AI-Powered PartnerOps: The Next RevOps Frontier

In this insightful episode of the ZINFI Partner Ecosystem Podcast, Sugata Sanyal, Founder & CEO of ZINFI, sits down with Kyle Edmund Hayes, Founding Partner at Ecosystem Revenue Dynamics. Together, they explore the fast-changing world of PartnerOps, fueled by AI and driven by the foundational principles of Revenue Operations (RevOps). With nearly two decades of experience spanning Microsoft, Infor, and Avanti, Kyle brings a powerful systems engineering lens to revenue alignment. He shares how today's mid-market and enterprise organizations are overwhelmed by tool sprawl, data debt, and operational silos—and how AI, ecosystem orchestration, and RevOps engineering are converging to solve this.

Listeners will gain deep insight into the rise of PartnerOps as the next evolution of RevOps, the challenges of modern tech stacks, and the frameworks needed to simplify go-to-market complexity. This is a must-listen if you're a CRO, partner leader, or RevOps strategist.

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AI-Powered PartnerOps: The Next RevOps Frontier Best Practices

Discover How Top B2B Brands Are Transforming Engagement, Trust, and Revenue.

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Video Podcast: AI-Powered PartnerOps: The Next RevOps Frontier

✔ Chapter 1: From Engineering to Ecosystem Thinking

Kyle Edmund Hayes shares a compelling journey that blends engineering expertise with operational strategy. Starting at IBM, his early fascination with systems design and IT infrastructure evolved through hands-on roles supporting enterprise data centers. These formative years helped Kyle develop a systems-level perspective. He explains how this foundation shaped his understanding of how technology supports business functions, a theme central to his later work. His transition into software engineering was driven by coding and the desire to understand how complex systems serve broader business outcomes.

Kyle shifted from pure engineering to client architecture and program management as he moved through roles at Microsoft and other firms. This evolution was marked by a desire to bridge the communication gap between business teams and technical departments. At Microsoft, he worked on early Azure and SaaS migration projects, giving him a front-row seat to the evolution of enterprise cloud and partner engagement strategies. These experiences formed a unique blend of technical depth and business alignment that set the stage for his eventual founding of Ecosystem Revenue Dynamics.

Sugata highlights how this trajectory positions Kyle as an ideal thought leader for PartnerOps, which requires engineering precision and strategic coordination. Kyle has carved out a niche in orchestrating partnerships, channels, and go-to-market motions by fusing operational complexity with ecosystem thinking. This first section sets the foundation for understanding why PartnerOps isn’t just a renamed channel function but a critical extension of RevOps designed to handle the growing intricacy of the modern partner ecosystem.

✔ Chapter 2: What RevOps Got Right—And What’s Next

In this section, Kyle outlines the timeline of RevOps’ emergence and its growing importance since around 2016. Initially an evolution of traditional sales operations, RevOps expanded to include customer success, marketing ops, and more, transforming into a hub that touches every revenue-driving function. He credits this shift to changes in customer behavior, particularly in subscription-driven economies. The rise of SaaS and recurring revenue made it essential f...

Sales Development: AI's New Playbook

The world of sales has undergone a seismic shift, transforming from traditional cold calling to a nuanced, tech-driven, and human-centric approach111. In the age of AI, Sales Development isn't just about making dials; it's about navigating a complex buyer's journey, building authentic relationships, and leveraging intelligence to cut through the noise. This podcast uncovers the new strategies and essential skills required for success in the modern sales front lines.

Join Sugata Sanyal, Founder & CEO of ZINFI, in an insightful discussion with Gabe Lullo, CEO of Alleyoop. As a former SDR who built his way to CEO, Gabe leads one of the world's largest SDR agencies, specializing in front-line prospecting. He reveals how Alleyoop helps clients build and scale their sales development function, focusing on human dynamics, content creation, social influence, and the strategic application of AI to drive qualified leads and appointments in today's rapidly evolving market.

Listen to the full episode now to discover the new playbook for Sales Development and transform your outbound strategy!

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Tech Partnerships: Driving Integration-Led Growth

In today's complex and evolving digital landscape, strategic Technology Integration Partnerships are no longer a luxury but a necessity for business growth. This podcast delves into the meticulous process of building these vital alliances from the ground up, focusing on how seamless data flow and collaborative solutions can deliver immense value to customers and unlock new revenue streams.

Join Sugata Sanyal, Founder and CEO of ZINFI, in an insightful discussion with Rachel Collie, Director of Technology Partnerships at Unanet. Rachel shares her unique experience building a technology partner program from scratch, navigating highly verticalized markets like GovCon and AEC. Discover how Unanet identifies ideal partners, manages complex compliance requirements, and leverages integration-led growth strategies to drive mutual success and customer stickiness, even as a "team of one."

Listen to the full episode to gain actionable insights into building and scaling successful Technology Integration Partnerships!

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Blueprints for Vertical Success Best Practices

A Strategic Guide to Technology Partnerships.

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Video Podcast: Tech Partnerships: Driving Integration-Led Growth

✔ Chapter 1: Building Technology Partnerships from Scratch: A Strategic Blueprint

Rachel Collie builds Technology Integration Partnership programs from the ground up, consistently stepping into roles without existing frameworks. Her fascination lies in the intricate data flow between disparate systems, observing how customers leverage these integrations, from an ERP to a CRM or a CRM to a project management tool. Over the last decade, she has witnessed the evolution of this space from manual spreadsheet-based tracking to the ubiquitous adoption of APIs. This hands-on experience has honed her ability to define ideal partners and customer profiles and to build the foundational onboarding and enablement tools that are now considered standard yet vary significantly from company to company.

At Unanet, her first 100 days were crucial for establishing a strategic blueprint based on three key pillars for evaluating potential Technology Integration Partnerships. The first pillar focused on functional software that Unanet would never build itself, such as payroll platforms, leading to partnerships with companies like Paylocity, ADP, and UKG to serve a broad customer base. The second pillar targeted companies with many joint customers, where existing integrations made sense and offered clear potential for driving new revenue through collaborative efforts. The third pillar explored "cool, interesting technology" – innovative solutions like AI-powered proposal generation tools – representing speculative investments that could eventually address emerging customer needs and potentially lead to future acquisitions.

A critical challenge in this initial phase was managing limited bandwidth and roadmaps internally and externally. Rachel emphasizes that "whoever makes the phone call first" often dictates whether an integration gets built. The team deliberately took a strategic, small-scale approach to ensure product teams could build integrations that delivered real value instead of becoming unused logos on a website. Her primary frustration lies in inactive partnerships that fail to generate real value through integrations or revenue. The goal is always to cultivate active Technology Integration Partnerships that yield tangible benefits. This meticulous, phased approach to program building, driven by clear strategic pillars and a focus on actionable integrations, has been fundamental to Unanet's success in establishing its partner ecosystem.

✔ Chapter 2: Navigating Compliance and Customer Needs in Vertical Marke...

Beyond the Dark Web: Zero Trust for Enterprise Security

Cyber threats evolve unprecedentedly, and bad actors even weaponize AI. Traditional security approaches are no longer sufficient. This podcast dives deep into the critical need for a Zero Trust Security model, focusing on blocking first and permitting later to build truly resilient enterprise security defenses. Discover how understanding modern cybercriminals' methods, including those operating on the dark web, is essential for implementing proactive and effective protection strategies.

Sugata Sanyal, Founder & CEO of ZINFI, discusses this in an insightful discussion with Danny Jenkins, Co-founder and CEO of ThreatLocker. With over 20 years in cybersecurity, Danny founded ThreatLocker on the principle of denying by default, offering an endpoint cloud protection platform that hardens digital environments. This conversation explores the shift from reactive detection to proactive protection, the changing landscape of attack vectors, cybercrime's organized nature, and AI's critical role in offense and defense for enterprise security.

Listen to the full episode to gain actionable insights into fortifying your enterprise security posture against advanced cyber threats!

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The Zero Trust Imperative: Fortifying Enterprise Security Against AI-Driven Threats

Protect Your Business by Blocking First, Permitting Later.

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Video Podcast: Beyond the Dark Web: Zero Trust for Enterprise Security

✔ Chapter 1: The Shifting Landscape of Cyber Threats and Endpoint Protection

The cybersecurity landscape has fundamentally evolved, moving beyond simple viruses to sophisticated and aggressive attacks like ransomware that steal data and hold businesses hostage. While signature-based intrusion prevention was once a primary defense, the constant evolution of malware, now even accelerated by AI generation, means that relying solely on detection is a losing battle. The focus for effective enterprise security must shift from trying to detect everything bad to simply blocking everything that isn't explicitly known and permitted. This proactive approach, known as "protect first, detect later," is a core principle for hardening endpoints and preventing initial compromises.

ThreatLocker's core strategy centers on endpoint and cloud protection, recognizing that the endpoint (computers and servers) is the primary point of entry for attackers. Unlike network traffic, which can be encrypted, an compromised endpoint grants access to everything the user can access. The challenge of a dissolving traditional network perimeter means endpoints travel outside the office, necessitating robust security directly on the device. By stopping unauthorized software, malware, and suspicious activities directly at the endpoint, ThreatLocker aims to limit the damage even if an attacker gains initial access, preventing lateral movement and further compromise.

This includes addressing behavioral indicators of compromise, not just known malware. Tools like Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) identify suspicious activities (e.g., IP scanners, enumerating network shares) that, while not malware, indicate potential attacker presence. However, an EDR is only effective if its alerts are actively monitored and responded to 24/7, either by an in-house Security Operations Center (SOC) or a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) team. The ultimate goal is to enforce a deny-by-default posture, where any unapproved software or activity is blocked, rather than relying on the hope of detecting every new threat, which has proven to be a failing strategy for enterprise security.

✔ Chapter 2: The Organized World of Cybercrime: Mimicking Go-to-Market Strategies

Cybercriminals,

Sales Enablement with EQ in the AI Era

The digital landscape is rapidly changing, redefining sales and leadership. This podcast explores how emotional intelligence (EQ) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) fundamentally drive sales enablement and organizational growth. Discover how human skills and cutting-edge technology create a new frontier for business success.

Join Sugata Sanyal, Founder & CEO of ZINFI, in an insightful discussion with Joni Wickline, a seasoned consultant and former Chief Channel Officer. Joni brings decades of experience improving employee performance and engagement. She shares expertise from leading global positions at organizations like Leadership Circle and Blanchard and is renowned in leadership development. Joni highlights the critical shift in corporate learning from traditional methods to a focus on soft skills like resilience, communication, and collaboration. She also explains how technology presents both a challenge and an opportunity in this transformation. Listen to the full episode now to gain actionable insights into developing the human skills and strategic approaches necessary to thrive in AI! Joni Wickline, a Chief Channel Officer and consultant, fosters human skills for growth in the digital age.

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The Future of Partner Enablement: From Enablement Gaps to Global Advantage

Unlock the full potential of your partner ecosystem with proven strategies for global enablement, scalable infrastructure, and behavior-driven transformation.

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Video Podcast: Enabling Sales with EQ in the AI Era

✔ Chapter 1: The Evolution of Corporate Learning: From Hard Skills to Human Skills

Traditionally, corporate training focused on measurable, hard skills and efficiency-driven productivity. However, the landscape significantly shifted, with organizations now prioritizing "soft skills" such as resilience, communication, innovation, and collaboration. These are fundamentally EQ-driven attributes, making them much harder to measure and teach than the more mechanical skills of the past. This shift directly responds to technological advancements, including AI, which increasingly automates routine tasks, elevating the importance of uniquely human capabilities in the workforce. Learning providers find it increasingly difficult to attach specific training to these nuanced skills because each organization's needs and desired outcomes differ.

This change in focus also impacts how learning providers interact with their clients. In the past, HR typically bought training, and while HR departments remain central, the decision-making process has become more sophisticated, often involving "people officers." Selling to organizations now requires a deep dive into uncovering their specific needs, understanding the desired outcomes, and, most importantly, identifying the key metrics they aim to move. This consultative approach is essential because, despite clear recognition that these human skills are game-changers for organizations, measuring their direct return on investment is complex and challenging. The industry evolves to partner with organizations, co-creating solutions tailored to unique pain points or business opportunities.

This profound shift from IQ-driven, mechanical productivity to EQ-driven human behavior marks a new era for corporate education. While traditional education models, often characterized by rote memorization and standardized testing, still prevail, the demands of the modern workforce necessitate continuous upskilling in areas like resilience and complex communication. The challenge lies in retraining a workforce educated in the "old way" for the new frontier of sales ...

Smartsheet's Ecosystem Growth: Powered by PartnerOps Excellence

The dynamic world of enterprise software demands precision, strategy, and robust PartnerOps for scaling growth and managing complex partner ecosystems. This podcast delves into Smartsheet's meticulous approach to building, evolving, and optimizing its global partner network, revealing how a strong operational framework translates into tangible business success.

Join Sugata Sanyal, Founder and CEO of ZINFI, for an insightful discussion with Rachael Travis, Director of Global Programs at Smartsheet. Rachael shares her extraordinary journey from serving in the U.S. Army, including deployment in Afghanistan, to leading partner operations and channel strategy in corporate America. She provides a unique perspective on translating military-grade problem-solving and leadership principles into designing and executing effective partner programs. Discover how Smartsheet has strategically pruned and grown its partner base, leveraging data and innovation to meet evolving market demands.

Listen to the full episode now to gain actionable insights into developing a resilient and scalable partner operations strategy for your business!

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PartnerOps Excellence: The Definitive Guide to Scalable SaaS Ecosystems

Build a PartnerOps function that delivers strategy, structure, and AI-driven execution across your partner ecosystem.

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Video Podcast: Smartsheet's Ecosystem Growth: Powered by PartnerOps Excellence

✔ Chapter 1: From Military Leadership to Corporate Partner Strategy: A Unique Journey

Rachael Travis's journey into leading global partner programs at Smartsheet is deeply rooted in her six years of service in the U.S. Army by way of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Her time at West Point focused on honing leadership capabilities and building high-performing teams, skills she has carried forward throughout her career. A pivotal experience was her 15-month deployment to Afghanistan in 2007, during a challenging period when resources were primarily focused on Iraq. This environment demanded immense grit, creativity, and the ability to work across nations and diverse cultures to achieve a common mission, teaching her critical lessons in leading with empathy and collaborating under immense pressure.

Her military experience provided invaluable transferable skills for her civilian career in partner operations. One key lesson was the ability to break down large, ambiguous missions into smaller, bite-sized tasks that individual teams can execute against. This is particularly relevant in partnerships, which often present comprehensive, strategic concepts that must be translated into actionable plans. Furthermore, the military taught her how to build relationships and influence others without direct authority, a crucial skill in complex partner ecosystems where success relies on rallying diverse stakeholders around a shared vision.

The transition from managing physical logistics and equipment in the military to dealing with bits and bytes in a pure-play software world revealed that while the "widgets" are different, the underlying concepts and frameworks for problem-solving remain consistent. This includes planning, deploying the best resources, and optimizing for efficiency and effectiveness. Her consulting background, which followed her military service, further solidified her understanding of go-to-market strategies and customer-centric growth, laying the foundation for her channel and partner operations expertise.

✔ Chapter 2: Designing Strategic PartnerOps (Partner Operations): Effectiveness vs. Efficiency

A core principle in designing a partner operations framew...

Second-Party Data: AI Unlocking Ecosystems

In the fast-evolving landscape of modern business, the strategic use of data is paramount for sustainable growth. This podcast dives deep into the power of second-party data and how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming its utility to unlock unprecedented opportunities within partner ecosystems. Discover how companies move beyond traditional data sources to leverage shared insights for competitive advantage and accelerated revenue.

Join Sugata Sanyal, Founder & CEO of ZINFI, in an insightful discussion with Bob Moore, founder and CEO of Crossbeam. Bob shares his unique journey as a "data nerd" who built two successful SaaS companies in data analytics before founding Crossbeam, the world's leading platform for account mapping. He explains how Crossbeam helps companies compare their CRM data with partners while preserving privacy, which over 30,000 companies globally use. This conversation explores the evolution of data from first- and third-party to highly valuable second-party data and how AI is now a critical differentiator in leveraging these insights for more intelligent business decisions.

Listen to the full episode now to gain actionable insights into how second-party data and AI are reshaping the future of partner-driven growth!

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Video Podcast: Second-Party Data: AI Unlocking Ecosystems

✔ Chapter 1: The Entrepreneurial Journey: A Foundation in Data Analytics

Bob Moore's entrepreneurial journey is deeply rooted in his background as a "data nerd," having studied computer science and operations research. His career began at a venture capital firm, Insight Partners, where he quickly recognized a significant gap: many highly successful businesses lacked sophistication in data analytics, struggling with concepts like customer lifetime value and cohort analysis. This observation led him to manually assist these companies in analyzing their data using SQL and Excel, eventually sparking the idea for his first company, RJ Metrics. Launched in 2008 with co-founder Jake Stein, RJ Metrics aimed to productize this analytical work, bringing "venture capital grade analytics" via SaaS to a broader audience. This early experience laid the groundwork for understanding how businesses could leverage their data more effectively.

The second company, Stitch Data, emerged directly from challenges observed at RJ Metrics. Businesses often had their data scattered across various systems, such as Shopify, inventory platforms, payment processors, and marketing automation tools like HubSpot or MailChimp. This fragmentation made it incredibly difficult for companies to consolidate data to answer complex business questions, like whether a marketing campaign led to refunds. We designed Stitch as an intuitive platform for extracting data from these disparate API endpoints and depositing it into a centralized data warehouse, coinciding with the rise of cloud data warehouses like Amazon Redshift and Snowflake. This low-friction product achieved rapid success, and Talend acquired it in 2018.

The experiences at Stitch, particularly the realization that Stitch was often purchased as part of a broader data stack (e.g., alongside Snowflake or Looker), directly led to the genesis of Crossbeam. This insight highlighted that the most qualified prospects for Stitch were those who had just invested in complementary technologies. The problem of effectively collaborating with these partners through traditional,

EQ + AI: The New Formula for Partner Ecosystem Success

In this episode of ZINFI’s podcast series, Sugata Sanyal, Founder & CEO of ZINFI, hosts Jason Glass, Global Head of Partner Sales at SugarCRM, for a deep dive into the next wave of innovation in the partner ecosystem. The two explore how emotional intelligence (EQ) and artificial intelligence (AI) are not just shaping go-to-market strategies but redefining leadership, operations, and revenue growth.

Jason shares insights from leading partner programs at industry giants like NetSuite, Oracle, and SugarCRM. The conversation highlights how human connection, technical fluency, and marketplace orchestration converge to create a new operating system for partner-led success.

Whether scaling a channel, rebuilding partner enablement, or navigating hybrid sales motions, this conversation is your blueprint for building a high-performing, AI-ready, EQ-driven partner ecosystem.

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The Modern Partner Ecosystem

Discover how EQ and AI combine to transform leadership, operations, and growth in today’s partner-led, marketplace-driven ecosystem.

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Video Podcast: EQ + AI: The New Formula for Partner Ecosystem Success

✔ Chapter 1: From Direct Sales to Ecosystem Thinking

The episode opens with reflections on an early sales career at ADP and Epicor. In those early days, the focus remained almost exclusively on direct sales. Most organizations controlled the customer journey, and partner relationships appeared secondary or optional. The discussion highlights how this linear model fractured over time, giving way to a more holistic view where partner ecosystems play an essential role in modern go-to-market strategies. Simple reseller engagements evolved into diverse, dynamic models involving co-sell, marketplaces, and solution integrators.

The shift didn’t occur solely at an organizational level—buyer behavior played a significant role. With more access to information, buyers now demand flexibility, integrated solutions, and expert guidance throughout the journey. This behavioral shift pushed companies to diversify their routes to market and invest more deeply in partner ecosystems. Success no longer hinges on who owns the customer but on how multiple players collaborate to deliver consistent value across the lifecycle.

This opening segment establishes why traditional direct sales tactics no longer suffice. Leaders must now embrace partner ecosystems as a core strategic pillar. The era of linear pipelines and single-vendor dominance has ended. Companies that leverage the strength of their partner communities gain broader reach, richer insights, and faster time to market. The conversation transitions from isolated transactions to interconnected value creation, setting a compelling tone for the podcast's remainder.

✔ Chapter 2: EQ-Driven Partner Leadership in a Digital World

The conversation shifts to the rise of emotional intelligence (EQ) in partner sales leadership. Partner management once focused on operations—contracts, quotas, and enablement kits. As partner ecosystems became integral to success, interpersonal dynamics gained importance. Effective leaders now stay deeply attuned to the human side of partnerships. Trust, empathy, vulnerability, and active listening distinguish top-performing partner leaders from the rest.

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a seismic shift when face-to-face interactions disappeared overnight. The screen replaced the boardroom,

AI Disrupts Telecom Channel and Workforce Impact

In this high-energy episode, Sugata Sanyal, Founder & CEO of ZINFI, hosts Kameron Olsen, a seasoned telecom entrepreneur and expert in the TSD (Technology Solutions Distributor) ecosystem. Kameron brings two decades of experience in the telecom channel, covering everything from analog phones to SaaS-based UCaaS platforms. This insightful conversation explores how AI transforms customer experience and disrupts workforce models and operational dynamics.

They discuss the convergence between TSDs and MSPs, the evolution from CapEx hardware to OpEx cloud, and how telcos adapt to customer demands for cybersecurity and automation. With AI reshaping contact centers, sales models, and digital infrastructure, this episode delivers critical takeaways for anyone in the channel.

Listen in to understand why telecom's next wave of value lies in advisory-led, AI-powered ecosystems and how partners can lead in this shift.

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Unified Communications: The Backbone of modern digital growth

Discover how telcos adapt to customer demands for cybersecurity and automation.

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Video Podcast: AI Disrupts Telcocom Channel and Workforce Impact

✔ Chapter 1: From Prem-Based Phones to the SaaS-Driven Telecom Channel

The discussion opens by tracing the transformation of telecom from its legacy roots in on-premise phone systems to a modern, cloud-driven, SaaS-enabled ecosystem. Telecom professionals who once focused on selling hardware have evolved into strategic channel leaders facilitating cloud-hosted communications. The shift from CapEx-heavy deployments to OpEx-friendly models marked the turning point—ushering in a new era where unified communications, voice over IP (VoIP), and managed services took center stage.

Cloud-hosted platforms replaced physical equipment, reducing upfront costs and allowing for flexible, scalable service delivery. Technology Services Distributors (TSDs) began to bundle connectivity, voice, collaboration, and mobility solutions, making it easier for advisors to deliver end-to-end communication services. These trusted advisors transitioned from box sellers to business problem solvers, managing provisioning, implementation, and contract renewals.

The discussion highlights how pivotal events—like 9/11—accelerated the need for infrastructure redundancy and disaster recovery. Enterprises, burned by data and communication outages, began prioritizing resilience. This urgency paved the way for cloud-first thinking well before the industry officially labeled it "digital transformation."

In today’s telecom channel, advisors do more than activate accounts or push products. They assess risk, craft continuity strategies, and offer a consultative layer around service architecture. This segment establishes the foundation for future topics like automation, AI, and convergence—demonstrating how the channel’s value has expanded beyond connectivity to encompass strategic business continuity.

✔ Chapter 2: COVID, Bandwidth Shifts, and the Rise of the Digital Workplace

The COVID-19 pandemic served as the ultimate stress test for global infrastructure. Practically overnight, organizations had to move entire workforces online. Everything—enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer support systems, virtual meetings, and online commerce—had to run over personal home networks. Telecom providers faced skyrocketing demand yet scaled rapidly due to years of investment in scalable, software-defined backends.

While end users dealt with the immediate challenge o...

How to Exponentially Scale the Value of Managed Service Providers Business

In this insightful episode of the ZINFI Partner Ecosystem Podcast, Sugata Sanyal, Founder & CEO of ZINFI, interviews Tim Conkle, Founder & CEO of The 20 MSP, to explore how managed service providers can scale effectively and profitably. Drawing from over three decades of experience, Tim walks us through transforming MSPs from 5-person shops to national powerhouses without losing agility or customer focus.

He shares how The 20 MSP model leverages standardization, brand building, and a simplified business approach to tackle three significant challenges: lead generation, sales execution, and operational scale. The episode provides a roadmap for MSP leaders looking to move beyond technical excellence and build resilient, scalable business infrastructure. Tim also outlines the leadership mindset required to transition from “king” to “wealth creator” and how to lead teams through cultural transformation.

Listen in to discover how MSPs can evolve, thrive, and dominate by doing less — but doing it better.

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Unlock Exponential Growth and Transform Your MSP Business.

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Video Podcast: How to Exponentially Scale the Value of Managed Service Providers

✔ Chapter 1: The Foundational Pillars of MSP Growth: Lead Generation, Sales, and Scale

Tim Conkle, Founder and CEO of The 20 MSP, opens the discussion by sharing his extensive journey in the IT industry, stretching back to 1992. He transparently recounts the early struggles of his company, Roland Technology, mirroring the challenges many Managed Service Provider businesses face in achieving substantial growth. Conkle identifies lead generation as his initial "Achilles heel," acknowledging that despite his strong sales abilities, consistently getting in front of potential clients proved difficult. His breakthrough came after years of refining a single, effective "oil well"—Google pay-per-click—which dramatically accelerated his company's expansion and highlighted the critical role of reliable demand generation for any aspiring MSP. This personal experience underscores the foundational importance of a robust marketing engine to initiate and sustain business development.

As Conkle began teaching other MSPs his successful lead generation strategies, he uncovered two further, equally critical challenges that many in the industry faced: the ability to close deals and the capacity for operational scale effectively. He cites examples of MSPs generating numerous appointments but failing to convert them into sales, or those who rapidly grew their revenue but saw no corresponding increase in profit because their internal operations could not keep pace with demand. This realization led him to conceptualize the "three-legged stool" of MSP success: lead generation, sales execution, and operational scale. Conkle argues that while technical knowledge and tools are abundant in the IT sector, successful businesses must first master these fundamental building blocks.

This more profound understanding of business fundamentals inspired Conkle to found The 20 MSP, based on a whiteboard idea 13 years ago. The name reflects his "better together" philosophy, drawing from the 80-20 rule, where the "20 percenters"—the high-performing individuals and companies—achieve far greater results when they collaborate. Conkle passionately articulates that a fragmented industry allows external entities to "mine the gold" that MSPs often overlook within their businesses.