Smb Community Podcast By Karl W. Palachuk

Frank Bravata is a technology expert, serial entrepreneur, public speaker, best-selling author, podcaster and Veterans’ supporter. He works as a business technology coach assisting companies all over the country to fuel their explosive growth through technology and digital marketing. He is also the president of MSP Speakers, a training firm dedicated to assisting MSPs to become the authority in their marketplaces and to leverage public speaking and group-based selling to massively grow their companies. In this SMB Community Podcast, I talk to Frank about how you can get started as a speaker – promoting your business services from the front of the room. In the video, Frank mentions a free report you can get at https://mspspeakers.com/. He also has a webinar coming up. You can learn more about that at https://mspspeakers.com/webinar. Frank is also member of the CompTIA (www.comptia.org) Committees on IT Support and Cyber Security, helping to develop policies and standards to protect companies worldwide. He has

Gil Cargill is a sales trainer and coach. In this interview he talks about the importance of business-focused communication during sales calls. Too many technicians thing clients care about technology. They don’t. They care about how you can improve their profit, improve their productivity, or help with cashflow. Gil gives some great tips on how to get the conversation started, and to get the prospect to buy in to a productivity audit. His approach is very conversational and is totally focused on the client rather than the technology. Gil gives his email in the video. I’ll just list his web site and phone number below.   Links Mentioned: Web Site: http://www.gilcargill.com Phone: 310-447-4102 Check out the interview here:  This interview is 30 minutes. Listen to the Podcast  

James Kernan is a business, “success,” and sales coach. He has owned and built some very successful managed service companies. This SMB Community Podcast with James Kernan covers “Gamification” within Your MSP. How do you motivate employees, make their job fun, and improve your success? Coach James Kernan gives you his best tips. This includes his five points to keep in mind as you look to “gamify” goal setting within your team. Note: The handout mentioned is linked from the SMB Community Podcast blog post is HERE in PDF format. That handout is on financial goals and KPIs.   Links Mentioned: Web Site: http://www.kernanconsulting.com Check out the interview here: This interview is 30 minutes. Listen to the Podcast  

Doug Hazelman is the VP of Technical Marketing at Cloudberry. We talked about Cloudberry’s cloud backup options as well as their managed service reseller program. (I didn’t know their cloud agents could be deployed with many RMM tools.).   About Doug Hazelman: Doug is a software industry veteran with over 20 years experience including 9.5 years at Veeam Software. He was on the executive team at Veeam and also helped spearhead Veeam’s community and technical evangelists efforts as well as provided insight into product strategy. Doug has held various management positions at other software companies throughout his career. He graduated with a BS in Computer Science from Western Illinois University with a minor in marketing..   Links Mentioned: Forum: https://forum.cloudberrylab.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/cloudberrylab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CloudBerryLab/ Blog: https://www.cloudberrylab.com/blog/   Check out the interview here:   This interview is 30 minutes. Listen to the Podcast  

I interviewed Ramey Bell from Tech Reputation – www.techreputation.com. Tech Reputation automates the process of getting reviews posted on the major review sites. They also have a process to alert you to potentially bad reviews and help you intercept those reviews so you can potentially turn them around. Tech Reputation was founded in 2017 by Ramey Bell, an IT professional with over twenty years of experience in marketing. Ramey has owned and operated a computer repair shop in Oak Harbor, Washington for the last six years, using those marketing skills to grow his business. He found that having an automated system in place to capture positive reviews led to improved word-of-mouth referrals and increased revenue. Fully understanding the time limitations all IT owners face, he decided to offer an automated service and marketing system that enables owners to quickly understand their current reputation and manage all of it from a single place. Google pays attention to about fifty sites that publish reviews. Tech R

I caught up with my brother, co-author, and fellow coach recently. It seems odd to interview my brother, but I have massive respect for Manuel. In addition to practicing a work/life balance that few achieve, he is a true master of process control and an amazing business coach. Manuel Palachuk You can find out more about his coaching programs at www.manuelpalachuk.com – and more about our ChannelPro shenanigans at https://events.channelpronetwork.com/. We start with a bit of a deep dive on coaching. Many people don’t know exactly what they want from coaching. All they really know is that “stuff” is broken and they need help. Manuel explains how he uses and “agile” approach to help companies identify goals and make quick changes to move in that direction. We also covered mergers and acquisitions in the SMB space. Most important statement in this interview: Companies in the middle of a sale or acquisition are consumed by chaos for six to twelve months. That means you might have an advantage for a period of tim

I had a great interview with Nigel Moore from My Technology Business (The Tech Tribe). Nigel Moore Nigel joins us from an hour north of Sydney, Australia. He tells us the story of how he sold his managed service business AND maximized the price by creating standardized processes. Great line from this interview: When you move the sale from simply acquiring clients to a strategic buy, then the prices goes way up! Last year Nigel launched the “Tech Tribe” community – officially My Technology Business. His community provides a wide variety of resources, including video trainings and downloadable templates. In this interview, Nigel walks through one of his favorite forms – a client screening to determine whether or not it’s worthwhile to take on a client. . . . Plus stories and a lot more. Enjoy!   Links Mentioned: Web Site:  www.mytechnologybusines.com Membership Info: www.thetechtribe.com Special Offer: www.thetechtribe.com/karl – including a speed coaching call!   Check out the interview here: This interview

Harry Brelsford In this SMB Community Podcast, Harry Brelsford from SMB Nation gives us an update on the latest and greatest from his world. Highlights include the Spring SMB Tech Talks (Topics include Blockchain and Bitcoin), Life-long learning, new analytics courses from Microsoft, and an update on “Pivot” marketing program. Harry finishes off with a quick summary of his hottest five tips for marketing online in the SMB Community.   Links Mentioned: Web Site:  www.smbnation.com SMB Tech Talks: http://unbouncepages.com/msptechtalkspring2018/   Check out the interview here: This interview is 30 minutes. Listen to the Podcast  

If you’ve attended an ASCII Success Summit in the last few years, I’m sure you’ve run into Herman Pool from Vertical Axion (www.verticalaxion.com). If you haven’t attended an ASCII Sucdess Success Summit – You Should! Visit asciievents.com for more info. Vertical Axion helps Managed Service Providers with a variety of marketing programs, including building customized web sites. They also provide syndicated content for your web site – and promote those posts on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. They also help with SEO. In this interview, Herman talks about some of the pitfalls small businesses find with SEO. Herman also has a great book called One Hour Marketing. I’ve linked to his site so you can find out more. Best advice snippet: Don’t build your Internet presence on Facebook!! That’s like building on rented land. :-O   Links Mentioned: Web Site:  www.verticalaxion.com Herman’s Personal Web Site: www.hermanpool.com   Check out the interview here:   This interview is 30 minutes. Listen to the Podcast  

I had a great chat with my friend Dave Sobel, Senior Director of MSP Evangelism at SolarWinds MSP. We covered a broad range of future-looking topics – and how they might affect us in the small business space. Dave is an author and former managed service provider. Note: This is NOT a vendor-centric podcast. Dave is a tremendous thought leader in our community and I’m always happy to catch up with him and talk about where he sees the world of technology headed. Enjoy the video – and see why Dave has the title Senior Director MSP Evangelism! Also, connect with Dave on social media. All his links are on his about.me page at www.davesobel.com.   Links Mentioned: Web Site: www.davesobel.com Article: The Perpetually Valuable MSP – www.solarwindsmsp.com/resources/wp-perpetually-valuable-msp Book: Flash Foresight by Daniel Burrus   Check out the interview here:   This interview is 30 minutes. Listen to the Podcast  

I caught up with Michael Siggins, founder and Publisher of ChannelPro Magazine. In addition to covering a bit of the history of ChannelPro magazine, Michael gives us some great information about the ChannelPro events and other resources. Two cool topics we touched on include the State of the Channel research that was recently released (see link below) and the new IoT Playbook (also linked below). One cool stat from the State of the Channel report is that 44% of MSPs are bringing in more revenue than they did in the previous year. Folks are also broadening their scope and making money with security, IoT, and other offerings. The IoT (Internet of Things) Playbook is a new resource from ChannelPro to help you learn about the Internet of Things and figure out how to profit from IoT. After all, $1.4 Trillion is expected to be spent on IoT. That’s so big, it can’t all be in the enterprise. There’s plenty of money in the SMB space: How will you get your share? Side Note: I am doing a three out event before the Chann

Joshua Liberman is a well known member of the SMB IT Community. In addition to writing for ChannelPro and other magazines, you may recognize him as the guy taking pictures at several shows, including ASCII and SMB Techfest. Josh owns Net Sciences in Albuquerque, NM. They are an MSP with a strong focus on security. Luckily, Josh also makes presentations to IT Pro conferences. I’ve seen him present in the U.S. and Australia. That’s when I decided I should interview him. Here Josh talks about the challenges and opportunities for installing, configuring, and upselling firewalls. (Hint: Starting in the mid-range can be a great place to start.) Josh’s team has a thorough checklist for firewall setups. If you need help, he is willing to assist. Contact him at NetSciences.com. Best Comment: If you’re in this business, you’re in security, whether you realize it or not.   Link: Web Site: www.netsciences.com   Check out the interview here:    This interview is 30 minutes. Listen to the Podcast  

In this SMB Community Podcast, I interviewed Jennifer Fields and Elizabeth Vanover from EMC – Executive Marketing Collective – on IT Marketing Strategies. Each of them had a successful marketing business. Then they merged into a bigger, better company focused on helping Managed Service Providers do effective marketing. They help MSPs find clients and convert them through an amazing variety of techniques. They help you find leads, set appointments, and even help you use the news media to promote your business. If you need telemarketing or custom content, they do that as well! Marketing is one of the biggest pain points for IT service providers of all sizes. Because they offer such a large variety of services, EMC has a price point for everyone. Most unexpected info: You can have donuts hand-delivered to your hottest prospects. Talk about a personal touch!   Link: Web Site: www.executivemarketingcollective.com   Check out the interview here: Watch the video podcast: This interview is 30 minutes. Listen to the

In this SMB Community Podcast, I am joined by Justin Esgar. He runs an MSP business in New York City called Virtua Computers. They focus primarily on Apple computers. Justin runs a conference called ACES that will be held in Baltimore, MD May 9-10, 2018. More information at http://www.acesconf.com/karl. The ACES conference evolved because Justin realized that the technology conferences he was attending we focused on technology more than business. So he got together a bunch of IT professionals for a conference. And while it started out primarily among Mac consultants, the content is very business focused – so the hardware is really not relevant. Note: Justin is offering a 10% discount on registration. Use the link above and enter the coupon code “karl” at checkout. Early Registration pricing ends March 1st. The coupon code is still good after that, but the base will be higher. Big unexpected advice you need to listen to: When you attend a conference, finish your coffee! Listen to learn why.   Link: Web Site: h

In this SMB Community Podcast, we talk to James Kernan of Kernan Consulting about selling managed services. James is a sales coach and the author of the 36 Month Millionaire program. I got an email a few weeks ago from someone looking to hire a sales person. I answered that email – but immediately thought about James. What advice would James give to a sole proprietor who is looking to hire a sale person? So I scheduled a call with James and asked him what advice he has. In case you haven’t heard of James, trust me: He knows what he’s talking about. He has built a few businesses. In fact, he bought one business that was selling about $300,000 per year and grew it to $12,000,000 in thirty-six months. Hence the 36 Month Millionaire program that he developed for Robin Robins. This is a very educational interview. James gives a ton of great advice. And, as you’ll see, he has great business advice in addition to sales advice.   Stuff Mentioned: Web Site: www.KernanConsulting.com Phone: 888-Var-Coach   Check out the

New Year’s means one thing in business: Tax Season! My good friend Rayanne Buchianico joined me to talk about “all things tax” for 2018. We started off talking about 1099s and other reporting requirements. One of the interesting points Rayanne made is that some pieces of the process are not really required – at least not the way most of us think. This 30 minute interview covers taxes for sole proprietors, s-corps, and lots of related issues. Rayanne owns ABC Solutions in Clearwater, FL. She is an enrolled agent: A tax professional who is licensed to represent you before the IRS. She is also and MSP and and she specializes in helping other MSPs get their finances straight – and keep them that way. As strange as it sounds, we spent a lot of time talking about 1099 requirements. Basically, 1099s are good for YOU because they allow you to deduct those expenses from your taxes. But in order for you to do that, someone else (whoever receives the 1099) must then declare that money as income on their tax return. Quot

My friend and one-time business coach Josh Peterson  has agreed to run a new set of Peer Teams – based on the “Managed Services in a Month” approach to managed services. I hope you’re not too surprised to learn that Josh and I have very similar ideas about most things. Many of you have seen Josh speak at conferences or taken his classes from Bering McKinley or over at Great Little Seminar. This 30 minute interview covers the concept of Peer Teams, “opening your numbers,” and business improvement generally. Learn about what makes these groups Managed Services in a Month Peer Teams vs. any other peer group. What would an entire year of working on this philosophy look like? NOTE: Josh and I have also scheduled a Live webinar on January 17th to answer all your questions about the Managed Services in a Month Peer Teams. Register for that here: Live Q&A Webinar Registration.   Stuff Mentioned: Bering McKinley web site: www.beringmckinley.com Bering McKinley Big Game Sales and Service Retreat: https://beringmcki

My friend Brooke Ferguson decided to try running her business from Thailand. That was ten years ago and she’s still going  strong. Brooke is a Lifestyle and Business Coach. Talk about drinking the Kool-Aide! She started with a three month stint to see if she could really run her business abroad. Then she realized that not only *could* she, but she also thrived. That’s when she realized that she never had to return home if she didn’t want to. Over the years she has learned to navigate the world of business overseas, getting paid across international boundaries, and providing amazing service across all the time zones of the world. To assist her clients, Brooke has developed a massive training that includes 42 videos and worksheets. She has sold this in the past for $600. Now, as she describes it, she has completed all her “bucket list” items and is ready to operate at a much higher level. So she’s giving away this training in order to spread her business and best practices to a much wider audience. Please check

Josh Peterson has been a friend and mentor to me for many years. I am happy to interview him about his company and what he’s up to. Josh is the co-founder Bering McKinley, a consulting firm for MSP’s and IT Solution Providers. He has been in the IT Solution Provider arena for the last 15 years. First as an owner, then as a management consultant with Taylor Business Group for 8 years, and now as founder of Bering McKinley. Additionally Josh is a maniac for strong financial accounting practices being followed at business of all sizes. He believes, as Peter Drucker did: “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” Josh has a deep respect for anyone who has the nerve to start their own business but also believes that only gets you so far. Sooner or later you have to take accountability for your business and perform at extraordinary levels to enjoy the lifestyle you deserve. In this interview, Josh talks about the Bering McKinley Peer Teams. Note – that’s not groups. Listen and find out why. Web site: www.beri

Lisa Hendrickson Lisa Hendrickson is “Call That Girl” – an Office 365 and Outlook specialist. In this 30 minute interview we cover her business strategy, supporting O365, migrating email to the cloud, SEO blogging, and much more. Lisa has grown a thriving business serving several audiences. She created the business to serve end users. But over time she’s found herself helping I.T. consultants figure out how to move Exchange email up to the cloud with Appriver’s Office 365 offering.   We have recently started selling Lisa’s great 7-video training set: Outlook Troubleshooting for Technicians. See http://www.smbbooks.com.   Check out the interview here: This interview is 30 minutes. Audio Listen to the Podcast.