Smb Community Podcast By Karl W. Palachuk

Have a question or comment for us? Want your question or comment to be featured on the next episode? Send it here: concierge@smallbizthoughts.com Use the topic SMBCP and include your name for a shoutout. --- Segment One: The right to repair. This includes all electronics, automotive devices or farm vehicles such as tractors. We discuss what we look forward to as more legislation rolls in. --- Segment Two: Two Five Minutes with Two Smart People  On this edition of Five Minutes, we have a double header special. Host Karl sits down with Michael Callahan of Acronis and Amy B. chats with Rayanna Buchianico of ABC Solutions --- Segment Three: E & O Insurance -  Legal Component of What We Do  Why you need to protect yourself and analyze the language of your contract.    Resources and Links: James' Mastermind Event http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind --- Sponsor Memo: IT Service Provider University IT Service Provider University helps you improve the business side of your business. We launched IT Service Provider Univ

This podcast is not sponsored by big AI...but if anyone is offering, we're listening. Segment One: Bing AI In the race for the best search engine, Microsoft introduces an AI-powered Bing!  Amy and Karl pose the question: How will AI dictate if your answer is the top result?  --- Segment Two: Five Minutes with Sam Saab Karl sits down with our friend--Speaker, Author & Recognized Pioneer in the CRM Industry Sam Saab! --- Segment Two: Have You Seen the Green Comet Yet? Because we haven't. If anyone has one of those government funded weather machines, let us know. There are too many clouds in the way of this mysterious, emerald fireball.  --- Sponsor Memo: SBTTC This podcast is sponsored by the Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community. Check us out at https://www.SmallBizThoughts.org Forms, templates, and checklists are just the start. Our Community includes ALL of the best-selling books on managed services in all available formats, plus free training, members-only programs, and the best business training avai

The answer is yes--It is another chatGPT episode... --- Segment One: Rob Rae joins Pax8 and the return of MSP Shows We discuss going public versus an MSP being bought out by an investment firm. Sometimes, it means sales and numbers because priortiy #1 making it harder to for technology and customer service to thrive. Shows are slowly but surely phasing out of the online events back into the lovely air conditioned venues across the states. But that does not mean it feels the same pre pandemic. --- Segment Two: chatGPT & the Green Comet  Well it happened. chatGPT offers a $20 a month subscription and BuzzFeed announces that it’s use the chatbot to generate content. Confirming too all that BuzzFeed is not a real news service. Or is this just the future? (1) LinkedIn https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6925682-chatgpt-plus-access  Also, comet is green. Green is comet. Which chemical is burning? --- Segment Three: We are Numero Uno! We are the number one Managed Service Podcast . . . according to https://blog.

Our OG, legend, matriach, and instagram hawties hath returned. What are the meaning of all these nicknames and which belong to who? Find out in today's episode.  Segment One: Layoffs everywhere and so is Elon...What the hell is going on? Layoffs have made its inevitable moment in the MSP world. Also, legend has it that if you say Elon in the musk three times to a mirror at night you get another click worthy article.  Segment Two: An MSP and a concrete vendor walk into a bar... Dave Seibert attends every event--we mean it.    Resources and Links: James Event:   http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind Karl's NSITSP All-Member Meeting: https://nsitsp.org/event/q1-all-member-meeting/   Sponsor Memo: Linode  Linode – a top Infrastructure as a Service provider has resources specifically for helping MSPs explore the alternative cloud. Discover this growing market: one of the best-kept secrets in building a scalable, thriving, modern Managed Service Provider business. Learn about the cloud provider landscape, improving KPI

Amy B has returned from a January in the UK. Brr! That said, we are happy to report that she kept warm and the pubs are a-boomin'... Segment One: Five Minutes with a Smart Guy - Dave Seibert!  It's said humans can only concentrate for a good 15 minutes...Today, we explore five minutes of focus with our friend and renowned smart guy, Dave Seibert.  Dave Seibert is a leader, author, speaker, and awarded influencer in the technology industry. His 35 year career includes Fortune 50 & 100 corporations, National IT Franchises, Business and Startups. Let's pick at his brain, shall we? You can pick his brain further at SMB Techfest. We hope to see you there! Segment Two: Attaining YOUR Personal Goals & Microsoft Layoffs  Amy B's peer group is going live! We discuss the simple method that will propell you to success and, to quote Amy, "Make it rain.". Hint, hint: marketing is kind of important. Speaking of marketing, chatGPT remains relevant: Amy B uses it for content creation. Remember, it's still in beta,

Amy B. is off to England so it's up to Karl, Amy L, James, and content creating AI to get us through the day...   Segment One: Customer Service gone Awry - Noma, Rated the World’s Best Restaurant, Is Closing Its Doors https://nyti.ms/3GQgMgQ Segment Two: The Economy and CMIT Aquired! James, our in-house sales specialist, shares the forecast for Q1 and Q2.  Followed by some great news with Amy L. Speaking of Amy, what is Amy B up to and where has she gone? Segment Three: AI - chatGPT  https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/12/19/1065596/how-to-spot-ai-generated-text/#:~:text=Researchers%20at%20Harvard%20and%20IBM,generated%20by%20a%20computer%20program Karl tests out the chatGPT waters: "Karl: regarding the book great by choice, what are the top lessons about culture chatGPT: The book "Great by Choice" by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen explores the factors that contribute to success in business. According to the authors, one of the key lessons about culture is the importance of creating a culture of disc

Through rolling blackouts and timezones, our team prevail for another special all-hosts episode of the Small Biz Community Podcast.  Before we get into it, we would like to ask our listeners, how wild is too wild New Orleans? Hosts Amy L has your answer! Segment One: New Amazing Growth-Focused Peer Group from Amy Babinchak and the Quarterly Peer Group with James Kernan Host Amy B shares with us her latest mentor-led peer group. In today's episode, Amy discusses her goals for this new venture for business owners looking to find a community with like-minded individuals.  For more details, check it out here: https://www.thirdtier.net/2023/01/02/new-growth-focused-peer-group/  Similarly, Host James's Quartely Peer Group is mixing business and pleasure at the Mastermind Orlando Event. We pick Host James's mind a bit: What's with MSPs and Florida? Check it out here:  http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind  Segment Two: Tolstoy There are a gazillion How To, Where To, and What To videos. Long form videos can be seriously

New music, new intro, new everything. We reboot the entire podcast format, and welcome new host Amy Luby. Our Hosts are:  Amy Babinchak - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ James Kernan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ Amy Luby - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amycluby/ Karl Palachuk - https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ Call for help: Amy is looking for robots out in the wild! Connect with her via LinkedIn. Stay tuned for a show on AI chat and how you might use that. Please like, subscribe, and share. We look forward to a great new format! – – –  Sponsor Note: NSITSP By now you've heard of the National Society of IT Service Providers. But why should YOU join? The NSITSP is committed to transforming our Industry into a Profession. They've established an industry-wide code of ethics and are working to improve the reputation of IT consultants nationwide. Wherever anybody is talking ABOUT IT consultants, NSITSP wants a seat at the table. That includes the media, government regulat

Happy New Years! For our last episode of 2022, Host James chats with Mathieu Manaigre. Published author and a mastermind of overlapping calendars, Mathieu is backed by a team of amazing experts allowing him to do all the fun work involved in building the most loved IT services company in Canada. Resources and Links:  www.avenirit.com https://www.facebook.com/aveniritinc https://www.linkedin.com/company/avenir-it-inc. https://twitter.com/AvenirITInc Sponsor Memo: SBTTC  This podcast is sponsored by the Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community. Check us out at www.SmallBizThoughts.org. Forms, templates, and checklists are just the start. Our Community includes ALL of the best-selling books on managed services in all available formats, plus free training, members-only programs, and the best business training available to managed service providers anywhere. Plus, we have weekly live members-only Zoom calls. The average member saves more than 200% of their membership cost each year. We are totally dedicated to

Host Karl catches up with Yvette Steele. Yvette Steele is a global diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) leader building inclusive and equitable workplaces one employee at a time. Her belief that “inclusion is everybody’s job that anybody can do” was the catalyst of the book “Impactful Inclusion Toolkit: 52 Activities to Help You Learn and Practice Inclusion Everyday in the Workplace.”  Since entering the workforce in the late 1980’s, she was frequently the only African American woman on the team or one of a few where bias, sexism, racism and prejudice were served daily making it impossible to consistently perform at peak levels. Decades later, these issues persist with the same intensity where many continue to be disempowered in their efforts to maximize potential.  In this time of increased awareness of unfair systems and practices plaguing people of color, individuals with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community and others, her book provides the roadmap to acquire the skills needed to create cultures of equity

Karl Palachuk has a major announcement . . . followed by a discussion of The Five Employee Rules You Can't Forget - No matter how difficult the job market is right now. Karl has been procuding materials for IT consultants who are tackling the challenges of hiring in as we roll the calendar over to 2023. He recently posted a recorded webinar at https://www.mspwebinar.com on Hiring and Keeping Great Employees in 2023 - https://mspwebinar.com/finding-and-keeping-great-employees/. In this podcast, Karl outlines five extremely important things you need to remember, even in a difficult job market.  Karl is one of the SMB Community Podcast hosts. He has written more than twenty books, and runs the Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community as well as IT Service Provider University. Karl has built and sold two managed service businesses. He has been a professional consultant for more than three decades, and he has been an active community builder in the SMB IT market for more than fifteen year. He's also the founder of

Host Karl sits with Acronis's Righter Kunkel at the Cyberfit Summit 2022!  Righter is a seasoned leader with responsibilities for strategy, design, implementation, and execution of corporate customer success vision anchored with financial growth. Righter has over 20 years of leadership experience in the public sector/commercial education and consulting industry. Righter has a deep working knowledge of operating a global for-profit partner, employee, and customer training business to include the internal business functions of development, certification, enablement, sales, services, and operations. Sponsor Memo: Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community This podcast is sponsored by the Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community. Check us out at https://smallbizthoughts.org Forms, templates, and checklists are just the start.  Our Community includes ALL of the best-selling books on managed services in all available formats, plus free training, members-only programs, and the best business training available to manage

Host Karl sits with Acronis's Michael Callahan at Cyberfit Summit! Michael is a security marketing executive with the rare combination of branding, product and technical expertise. Proven track record in both large and startup companies developing and executing go-to-market and enablement programs that drive record revenue. He is an experienced leader who creates a collaborative environment while setting clear objectives and holding himself and the team accountable to deliver results. Specialties: corporate marketing, product marketing, field marketing, product management, web marketing, social media, corporate communications, branding, messaging and press and analyst relations   Sponsor Memo: PCMatic  PC Matic — Endpoint Security built on a zero trust/default deny foundation. Finally - a light weight, simple to deploy & easy to manage approach to application allowlisting. The perfect compliment to your current security stack. No minimums and no annual contracts. Find out more about PC Matic by visiting

Fire Clients - or Prune Your Client Garden - with Erick Simpson and Karl Palachuk Recently, our friend Erick Simpson blogged that "end of year" is a great time to fire some clients. He and Karl are pretty much in agreement on that, but look at it from different perspectives.  Erick was on the ChannelPro Network podcast and talked about this approach. So, Karl wrote a blog post about the same topic from a different perspective. In this interview, Karl interviews Erick about why you might want to get rid of some clients and how it can actually result in making more profit AND making your staff a lot happier. Background articles: - Erick's blog: https://ericksimpson.com/erick-simpsons-msp-newsletter-october-2022-its-time-to-fire-some-customers/ - ChannelPro podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MI15aTE1DU (ChannelPro Weekly podcast #245). - Karl's Blog: https://blog.smallbizthoughts.com/2022/11/fire-clients-and-give-better-service.html Erick is, of course, the author of some of the best selling books on Ma

Jost James sits down with Hartland Ross. Hartland Ross is a digital marketing strategist, founder and president of eBridge Marketing Solutions – a digital marketing agency and M&A advisory firm founded in 2001 catering to IT service firms providing opportunities for growth through acquisition and & organic marketing strategies. Hartland has been working in the sales and marketing of IT services and SaaS firms since 1999. He is well recognized and regarded in the IT services industry and to date has worked with hundreds of firms providing opportunities for business growth through M&A, marketing strategy and by providing industry advice, recommendations and introductions. Resources and Links: https://www.thehostbroker.com https://www.ebridgemarketingsolutions.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/hartlandross/ Sponsor Memo: PCMatic  PC Matic — Endpoint Security built on a zero trust/default deny foundation  Finally - a light weight,  simple to deploy & easy to manage approach to application allowlis

Host Karl sits down with Loren Williams of PCs for People. After more than 25 years working for IBM and other companies that bought, sold, and leased computer equipment, Loren Williams moved to the non-profit sector joining PCs for People in 2021. Loren focuses on building relationships with organizations that want to put their "retired" technology towards bridging the digital divide. In his spare time, Loren likes to bicycle and travel. According to the Pew Research Center, about 4 in 10 adults with lower incomes do not have a desktop or laptop computer (41%). In our modern society, reliance on technology access has never been greater, as it has become a necessity for learning, working, health care and many other daily activities. PCs for People works to fix this problem. In 2021 we distributed 53,000 computers to low-income individuals and saved 3.5 million pounds of electronics from going into landfills. Resources and Links: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/06/22/digital-divide-persists-even-as

Host Karl speaks with Patrick and Mike Clements of SherpaDesk.  As co-founder and CEO of SherpaDesk, Patrick is committed to delivering a powerful easy to use professional services automation (PSA) solution that simplifies the three core activities of MSPs and IT Service Providers; track customer requests, log billable time, and manage customer's assets. Patrick has spent over 20 years in building software technology companies. He is a member of several non-profit boards and is an active member of the entrepreneurial community in mentoring new startups. Mike's best asset is being able to relate to people by listening to what they have to say. Mike has had over 20 years of in success in sales and the customer experience profession. He has led multi-million-dollar teams at Oracle and is a member of several non-profile boards. He enjoys spending time with his three young kids and is very passionate about the outdoors. Mike enjoys pushing himself by competing in Iron Man, or trekking in the Peruvian Andes. He's

Host Karl speaks with Anne Hall. Anne Hall is the owner and founder of ITagree – The Agreement Lifeguard, providing legal agreements-as-a-service globally. Anne recognized just how much IT companies struggled with customer agreements so she decided to put her 25 years’ experience as an IT lawyer in New Zealand to use in an innovative way, establishing ITagree in 2016. ITagree provides access to the specific types of legal agreements needed by IT companies, quickly and cost-effectively, in order to help them to reduce business risk. ITagree’s agreements have been developed and refined to suit the needs of IT companies in North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and several European countries.   ITagree was founded by Anne Hall who has 25 years of experience as a specialist IT lawyer in New Zealand. Anne wanted to provide IT companies with access to IT legal agreements without delays or big legal fees. Now we have customers all around the world and the ITagree team continues to be committed to

Host Karl speaks with Donna Turgeon. In her role as head of channel, Donna will lead Infosec’s channel sales team and indirect go-to-market strategy, operations and revenue globally. Donna brings 30 years’ experience driving indirect and direct revenue, ensuring customer success, delivering global GTM programs, leading corporate Channel and Distribution strategy, recruiting and onboarding business partners, and building effective Global sales and support teams. Donna is a multiple-year CRN Channel Chief award winner. Before her role at Infosec, she built an excellent indirect and direct sales and Marketing organization as CRO of VIPRE Security Group. She has held various senior leadership roles at various companies, including KnowBe4, Tech Data, InspiredeLearning and AccentHealth. Resources and Links:  http://www.infosecinstitute.com/channel  Email: partners@infosecinstitute.com Sponsor Memo: Acronis  Are you still relying on a frustrating patchwork of legacy solutions. Modernize your cybersecurity and dat

Host Karl speaks with Dave Charest. Dave Charest is Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, the online marketing leader trusted by millions of small businesses. In his role, Dave acts as an educator and an advocate for small business leaders, marketing professionals, and nonprofits by providing them with practical marketing advice that can help them achieve their goals. He is a dynamic leader, speaker, creator, and award-winning marketer who strives to inspire small businesses by simplifying the complex world of online marketing. Resources and Links:  https://www.constantcontact.com/ Sponsor Memo: Linode Linode – a top Infrastructure as a Service provider has resources specifically for helping MSPs explore the alternative cloud. Discover this growing market: one of the best-kept secrets in building a scalable, thriving, modern Managed Service Provider business. Learn about the cloud provider landscape, improving KPIs, security, and more in Linode's free ebook, The MSP's Guide to Modern Cloud