Smb Community Podcast By Karl W. Palachuk

Host James Kernan sits down with Baxter Lanius to discuss automating customer payments using the software tool, Alternative Payments. At Alternative Payments, their mission is to lower the barrier and make smarter payments accessible to one and all. More in-depth, Alternative Payments provides offline businesses the opportunity to participate in online transactions - enabling merchants to accept credit cards, ACH, and B2B PNPL, while accessing powerful reporting and analytics all-in-one. Check them out: Alternative Payments | Payments for service-based businesses --- Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Denver, CO – Sept 26-27th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind  Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200!! SMBTechfest Q4 - Irvine, CA - October 17-18 www.smbtechfest.com Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/  Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com

Host James Kernan sits down with Dustin Puryear to discuss sales and marketing for MSP's. Dustin Puryear is indeed a prominent figure in the tech world. As the founder of Puryear IT, he leads a team dedicated to leveraging technology to enhance business operations. His expertise is widely recognized, with contributions to well-known publications like Windows Magazine and CIO.com. Additionally, he’s been featured in interviews on Federal News Radio and Microsoft Podcasts. Dustin’s involvement extends to national tours with Microsoft, where he shares his insights on enterprise technology with C-level executives. He has also authored several white papers and a book titled “Best Practices for Managing Linux and UNIX Servers". His blog, “Bayou Technology Blog,” reaches a large audience annually.   Check them out: IT Managed Support and Consulting Firms in Baton Rouge (puryear-it.com) --- Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Denver, CO – Sept 26-27th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind  Use “EARLYBIRD

Host James Kernan sits down with Larry Garcia to discuss the EOS compatible and reporting collaboration tool known as Strety.  Larry Garcia is the co-founder of Strety, a company that provides a Business Operating System Software (BOSS) designed to help companies improve their operational efficiency. Strety focuses on key performance indicators (KPIs), goal setting, and project management. Garcia has written about various topics related to employee engagement and effective team meetings, emphasizing the importance of well-structured and productive meetings. Check them out: Strety | Run your Business Operating System in Teams --- Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Denver, CO – Sept 26-27th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind  Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200!! SMBTechfest Q4 - Irvine, CA - October 17-18 www.smbtechfest.com Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up now: https:/

Hosts James Kernan and Amy Babinchak kick off this week's episode with topics regarding project quotes, the Olympics, and an exclusive interview with Larry Garcia, founder of Strety. 1.) MSP Question of the Week: Should you quote hourly or fixed-fee for projects? Hosts James Kernan and Amy Babinchak sit down and discuss the different strategies to pricing as it relates to scalable projects for clients. ---  2.) 5 Minutes with a Smart Person Host James Kernan interviews Larry Garcia, co-founder and president of the business management tool, Strety. This solution is design for small and medium-sized businesses to help improve operational efficiency. --- 3.) Notes On The News  This week, James and Amy discuss the Olympics, Bitcoin, and the recent stock market movement. Reuters article: https://www.reuters.com/technology/bitcoin-falls-569-58987-2024-08-04/ CNBC article: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/02/tech-stocks-wrap-up-steepest-three-week-slump-in-two-years-led-by-plunge-in-amazon-and-intel.html ---  Our upcom

Host James Kernan sits down with Jason Miller, founder and CEO of BitLyft Cybersecurity, for an exclusive interview.  As the founder, Jason has dedicated his 20-year IT career, including co-founding SaaS pioneer Reviora, to removing cybersecurity barriers for mid-sized enterprises. Establishing BitLyft in 2016, Jason set out to unburden security teams with innovative, approachable, and affordable solutions, a vision which has made BitLyft a respected managed detection and response provider.  Established in 2016, BitLyft is a leading managed security service provider, dedicated to delivering mid-sized organizations with high-touch, personalized cybersecurity solutions. Our prioritization of service and security excellence, creates a holistic defense approach that allows our clients to navigate the digital world with unwavering confidence. With BitLyft by your side, cybersecurity challenges evolve into robust protection, ensuring resilience in the ever-changing digital landscape. Check them out: https://www.bit

1.) The MSP Question of The Week - How did Crowdstrike affect you? This week, James Kernan sits down with Charlene Ignacio, CEO of Fornix Marketing. James addresses the security concern, "Isn't Security 101 eliminating the single point of failure? ". Listen as James and Charlene discuss the aftermath of the Crowdstrike outage. ---  2. ) Notes on the News Reuters article: https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-says-about-85-million-its-devices-affected-by-crowdstrike-related-2024-07-20/ --- Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Denver, CO – Sept 26-27th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind  Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200!! SMBTechfest Q4 - Irvine, CA - October 17-18 www.smbtechfest.com Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/ 

1.) Interview with Mandy Teply of the Fit Method. Hear how health and fitnes in the workplace can help with motivation and productivity. ---  Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Denver, CO – Sept 26-27th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind  Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200!! SMBTechfest Q4 - Irvine, CA - October 17-18 www.smbtechfest.com Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/ 

1.) Interview with Rob Scott, co-founder of Monjur Contracts-as-a-service legal solutions ---  Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Denver, CO – Sept 26-27th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind  Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200!! SMBTechfest Q4 - Irvine, CA - October 17-18 www.smbtechfest.com Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/ 

1.) The MSP Question of The Week Where do you draw the line with Cyber Security?      ---  2.) Notes On The News  We talk: Cyber Security Insurance Rates and June's Auto Dealership Hack.  Reuters Article: https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/cyber-insurance-rates-fall-businesses-improve-security-report-says-2024-06-30/ ---  Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Denver, CO – Sept 26-27th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind  Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200!! SMBTechfest Q4 - Irvine, CA - October 17-18 www.smbtechfest.com Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/ 

1.) The MSP Question of The Week When is the best time to sell your MSP? ---  2.) Notes On The News  We talk: June's Auto Dealership Hack and Pax8 Beyond Event.  ---  Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Denver, CO – Sept 26-27th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind  Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200!! SMBTechfest Q4 - Irvine, CA - October 17-18 www.smbtechfest.com Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/ 

1.) The MSP Question of The Week How do you deal with partner conflict? We discuss the "Four R's" of conflict resolution: Recognize, Reflect, Respond, and Resolve. --- 2.) Notes on The News Apple AI rollout and Cybersecurity! Is your MSP adapting with the times? --- 3.) Five Minutes With A Smart Person: Rob Scott Host James sits down with Rob Scott of Monjur, a Legal Service for MSPs. Learn more: https://monjur.com/author/rscott/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertjscott --- Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Tampa, FL – June 27-28th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/   

Host James sits down with Louis Erickson and Sam Blowes of Bit-Wizards for an exclusive interview.  Louis Erickson is the co-founder and COO, and Sam Blowes is the Director of Solution Consulting at Bit-Wizards–an award winning IT services provider based in Florida. Louis is a serial entrepreneur that has built and grown several technology companies and departments, starting with Bit-Wizards’ Custom Software Engineering department. From there, Louis fostered the Bit-Wizards’ Digital Marketing department, the Bit-Wizards' Managed IT Services department, and finally, co-parenting communication service, TalkingParents. Sam Blowes is the Director of Solution Consulting at Bit-Wizards. He helps clients integrate their businesses into Microsoft’s Cloud based project management system and central hub. He works in the IT department internally, providing support and SharePoint integration for his co-workers. He’s a technology enthusiast in many areas, and is a creative problem solver. Check them out: https://bitw

1.) Notes On The News  Cybersecurity, AI, and now...M&A? We discuss our opinion on the next new hot topic of the techworld.  Also, Microsoft now backpedaling due to backlash on RECALL. Finally, Ken Patterson leaves PAX8 and now is heading to TODYL. --- 2.) The MSP Question of The Day  How do you track vendor subscriptions?  --- Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Tampa, FL – June 27-28th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/  Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/ https://thirdtier.net https://www.youtube.com/@ThirdTierIT  

Host Karl attended the ChannelPro Live event in Columbus, Ohio. He interviewed two folks who are doing some cool things.  Wayne Small from Australia is retooling himself and his business to take a new approach to the Virtual CISO Role. Rather than just take a few vendor-focus courses, or training based on a standardized checklist, Wayne is working through a master's degree program in security that focuses on security at the highest and most technical level. We discuss the details. Mark Moreno has a very interesting (and rare) niche. He focuses on companies who are solidly in the 25-100 desktop range but have massive revenue and enterprise-level budgets. This niche brings some unusual problems dues to the larger nature of the projects. But money is not one of the issues! Mark talks about how he got started. Interestingly, he still only does work with people who signed managed service agreements with these folks. Mark is also working with Harry Brelsford on the MSP Rescue shows. Stay tuned to https://msprescue.

1.) MSP Question of The Week Employee Compenstion--How much is too much or too little? --- 2.) Notes on The News  Amy blog article – Financial Crimes Enforcement Network article Linkedin: https://nsitsp.org/news/financial-crimes-enforcement-network/ --- 3. Strategies for Local Businesses in Local Market  Tip and tricks for Local Businesses looking to network in their local market.  We also talk the pros and cons of radio, billboards, and even local team sponsors.  — Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Tampa, FL – June 27-28th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/  Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy

1.) MSP Question of The Week How do you hold employees accountable for subpar performance? --- 2.) James at SMB Techfest James kicked off the first session on the main stage by sharing how EOS can help your business scale. --- 3.) Notes on The News  Solar Flares / Auroras – will it cause disruptions to communications? Cyberattack force major US health care network to divert ambulances from hospitals: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/10/tech/cyberattack-ascension-ambulances-hospitals/index.html --- Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Tampa, FL – June 27-28th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/  Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/

1.) The MSP Question of The Week How do you buy another MSP with no money down? --- 2.) Notes on The News Kaseya 365 subscription debuts at $3.99! https://www.channele2e.com/news/kaseya-365-subscription-debuts-at-3-99 Major Leadership Changes at PAX8, CEO steps aside... Pax8 has named Scott Chasin as CEO, effective immediately, replacing founder John Street in the role, the company announced. Finally, AI Fighter jets successfully tested and Twitter/X announces news feed based on trending topics. ---- Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Tampa, FL – June 27-28th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/  Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalac

Host Karl Palachuk interviews Wes Hutcherson and Stuart Ashenbrenner from Huntress on the challenges and (and victories) of securing macOS endpoints.  As you know, MacOS represents a growing percentage of the business device operating system market, outperforming both Linux and ChromeOS. Since this is going to be a growing portion of the endpoints you support, it's good to know how you're doing to do that. And with so many "home" and personal devices now being used for company purposes, quick response is important as well. The panel addresses the challenges of the MacOS users - including their persistent reluctance to believe that their devices need protection at all! There is a false sense of security around MacOS, driven by old-school understandings of Mac security and the realities of well-funded adversaries on the dark web. MacOS malware now accounts for 6.2% of all endpoint OS malware. Half of all MacOS users have been affected by malware, hacking, or scams. You can expect that to grow as well. ----- Tha

1.) MSP Question of the Week Should you ban Non-compete Agreements?  --- 2.) Notes on The News  Big Tech firms lost its dream status due to layoffs and instability: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/28/how-working-for-big-tech-lost-dream-job-status.html --- 3.) Five Minutes with A Smart Person - Bit-Wizards Louis Erickson is the co-founder and COO, and Sam Blowes is the Director of Solution Consulting at Bit-Wizards--an award winning IT services provider based in Florida. We discuss the importance of forming strong relationships with your clients as an MSP. Check them out: https://bitwizards.com/ ---- Our upcoming events and more: Register for James’s class at ITSPU! 5W22 – MSP Professional Sales is live. Enroll today: https://www.itspu.com/all-classes/classes/msp-professional-sales-program/ MASTERMIND LIVE – Tampa, FL – Junr 27-28th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Catch James at the SMBTechfest! SMBTechfest – Irvince, CA – May 9-10th https://www.smbtechfest.com/in

1.) MSP Question of The Week Which do you prefer: iPhone or Android? Is there a clear winner?  --- 2.) Notes on The News     What are the current TOP Password Managers? https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-password-managers,review-3785.html "Big Tech" censoring content...and other clickbait-y titles.  https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/09/tech/meta-social-media-nightcap/index.html There are only two weeks left to submit your application for Channel Futures MSP501:   https://www.channelfutures.com/about-msp-501 Host Amy weighs in how it helps market your company. --- Our upcoming events and more: Register for James’s class at ITSPU! 5W22 – MSP Professional Sales is live. Enroll today: https://www.itspu.com/all-classes/classes/msp-professional-sales-program/ MASTERMIND LIVE – Tampa, FL – April 27-28th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Catch James at the SMBTechfest! SMBTechfest – Irvince, CA – May 9-10th https://www.smbtechfest.com/index.asp Check out Amy’s weekly news