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Uncle Marv’s IT Business Podcast: Practical Business Advice for MSPs and IT Professionals
Uncle Marv’s IT Business Podcast: Practical Business Advice for MSPs and IT Professionals episodes
- Repeatable AI Revenue for MSPs with Lemhi (EP 1064)
John Harden, Founder & CEO of Lemhi, joins the IT Business Podcast as a PitchIT 2026 participant to discuss turning client AI demand into a repeatable MSP service. Lemhi helps MSPs identify AI opportunities, build client-ready roadmaps, apply governance and enablement, and monitor adoption as an ongoing managed offering rather than a one-off project.
Guest: John Harden
- Website: https://www.lemhi.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-harden/
=== Chapter
- 00:28 AI Revenue Opportunity
- 01:29 Meet John Harden and Lemhi
- 02:58 Lemhi’s Origin Story
- 04:57 Shadow AI and the MSP Opportunity
- 06:00 Building Repeatable AI Offers
- 08:09 Beyond Prebuilt AI Agents
- 09:58 From AI Projects to Recurring Revenue
- 12:50 Why AI Rollouts Fall Short
- 15:15 AI Use Cases for On-Prem Clients
- 17:42 How Lemhi Was Built for MSPs
=== SPONSORS:
- Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
- Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
- Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
- Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready
=== SHOW MUSIC:
- Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
- Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
- Author Username: AlexanderRufire
- Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML
=== Connect with Uncle Marv
🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcastIf you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.
23 min - Nimo: AI Coaching for MSP Teams (EP 1063)
Danny Suk Brown, President of AppMeetup, joins the PitchIT 2026 series to discuss Nimo, an AI role-play and simulation platform for MSP teams. Nemo helps sales, technical, support, and leadership staff practice real-world client conversations, identify skill gaps, and retain institutional knowledge through repeatable coaching and analytics.
Guest: Danny Suk Brown
- Website: https://getnimo.com/p/appmeetup
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannysbrown
=== Chapters
- 00:36 PitchIT 2026 and Danny Brown of AppMeetup
- 02:16 Nimo: Solving the MSP employee ramp-up challenge
- 04:04 Onboarding AI agents with websites and ideal-client profiles
- 05:09 Pricing, trials, and the MSP revenue case
- 06:48 AI role-play beyond sales: technical, support, and leadership teams
- 07:43 Analytics, skill baselines, and measurable business impact
- 09:55 Continuous coaching, retention, and ROI
- 13:01 Capturing company IP through AI role-play
- 15:57 Data handling, cloud access, and deployment options
- 18:01 Tech-stack integrations and vendor support
=== SPONSORS:
- Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
- Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
- Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
- Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready
=== SHOW MUSIC:
- Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
- Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
- Author Username: AlexanderRufire
- Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML
=== Connect with Uncle Marv
🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcastIf you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.
23 min - Compliance-as-a-Service with Blacksmith InfoSec (EP 1062)
Michael Zbarsky, Co-Founder of Blacksmith InfoSec, joins the show to discuss a Compliance-as-a-Service platform built for MSPs. Blacksmith helps IT providers operationalize client compliance through customizable policies, risk management, security guidance, and a scalable service-delivery framework.
Guest: Michael Zbarsky, Co-Founder
- Website: https://blacksmithinfosec.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelzbarsky/
=== Chapters
- 00:39 PitchIT 2026 and introducing Blacksmith InfoSec
- 02:05 Blacksmith’s GRC platform and five-minute PitchIT pitch
- 03:12 MSP Compliance Pivot
- 05:33 Insurance Wins and Feedback
- 07:17 Pitch It Updates
- 10:04 Operationalizing Compliance
- 12:46 AI and Policy Risks
- 17:06 SMB Focus Over Enterprise
- 20:19 Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up
=== SPONSORS:
- Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
- Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
- Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
- Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready
=== SHOW MUSIC:
- Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
- Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
- Author Username: AlexanderRufire
- Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML
=== Connect with Uncle Marv
🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcastIf you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.
23 min - How Synthreo Helps MSPs Sell AI (1061)
Callen Sapien, Co-Founder and CEO of Synthreo, joins the PitchIT 2026 series to discuss building an AI service practice for MSPs. Synthreo provides white-label, multi-tenant AI infrastructure that helps IT providers build, manage, govern, and bill for client-facing AI workspaces, workflows, and agents.
Guest: Callen Sapien
- Website: https://synthreo.ai/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callensapien/
=== Chapters
- 00:00 PitchIT 2026 introduction and guest welcome
- 01:25 The MSP opportunity beyond ChatGPT and Claude
- 04:20 Introducing Synthreo’s AI platform for MSPs
- 07:15 Why Synthreo shifted to AI service delivery
- 09:25 Out-of-the-box, custom, and autonomous AI agents
- 12:20 White-label delivery and partner go-to-market support
- 15:05 Packaging AI workflows, agents, and recurring services
- 18:00 Synthreo AI and Builder: productivity versus automation
- 20:20 What MSPs misunderstand about AI adoption
=== SPONSORS:
- Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
- Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
- Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
- Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready
=== SHOW MUSIC:
- Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
- Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
- Author Username: AlexanderRufire
- Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML
=== Connect with Uncle Marv
🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcastIf you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.
22 min - Proactive AV Management for MSPs (EP 1060)
Kevin Rauch, Co-Founder of pivot, joins the show to discuss how the company’s proactive AV lifecycle-management platform helps MSPs bring deployment, monitoring, support, maintenance, and refresh planning into one operational workflow. Pivot is designed to give IT providers greater visibility and control of business-critical AV environments, including AI-assisted incident troubleshooting through pivotAssist.
Guest: Kevin Rauch
- Website: https://pivotnow.io/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-rauch-53333a11/
=== Chapters
- 00:26 PitchIT 2026 introduction
- 01:25 Meet Kevin Rauch and pivot
- 02:05 The pivot pitch: proactive AV lifecycle management
- 04:46 Helping MSPs own the AV customer experience
- 07:30 Pivot Cloud and MSP-stack integrations
- 09:18 Unifying MSPs and AV integrators
- 11:40 Vendor-agnostic AV monitoring and shared workflows
- 12:53 Pivot’s MSP partnership opportunity
- 13:36 Lifecycle data, operational records, and support efficiency
- 17:41 Pivot Assist and AI-powered AV troubleshooting
=== SPONSORS:
- Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
- Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
- Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
- Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready
=== SHOW MUSIC:
- Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
- Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
- Author Username: AlexanderRufire
- Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML
=== Connect with Uncle Marv
🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcastIf you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.
23 min - How Oprising Helps MSPs Improve Service (EP 1059)
Michelle Coombs, founder of Oprising, joins the IT Business Podcast as a member of the 2026 IT Nation/ConnectWise PitchIT cohort. Oprising is a service optimisation platform that helps MSPs turn continual service improvement into structured, visible work—assessing operational capability, prioritising actions, assigning accountability, and tracking progress across people, process, technology, and customer experience.
Guest: Michelle Coombs
- Website: https://www.oprising.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-coombs/
=== Chapters
- 00:00 Introduction to Michelle Coombs and Oprising
- 01:35 Oprising’s PitchIT 2026 pitch: service optimisation for MSPs
- 03:20 Michelle’s service-desk and MSP operations background
- 06:30 From firefighting to structured continual improvement
- 09:00 Where Oprising fits: PSA, RMM, EOS, and integrations
- 11:30 MSP pricing, efficiency, margins, and ROI
- 14:15 The 90-Day Service Excellence Accelerator
- 16:45 Operational maturity, smaller MSPs, and avoiding overwhelm
- 19:15 Product roadmap and closing message
=== SPONSORS:
- Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
- Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
- Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
- Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready
=== SHOW MUSIC:
- Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
- Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
- Author Username: AlexanderRufire
- Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML
=== Connect with Uncle Marv
🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcastIf you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.
22 min - How FrictionlessIT Helps MSPs Increase Profitability (EP 1058)
Steve Martin, CEO of FrictionlessIT, joins the IT Business Podcast to discuss FITware, a profit-intelligence platform built for MSPs. FITware brings together operational, financial, service-delivery, capacity, and client-experience data to help providers spot profit leaks, reinforce accountable behaviors, and make more informed growth decisions.
Guest: Steve Martin
- Website: https://frictionlessit.net
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevemartin10/
=== Chapters
- 00:00 Introducing Steve Martin and FrictionlessIT
- 01:10 PitchIT 2026 and the FITware Pitch
- 06:15 Why MSP Profitability Needs Better Visibility
- 09:15 From MSP Experience to the FITware Platform
- 11:45 Dashboards, Data, and Operational Intelligence
- 14:00 When MSPs Should Consider FITware
- 16:15 ConnectWise Integration and Client Experience
- 18:00 Bonus Programs and Changing Team Behavior
- 20:15 AI-Powered QBRs and Closing Thoughts
=== SPONSORS:
- Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
- Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
- Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
- Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready
=== SHOW MUSIC:
- Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
- Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
- Author Username: AlexanderRufire
- Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML
=== Connect with Uncle Marv
🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcastIf you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.
22 min - AI Detection & Response: Kipling Secure (1057)
Saurabh Sandhir, CEO and Co-Founder of Kipling Secure, joins the IT Business Podcast to discuss AI Detection & Response (AIDR) for MSPs and MSSPs. Kipling Secure helps providers discover shadow AI, monitor AI usage and data exposure, apply governance guardrails, and turn AI security into a recurring managed service.
Guest: Saurabh Sandhir
- Website: https://kiplingsecure.ai/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssandhir/
=== Chapters
- 00:24 Welcome to PitchIT 2026
- 00:50 Meet Saurabh Sandhir and Kipling Secure
- 02:27 The MSP challenge: Unmanaged AI usage
- 04:04 Introducing AI Detection & Response (AIDR)
- 07:05 From AI visibility to governance guardrails
- 10:32 What makes Kipling Secure different
- 13:36 MSP integrations and deployment
- 15:29 Day-to-day operations and co-managed use
- 17:00 Pricing, service tiers, and recurring revenue
- 20:08 AI monitoring AI and data privacy
=== SPONSORS:
- Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
- Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
- Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
- Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready
=== SHOW MUSIC:
- Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
- Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
- Author Username: AlexanderRufire
- Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML
=== Connect with Uncle Marv
🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcastIf you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.
23 min - TechAlign: Better MSP Business Reviews (EP 1056)
Tyler Smith, CEO and Co-Founder of TechAlign, joins the IT Business Podcast to discuss a platform built by MSP professionals to streamline technical alignment reviews and QBRs. TechAlign combines assessments with PSA/RMM data to help IT providers identify client gaps, present recommendations, track remediation, and turn review findings into roadmap and project opportunities.
Guest: Tyler Smith
- Website: https://techalign.app
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-smith-5956b8ba/
=== Chapters
- 00:24 Introducing PitchIT 2026 and TechAlign’s Tyler Smith
- 01:58 TechAlign’s five-minute pitch: QBRs and alignment reviews
- 06:45 Why TechAlign was built for MSP workflows
- 08:32 Integrations, backup platforms, and the product roadmap
- 10:25 Early-adopter feedback and customizable assessment workflows
- 12:15 From approved recommendations to implementation tracking
- 13:50 Using QBRs to uncover service and sales opportunities
- 15:31 Identifying technology gaps and creating remediation tickets
- 16:51 MSP branding, custom domains, and client-facing reports
- 18:51 Ideal TechAlign customers and closing thoughts
=== SPONSORS:
- Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
- Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
- Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
- Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready
=== SHOW MUSIC:
- Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
- Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
- Author Username: AlexanderRufire
- Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML
=== Connect with Uncle Marv
🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcastIf you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.
23 min - How MSP Report Card Helps MSPs Build Trust (EP 1055)
Clayton Mouney, founder of MSP Report Card and a PitchIT 2026 participant, joins the show to discuss a strategic client-management platform for MSP account managers, vCIOs, and CSMs. MSP Report Card helps providers create consistent client-meeting cadences, capture business goals, prepare client-facing reports, and turn conversations into roadmaps rather than purely technical QBRs.
Guest: Clayton Mouney, Founder
- Website: https://www.mspreportcard.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claytonmouney/
=== Chapters
- 00:26 Introducing Clayton Mouney and MSP Report Card
- 01:46 PitchIT 2026 Boot Camp Experience
- 02:56 Clayton’s MSP Background and the Account-Management Gap
- 04:44 Why MSPs Need Better Client Meeting Cadence
- 06:08 The Four Essential Client Meetings
- 07:51 Building Strategic Client Relationships Beyond Technical Reports
- 10:32 MSP Report Card vs. Traditional QBRs
- 13:35 Integrations, Business Context, and Platform Differentiation
- 17:13 The 70-Point Assessment and Turning Gaps into Roadmaps
- 22:41 Closing Thoughts and Where to Learn More
=== SPONSORS:
- Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
- Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
- Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
- Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready
=== SHOW MUSIC:
- Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
- Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
- Author Username: AlexanderRufire
- Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML
=== Connect with Uncle Marv
🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcastIf you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.
25 min
About Uncle Marv’s IT Business Podcast: Practical Business Advice for MSPs and IT Professionals
From the publisher's feed
Running a managed service provider (MSP) or IT services business takes more than technical expertise. You need to win customers, grow revenue, protect profitability, manage vendors, deliver great service, and keep up with a changing IT industry. That’s where Uncle Marv comes in.
Hosted by longtime IT business owner Marvin Bee, aka Uncle Marv, the IT Business Podcast delivers practical business advice, real-world lessons, candid conversations, and industry insights to help MSP owners, IT service providers, IT consultants, system administrators, and technology professionals run their businesses better, smarter, and faster.
Topics include MSP business growth, pricing and profitability, sales and marketing, managed services operations, cybersecurity, compliance, Microsoft 365, cloud services, automation, service desk efficiency, vendor management, technology stack decisions, and customer relationships.
Hear from experienced MSP owners, IT business leaders, industry experts, and technology vendors about what works, what doesn’t, and what it takes to build a stronger IT business. Get an honest look at industry trends, vendor claims, emerging technologies, and the decisions that affect your customers, your team, and your bottom line.
Whether you’re starting an MSP, growing an established IT services company, managing client networks, or looking for better tools and smarter ways to work, Uncle Marv brings the conversation back to what matters: practical knowledge you can put to work.
Run your business better, smarter, and faster.
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