 marketing plans and recent headlines in the news.

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1.) MSP Question of the week: What are some good marketing campaigns to run at the end of the calendar year?

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2.) Notes on the News

a). Amazon Chip Supplier: As one of the top web server suppliers in the world (AWS), Amazon is capitalizing on a great market opportunity.

b.) Paid Training for Cybersecurity: James and Amy both realize there is a big skills gap in our industry. While training can be expensive and time-consuming, training can help cultivate culture and knowledge amongst your team.

https://www.technewsworld.com/story/paid-training-placement-program-eases-cybersecurity-hiring-challenges-179437.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/23/how-tech-bros-bought-americas-most-pro-crypto-congress-ever.html

https://www.channele2e.com/news/canalys-rmm-psa-leadership-matrix-ninjaone-halopsa-have-a-lot-of-momentum

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Our upcoming events and more:

December 4: M&A Workshop in Scottsdale, AZ

December 5-6: MASTERMIND LIVE in Scottsdale, AZ

http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind

December 11: Channel Program M&A Forum in Dallas, TX

New Book Release: I'm proud to announce the release of my new book, The Anthology of Cybersecurity Experts! This collection brings together 15 of the nation's top minds in cybersecurity, sharing real-world solutions to combat today's most pressing threats. Whether you're an MSP, IT leader, or simply passionate about protecting your data, this book is packed with expert advice to help you stay secure and ahead of the curve. Available now on Amazon! https://a.co/d/f2NKASI

Sponsor Memo:

Since 2006, Kernan Consulting has been through over 30 transactions in mergers & acquisitions - and just this past year, we have been involved in six (6).

If you are interested in either buying, selling, or valuation information, please reach out.

There is alot of activity and you can be a part of it.

For more information, reach out at kernanconsulting.com

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

To kick off the month of December, James and Amy are back with another episode of the SMB Community Podcast.

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1.) MSP Question of the week: Should I require my remote employees to return to the office?

In response to a recent article by Amazon, it sounds not so desirable. For Amazon, their reasoning was due to a lack of innovation. Perhaps there is a type of creative thinking that is missing? Tune in to hear more!

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Our upcoming events and more:

December 5-6: MASTERMIND LIVE in Scottsdale, AZ

http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind

December 11: Channel Program M&A Forum in Dallas, TX

Check out Amy's weekly newsletter!

Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news

Kernan Consulting "Weekly Tips"!

Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/

Sponsor Memo:

Since 2006, Kernan Consulting has been through over 30 transactions in mergers & acquisitions - and just this past year, we have been involved in six (6).

If you are interested in either buying, selling, or valuation information, please reach out.

There is alot of activity and you can be a part of it.

For more information, reach out at kernanconsulting.com

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

Another fun week of James and Amy! Following Halloween, James and Amy shared their mission of Halloween costumes and handing out Halloween candy. Kicking off this week's episode, DATTOCON missed out an opportunity for press and hype. From lack of a major announcement, there is a PR opportunity missed.

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1.) MSP Question of the week: How can you hold your team accountable?

Business coaches are being hired all across the country due to a lack of accountability. Instead, James and Amy share some insightful areas to strengthen your accountability with your team:

• Set goals with your team on a set cadence either daily or weekly
• Create expectations in writing with your team. Utilizing meetings, such as a daily huddle, can be a great opportunity to do a checkin with the team and leadership.
• Enhanced communication is effective accountability. Accountability is not conflict, instead, accountability is effective communication.
• Train your employees. Without proper training, it is difficult to hold employees accountable.

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2.) Notes on the News

a). The Consequences of Getting Hacked: DNA-testing website 23andMe fights for survival

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gm08nlxr3o

b.) How big tech instends to power AI's thirst for energy:

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/04/data-centers-how-big-tech-intends-to-power-ais-thirst-for-energy.html

A huge upswing in the number of data centers worldwide shows no signs of slowing down, prompting Big Tech to consider how best to power the artificial intelligence revolution.

Some of the options on the table include a pivot to nuclear energy, liquid cooling for data centers and quantum computing.

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3.) 5 Minutes with a Smart Person: Dan Amaro w/ E-Merge Real Estate from Ohio. Dan shares his story of success of becoming a full-time realtor and the steps he took to persevere.

Learn more about Dan by following him on social media or sending an email to [email protected].

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Our upcoming events and more:

December 4: M&A Workshop in Scottsdale, AZ

December 5-6: MASTERMIND LIVE in Scottsdale, AZ

http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind

December 11: Channel Program M&A Forum in Dallas, TX

Check out Amy's weekly newsletter!

Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news

Kernan Consulting "Weekly Tips"!

Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/

Sponsor Memo:

Since 2006, Kernan Consulting has been through over 30 transactions in mergers & acquisitions - and just this past year, we have been involved in six (6).

If you are interested in either buying, selling, or valuation information, please reach out.

There is alot of activity and you can be a part of it.

For more information, reach out at kernanconsulting.com

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

The Q4 2024 Killing IT Podcast features what may be our last discussion of robots for a long time!

Topic One - Where Are My Robots???

We’ve been talking about this for five years - So where are the robots? We have a massive personnel shortage on many fronts. AI is creating jobs faster and faster. So why haven’t robots evolved to serve us? We’re on the verge. What’s the holdup?

If nothing else, we're tired of talking about it.  

Topic Two - The Changing Economy of Our Industry

In just the last five years, a layer of billion-dollar and near-billion-dollar companies are major players in our industry. This is literally a new layer of business and ownership. They are almost entirely focused on the top 3-5% of businesses in our space.

In the meantime, 95% of SMB IT consists of and serves 1-4 person companies. The continued growth at the top seems unsustainable. So . . . where is all this going?

Topic Three - A Practical Approach to AI 

There's some (seemingly) conflicting research with AI adoption. Forrester highlighted the benefits of Copilot adoption for SMB. Lots of benefits, increased revenue, lower employee attrition, and more. At the same time, The Information reports that customers give Copilot mixsed reviews. Large corporations are increasing their usage, but tend not to use the paid version.

Is this a conflict? How do we make sense? Obviously, we have three opinions.

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That's it for Q4 and for 2024. We'll be backin Q1 2025!

:-)

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Hosts James and Amy are back this week to discuss the series of noteworthy headlines from this week as well as this week's MSP question of the week.

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1.) Notes On The News

1. IT Nation - one announcement
2. CompTIA Aquired - New Divisions will be created
3. Department of Labor - Ruling for Overtime Labor

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2.) MSP Question of the week: Are you a REAL MSSP? What does it take to become a MSSP?

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Our upcoming events and more:

December 4: M&A Workshop in Scottsdale, AZ

December 5-6: MASTERMIND LIVE in Scottsdale, AZ

http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind

December 11: Channel Program M&A Forum in Dallas, TX

Check out Amy's weekly newsletter!

Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news

Kernan Consulting "Weekly Tips"!

Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/

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

Hosts James and Amy sit down this week to discuss key performance indicators (KPIs) that can be used to measure success with your business.

1.) MSP Question of the week:

What reports or KPI's do you need to manage your business?

Article by Amy: https://www.channelpronetwork.com/2024/09/26/how-do-msps-measure-success-im-hitting-my-metrics-but-not-sure-theyre-the-right-ones/

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2.) Notes On The News

1. 1. https://www.channele2e.com/news/big-3-rmm-psa-vendors-see-market-share-slip-canalys

   ConnectWise market share dropped from 26.8% to 24.3%.

   Kaseya market share dropped from 22.9% to 22.7%

   N-able market share dropped from 12.5% to 11.4%

   NinjaOne's market share grew from 8.4% to 9.4%

   All others combined had a market share of 29.4% last year, which grew to 32.1% this year. Canalys is forecasting the managed services industry itself to grow from $548 billion in 2024 to $608 billion in 2025.

   1. https://mspradio.com/podcast/marriotts-52m-fine-cybersecurity-warnings-and-tech-updates-from-microsoft-linkedin-atlassian/

   Marriott was issued a hefty $52 million fine following major data breaches that compromised the personal information of over 344 million customers. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settlement mandates that Marriott enhance its security measures

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3.) Our upcoming events and more:

December 4: M&A Workshop in Scottsdale, AZ

December 5-6: MASTERMIND LIVE in Scottsdale, AZ

http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind

December 11: Channel Program M&A Forum in Dallas, TX

Check out Amy's weekly newsletter!

Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news

Kernan Consulting "Weekly Tips"!

Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/

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

This week, host James Kernan speaks with David Sims, founder of Security First IT, regarding navigating HIPAA from the lens of MSP business ownership.

About David Sims

Since 1998, David is an experienced IT and cybersecurity professional who specializes in healthcare security and compliance. With over two decades of hands-on experience, he founded Security First IT to provide advanced solutions tailored to healthcare providers and small to medium-sized practices, ensuring they stay secure in an ever-changing threat landscape. David also founded and runs the podcast "Help Me with HIPAA", a show dedicated to how MSPs navigate healthcare and help their clients.

https://securityfirstit.com/

https://helpmewithhipaa.com/

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Our upcoming events and more:

MASTERMIND LIVE - Scottsdale, AZ - December 5-6th

www.smbtechfest.com

Check out Amy's weekly newsletter!

Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news

Kernan Consulting "Weekly Tips"!

Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/

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

Returning to the podcast, host James sat down with Tim Fitzpatrick from Rialto Marketing. Topics include defining your processes, establishing your onboarding, and identifying your competitive advantage in the markets you serve.

About Tim Fitzpatrick

Tim is the President of Rialto Marketing, a company that provides marketing consulting, advisory, and outsourced or fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) services. Rialto Marketing specializes in helping B2B professional service firms accelerate their growth by building and managing their marketing engines.

He also hosts the Rialto Marketing Podcast which features interviews with B2B professional service firm owners and executives who are actively working to grow their businesses. The podcast aims to help listeners learn from the experiences of these successful professionals by discussing the good, the bad, and the ugly of their journeys. It's a great resource for anyone looking to accelerate their business growth and gain valuable insights from industry leaders.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/timpfitzpatrick

https://www.rialtomarketing.com/

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Our upcoming events and more:

MASTERMIND LIVE - Scottsdale, AZ - December 5-6th

www.smbtechfest.com

Check out Amy's weekly newsletter!

Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news

Kernan Consulting "Weekly Tips"!

Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/

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

Christopher Barber - Cheaper Than a Geek

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherjbarber/

Host Karl had a great chat with Christopher Barber from Cheaper Than a Geek in Maryland. Topics include networking for client attraction, and using Chambers of Commerce to spread a wide net that brings in new clients for decades.

Chris got involved in his local chamber and worked his way up to being involved at the state and federal levels. Chris tells how he stumbled at first, with the local chamber, and then learned how to leverage it year after year.

Side note: Chris gives out "nerd" glasses as a gimmick, and Nerds candy at parades. Details in the podcast.

About Christopher Barber Barber is the Founder, CEO, and Chief Nerd at Cheaper Than A Geek, an award-winning IT services firm known for delivering enterprise-level support to small businesses. With over two decades of experience in the IT industry, Christopher has built a reputation as a leader in providing innovative, customer-centric solutions that empower businesses to thrive in a digital world.

He has served at the executive level on multiple chamber boards, including the Maryland State Chamber of Commerce, and is a frequent speaker on topics ranging from cybersecurity to the strategic benefits of IT outsourcing. Christopher's dedication to exceptional service and community engagement has earned him numerous accolades, including recognition as a Most Admired CEO by The Daily Record and as a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Top 100 Small Business honoree.

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