The IT Experts Podcast

It has been a long year, and it made perfect sense to look back at the most downloaded episodes that resonated with the MSP community the most.

We have made so many connections over that last year and we didn't let the travel restrictions get in the way! Many I am now proud to call great friends!

Here's our top 10 episodes for this year, to listen to the individual shows, just click the titles.

#10 - EP035- Getting Productive and Profitable with Your PSA with Chris Timm and Ian Luckett

We had a great chat with my friend, Chris Timm about everything you need to learn about why you need a PSA, and how to make the most out of it.

#9 - EP033 – MSP Business Growth Strategy 101 with Ian Luckett

In this short, sharp, punchy episode of the IT Experts Podcast, I talked about 5 of the key MSP business growth strategy elements that you can easily adapt in your IT & MSP business.

#8 - EP046 – Returning to the Hybrid Office with Ian Luckett

In another one of our Break Fix episodes, and in this one, I shared 3 strategies or tips to get staff back into the office, get them working, and keep them engaged. If you have a team, this episode is for you!

#7 - EP061 – IT Channel Predictions with Jay McBain from Forrester

In this episode, we are joined by Jay McBain -- this guy is a powerhouse of data! If you are an MSP owner and you want to know about upcoming trends in the MSP space, you should check this out, there's so much value in this episode!

#6 - EP063 – The Pillars to MSP Success with Karl Palachuk and Ian Luckett

In Episode 63 are joined by the godfather of the MSP, the legendary Karl Palachuk. He is a pioneer of managed services with over more than 2 decades in the channel, check out his tips and tricks in client management, profitability, and service delivery to help MSP business owners succeed.

#5 - EP059 – Straight Talking Cyber Security with Mostyn Thomas and Ian Luckett

Mostyn Thomas, a fellow ITBetweeners and CEO of Astrix, has joined us for this episode as we help you get your head around security and cyber threats that will challenge your IT & MSP business.

#4 - EP034 – Perfect MSP Pricing with Nigel Moore & Ian Luckett

Nigel has written a couple of books now around perfect MSP pricing (including how you should be packaging your services) and how to operate an MSP. He is an absolute legend, and this is a must-listen to episode!

#3 - EP040-Understanding Your MSP Digital Marketing Footprint with Ayan Adam and Ian Luckett

I met Ayan at Clubhouse (the social audio app), she is a digital marketer in the MSP space, and in this episode, we were talking about your MSP's digital footprint, how important it is and what are the top tips and tricks that you should be adapting in your business.

#2 - EP032 – MSP Cold Calling Secrets with John Montgomery and Ian Luckett

In at #2 is John Montgomery -- the Cold Calling King, and in this episode, we talked about real and working MSP cold calling tactics that will help you get the best results for your IT & MSP business.

#1 - EP060 – MSP Success Stories – The LMS Group with Luke Mead & Ian Luckett

And in our # 1 spot, the episode that resonated to our listeners the most -- is the success story of LMS group and Luke Mead! In this episode, we talked about how he started back when he was in his teens being drove around by his dad as he fixes people's computers -- fast forward to today with his deck chairs and very own pub inside the LMS headquarters!

Did your favourites make it?

At IT Experts, we have years of experience helping IT & MSP businesses of all sizes to leverage their talents and take back control so they can scale confidently.

To connect with us and find out how we can possibly help, simply book an intro call straight into my diary here:- http://bit.ly/ite-introcall

If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over here at our website, innovatetosuccess.com

Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected]

Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

As usual, we kick off the episode with Adam sharing with us about who he is, what he does, and who he helps. Adams goes us through his journey from owning an MSP to running The MSP Finance Team, a company that helps MSP owners manage money.

Adam and I quickly chat about how managing finances well in an MSP business is as important as the operations. Adam also shares that the most transformative thing that happened in their business was educating and bringing up to speed the service directors and service team members from the financial perspective.

Then, I ask Adam what things MSP owners should consider in building a bulletproof financial system. He says that building a solid foundation is the key and getting the basics right is the first step. Getting solid data and having solid month-end processes which means looking at the data on a month-by-month basis, is the key thing.

We then continued on to talk about reporting. Adam strongly believes that having the insight into what's actually going on with your MSP numbers can really help everything you know. You have the foundation and data, you're all set. The data is there to help make the right decisions.

For the highlight of this episode, I then ask Adam about some tips and things to look out for MSPs of less than £250K turnover, between £250K and £1 Million turnover, and the ones with more than £1 Million turnover. Here are David's tips:

1. £250K – It's all about cashflow
2. £250K - £1 Million – Understand margins and sales opportunity.
3. Over £1 Million – Hold leadership heads to account on the financial goals.

Of course, Adam explains them one by one and why those key points are important in that particular MSP company turnover.

To wrap up the episode, Adam and I quickly talk about analytics for your KPIs. Adam says that gross margin and service gross margin are the two key things and then went on to explain why they are important.

I hope you enjoyed this episode. Finance may be boring, but you aren't going to run a business without it, so it's important to understand and know your MSP numbers.

You can reach out to Adam through his email at [email protected]

Get to know The MSP Finance Team by visiting their website, just click here – https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/

At IT Experts, we get up every morning to help IT & MSP Businesses thrive, IF you're looking to take your business to your next level and don't know where to start, then let's connect and we can organise some free support.

All you need to do to learn more is click this link :- https://innovatetosuccess.com/free-support

If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over here at our website, innovatetosuccess.com

Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected]

Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

Mark has been in the MSP channel for years and has written a book around help desk habits, and has developed and created online courses around it, as well as MSP website success. (Hint hint: our next podcast episode)

Before we kick off the episode which is value-loaded about what help desk habits you should have, Mark tells us about himself, who he is, what he does, and who he helps.

Then to start, I ask Mark first about service recovery paradox, what it is and why it's so important in IT. Mark thinks it is critical to behave in this way in the IT space because things go wrong all the time and it's why help desk exists in the first place.

The lesson that the service recovery paradox teaches IT & MSP business owners is to accept the things that go wrong and if you fix the problem, do it well and embrace it. Chances are that customers will be more loyal.

What do your clients really buy? It's the business outcomes. It's peace of mind.

I then ask Mark a question I've never asked anyone before, "Is it a service desk? Or is it a help desk?". Mark firmly answers it depends on who you talk to and the two are interchangeable.

We then agreed, why not use the word help? Mark thinks the word "help desk" actually portrays a certain positive personality, but if you can think of something more creative, go for it and create that personality for your help desk!

Mark and I then continued to talk about the concept of human customer service. Now Mark shares a phrase of his that correlates to this certain topic and that is, "Remember the human beings on the end of the endpoints." It teaches us that it's a mind shift about putting ourselves in their shoes and the importance of understanding.

Then we tackle where habits come into all of this. Mark says it is all about long-lasting behaviour change. He then proceeds to explain the concept of habits and how exactly habits tie together to your MSP help desk.

We also mention a few key topics like The Chimp Paradox and the importance of IQ & EQ in your team. We weigh in on these topics and talk about how they link to habits in your help desk. I also ask Mark about his own habits and even his answer to this is just a value bomb!

To wrap up the episode, Mark and I have a raw moment of laughter as he then shares an important tip that will help you get the 4 Rs in your MSP help desk which are: Reviews, Recommendations, Referrals, and Renewals. Don't miss it!

This episode is truly dropping value bombs all over the place, so I hope you listen to this again and again, and as much as you can to make you catch all the value this episode offers.

I also hope you enjoy this episode as much as we love creating it here at IT Experts.

You can reach out to Mark Copeman through his website by clicking here – https://www.wisecurve.co.uk/

You can buy the book, Helpdesk Habits by Mark Copeman, just click here – https://helpdeskhabits.com/helpdesk-habits-book/

At IT Experts, we get up every morning to help IT & MSP Businesses thrive, IF you're looking to take your business to your next level and don't know where to start, then let's connect and we can organise some free support.

All you need to do to learn more is click this link :- https://innovatetosuccess.com/free-support

If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over here at our website, innovatetosuccess.com

Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected]

Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

In today's episode, we share with you how to close 16 seats at £3000 per month.

One of my clients had a situation wherein their client was in a somehow messy situation themselves. Now, my client had limiting beliefs around his abilities to sell and offer value, and he then phoned me for some coaching then I helped him get that confidence and successfully close.

This episode is short but will surely offer you a ton of value.

At IT Experts, we get up every morning to help IT & MSP Businesses thrive, IF you're looking to take your business to your next level and don't know where to start, then let's connect and we can organise some free support.

All you need to do to learn more is click this link :- https://innovatetosuccess.com/free-support

If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over here at our website, innovatetosuccess.com

Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected]

Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

Now, first of all, I gave a brief overview of my background and how IT Experts came about. Then I shared some relevant statistics that correlate to why we need to improve the quality of Leadership in our IT & MSP Businesses.

I also weighed in the difference between MSP Management and MSP Leadership, topics that business owners think might be the same, but isn't.

In short, the 3 pillars to MSP leadership success are:

1. Personal Leadership
2. Strategic Leadership
3. Team Leadership

I discussed and explained them one by one, the relevant key points they come with, and why they are so crucial and important in being an MSP business owner.

I also shared some important subjects in this keynote like the Foundations of a Successful Business, The Leadership Growth Mindset, Shadow of the Leader, and brief information about The MSP Growth Hub that houses a recent business venture I started with my new partner, Stuart Warwick, and that is the MSP Mastery.

Finally, I gave the attendees a 90-Day Leadership Development Plan, which is a guide that MSP business owners can strategically follow to be a more successful MSP business leader.

I hope you enjoy the show, this was a great session and presentation and we at IT Experts just love sharing it with you.

At IT Experts, we get up every morning to help IT & MSP Businesses thrive, IF you're looking to take your business to your next level and don't know where to start, then let's connect and we can organise some free support.

All you need to do to learn more is click this link :- https://innovatetosuccess.com/free-support

If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over here at our website, innovatetosuccess.com

Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected]

Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

This episode is brought to you after we ran a quarterly planning session with our IT Experts Mastermind Program Clients and in the previous episode, we went more detailed in terms of the business elements of being an MSP business leader.

In this final part, we help you tackle the following key parts to MSP Leadership success.:

1. Build your leadership self-awareness.
2. Create expert events.
3. Make sure to measure your employee engagement and understanding the measures.

As usual, I expanded all these point by point as to why they are critical and relevant when running an IT & MSP Business today.

If you take a note of these steps since the first part, you are now ready to lead people who want to be inspired and want to win. By executing these steps, you are already there, building confidence as an MSP business leader.

At IT Experts, we get up every morning to help IT & MSP Businesses thrive, IF you're looking to take your business to your next level and don't know where to start, then connect with us and let us help you with some free support.

All you need to do to learn more is click this link :- https://innovatetosuccess.com/free-support

If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over here at our website, innovatetosuccess.com

Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected]

Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

First things first, I mention how Kate and I met which was during the previous Managed Service Summit in London where I attended her keynote speech and within about 10 minutes of Kate's presentation I said, "You are coming to my podcast, so many more people need to hear about this.", so here we are.

To start with, Kate shares a little bit more about her, her career history, and how she became to be a company culture expert which now offers culture as a service to organisations. She shares how she helps businesses in their employee engagement to make sure all their employees feel valued and cared for, as well as communication with leadership teams.

I then asked Kate what company culture is?

Kate says company culture is identifying who you are as a business, the behaviours and values you have as an organisation, from the leadership team right down to every single person in your business, that's your culture. She then continues to explain why company culture matters.

Kate and I then weigh in on how the words "change" and "progress" differ. We then eventually agree that it's up to the person who looks at those two words and assess what those words mean to them. We also tackle communication within team members and why it plays an important role in people understanding what "change" and "progress" mean.

I then asked Kate how people develop and embed culture within their business. Kate advises to not try and do it yourself.

She then talks about having a team of cultural ambassadors and explains the roles they play in building that company culture, most especially in living the company's values.

I then ask Kate the very same question I asked her during her keynote speech at Managed Services Summit in London, and that is "How do we measure culture". Kate said that the overall annual measurement should be the business growth and she continues to explain why.

Finally, to wrap up the episode, Kate shares one tip she can give to people working on building that great company culture, and that is to go and ask the people in your organisation because they will help you with the answers.

I hope you enjoy this value-loaded episode as much as we enjoyed creating it. I suggest you listen to this episode as many times as you want to make sure you get every drop of value you can get.

You can reach out to Kate Wood in her LinkedIn profile here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-wood-pocketsforall/

Kate Wood and I are both going to be in the Managed Services Summit – North next week, November 16th, together will other experts in the industry to provide tonnes of value and high-level presentations, discuss channel issues, meet, debate, network. If you are an IT/MSP Business Owner, VAR or System Integrator, and you want to get involved in this amazing event, you can secure your space right here – https://managedservicessummit.com/north/

You can access all the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/podcast/

If you're looking to scale your IT & MSP business and you don't know where to start, just navigate and explore here on our website www.innovatetosuccess.com where we've got a whole load of tips, tricks, strategies and community to help you grow and scale your IT and your MSP business.

I also invite you to come and take the IT experts test and we can help you to work out what to focus on right now to get you the quickest results in your business. You can take the test here – https://bit.ly/ITEtest

If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over here at our website, innovatetosuccess.com

Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected]

Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

Again, this episode is brought to you after we ran a quarterly planning session with our IT Experts Mastermind Program Clients and in the previous episode, we talked about how communication in general can help you build confidence.

In this second part, we go more detailed in terms of the business elements of being an MSP business leader.

Here are my next three tips for you in this episode to help you out:

1. Get to know your numbers and metrics.
2. Cascade your vision to your team.
3. Build and measure employee engagement.

Of course, I expanded all of these point by point as to why they are critical and relevant when running an IT & MSP Business today.

If you take a note of these steps since the first part, you are one episode away from leading people who want to be inspired and want to win.

The value doesn't stop here because we will be back with a part three! Stay tuned!

You can access all the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/podcast/

If you're looking to scale your IT & MSP business and you don't know where to start, just navigate and explore here on our website www.innovatetosuccess.com where we've got a whole load of tips, tricks, strategies and community to help you grow and scale your IT and your MSP business.

I also invite you to come and take the IT experts test and we can help you to work out what to focus on right now to get you the quickest results in your business. You can take the test here – https://bit.ly/ITEtest

If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over here at our website, innovatetosuccess.com

Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected]

Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

We talked about how planning and processes play a critical role in disaster recovery, especially in this past year or so.

Melvyn also mentioned about how important it is to "Plan for the worst-case scenario!". Your team should not be only thinking about point products and point solutions but how these products and solutions fit into a plan and how to execute this plan to counter disasters.

He also shared with us his 4 step MSP business continuity and disaster recovery process. They are:

1. Create a comprehensive risk assessment and business impact analysis - Look at potential risks and their impacts on your business.

2. Hardware and software Inventory - A comprehensive disaster recovery programme should include a thorough analysis of what you own and how you use it.

3. Set up an Instant Response Team - This ideally must be comprised of the members of the IT team; they are the men and women with the expertise to repairs those servers, to troubleshoot software, and can get you back online ASAP.

4. Keep the Disaster Recovery Plan Ready - Do not keep it a secret. It must be accessible especially during an emergency.

As they say, a winning effort begins with preparation.

Hope you enjoy this episode, and you learn from these MSP disaster recovery tips. How many of these have you already adapted into your MSP business?

You can reach out to Melvyn White by emailing him at [email protected]

You can access all the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/podcast/

If you're looking to scale your IT & MSP business and you don't know where to start, just navigate and explore here on our website www.innovatetosuccess.com where we've got a whole load of tips, tricks, strategies and community to help you grow and scale your IT and your MSP business.

I also invite you to come and take the IT experts test and we can help you to work out what to focus on right now to get you the quickest results in your business. You can take the test here – https://bit.ly/ITEtest

If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over here at our website, innovatetosuccess.com

Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected]

Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

This episode is brought to you after we ran a quarterly planning session with our IT Experts Mastermind Program.

As an IT & MSP business owner, we know that your happy place is in the tech, so, having difficult conversations with people like asking them for contracts or money might be something not easy for you to deal with.

Before I give you my three tips for this episode, I remind you that understanding yourself through your DISC profile is one of the key things to do as any Business Leader.

Here are my three tips for you in this episode to start building leadership confidence,

1. Get yourself into a safe environment, in readiness.
2. Have a structured plan for the situation.
3. Record the session for reflection and learning

I dissected these three tips and explained why they are relevant and very important.

Confidence building is like driving a car. When you couldn't get the clutch right and you kept stalling then you probably end up arguing with your driving instructor, but as soon as you knew that you could do it, you're off and start driving. Business is no different than that.

This may be a short break fix episode but I hope you've got massive value from it.

Be on the lookout for part two!

You can access all the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/podcast/

If you're looking to scale your IT & MSP business and you don't know where to start, just navigate and explore here on our website www.innovatetosuccess.com where we've got a whole load of tips, tricks, strategies and community to help you grow and scale your IT and your MSP business.

I also invite you to come and take the IT experts test and we can help you to work out what to focus on right now to get you the quickest results in your business. You can take the test here – https://bit.ly/ITEtest

If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over here at our website, innovatetosuccess.com

Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected]

Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!