You've heard stories about MSP owners selling their business after building it up for 20 or 30 years. But what's it really like? Not just the nuts and bolts of the selling process, but the emotional side of it? The letting go of this entity that you created from scratch. In this episode of "Sunny's Silver Linings", you'll hear that story from Jamison West, an author, serial entrepreneur, and strategic coach at ConnectStrat who went through that unique experience and lived to tell about it. His story is beneficial if you're considering selling your MSP, have already committed to selling it, or if you're just interested in hearing a first-hand account from a peer and his emotional rollercoaster journey.

How do MSPs contend with the "infinite game" of cybersecurity? The answer to that tough question comes from Bob Coppedge, the CEO of Simplex-IT, an Ohio-based MSP in this podcast. Bob shares his thoughts on "the bad guys" and their online threats, ways to combat them – including how to successfully hire cybersecurity tech talent – along with ways to retain talent and determining the best resources to effectively arm them for the ongoing, volatile cybersecurity war.

Has anyone ever told you that in order to lead, you must lead yourself first? If not, then this brand new episode of Sunny's Silver Linings featuring Kayvan Yazdi is perfect for you. The Founder and President of TruAdvantage, a Cupertino, CA-based MSP, defines the idea of leading yourself first, the importance of being intentional, and how these behaviors can profoundly impact your team's culture and engagement. Kayvan shares with you how he puts them into practice every day personally and professionally so that you can learn how to lead yourself and your company to greater success.

A poor hiring decision or promoting the wrong candidate to a leadership position can have a huge negative impact on your MSP business. So how can you improve your ability to identify qualified candidates for the right roles? Find out in this edition of Sunny's Silver Linings with Ammara Abedi, a strategy consultant with Insperity. She's an organizational psychologist who helps businesses implement employee strategies and programs, such as diversity and inclusion. She shares with you the critical questions to ask when assessing a team member's individual leadership potential, as well as the importance of being self-aware of your own unconscious biases that create blindspots which lead you to make poor staffing decisions.

Are you a good listener? If not, join the club! The majority of people are not. You can become one, though, with intention and some great tips from this episode of Sunny's Silver Linings featuring Marcus Bond, a senior consultant with The Collaborative Way. Marcus shares the challenges you face when trying to listen to others, the "filters" you employ that reduce your attentiveness, and why listening is a critical component of creating a healthy culture in your business. Once you improve your listening habits, you'll be amazed at how your culture will change for the better.

When you want to improve any business, you call in a coach. This is true for MSPs as well. One of the best in the industry is Dave Cava, a business coach with Encore Strategic. A former owner of a $10 million MSP himself, Dave shares in this podcast his experiences as an owner, identifies the four types of MSP leaders, and helps you determine which one you are. He also names the biggest obstacle that owners face – maturing your MSP – and coaches you on how to overcome that obstacle to successfully take your organization to the next level.

A poor hiring decision or promoting the wrong candidate to a leadership position can have a huge negative impact on your MSP business. So how can you improve your ability to identify qualified candidates for the right roles? Find out in this edition with Ammara Abedi, a strategy consultant with Insperity. Ammara is an organizational psychologist who helps businesses implement employee strategies and programs, such as diversity and inclusion. She shares with you the critical questions to ask when assessing a team member's individual leadership potential, as well as the importance of being self-aware of your own unconscious biases that create blindspots which lead you to make poor staffing decisions.

IT tech rage is real! Just ask Matt Rose, the co-founder and Director of Technology Services for Tech Rage IT, in Orlando, Florida. In this edition of "Sunny's Silver Lining", the author of "Kiss Tech Rage Goodbye" shares his story of going from an IT consultant to an MSP owner – and witnessing the frustration that individuals can have with technology. Matt talks about the importance of communicating with clients in a personable manner, what to look for in hiring candidates with the right people skills, and the importance of being a good teammate. Matt talks about his book which details actual tech rage stories and the eight myths of the IT buying decision process.

Whether you attend business school or not, you're inevitably going to make bad decisions or have poor ideas along the way. How you embrace the feedback or negative results you get in return is vital to your MSP success. Just ask Michael Einbinder-Schatz, the President of Jobecca Technology Group, a cybersecurity and managed IT services provider. With no business schooling behind him, he built a successful MSP while attending the school of hard knocks. In this podcast, he shares three key lessons that will help you find opportunities when challenges occur which will help you better serve your MSP team, your business, and yourself personally.

How young can someone be to launch a career in IT? Greg Browning, the CEO of SinglePoint Global (SPG), began in high school and his career skyrocketed from there. In this podcast, you'll hear his story which began domestically and went international by the time he was in his 20's. You'll learn how his MSP overcame a stubborn $2 million ceiling, how to create a healthy workplace culture to retain top talent, and his three key lessons for MSP success. Here is the story from the owner of an MSP that's in the top 10 percent in the industry.