Friday, June 20, 2025

Microsoft Used to Love Us

- Lessons Learned, Episode 32

Success is always a combination of preparation, education, skill, luck, and timing. And your can throw into that mix finding the right partners at the right time. 


In the year 2000, I was prepared, moving my consulting business forward, trained, and skilled on the tech. And I enjoyed the lucky coincidence that Microsoft was about to spend ten years loving the SMB market. By 2010, the love had faded and Microsoft was moving away from loving this market and their onetime "Partners." Here's my perspective as an IT consultant.


The "Office" World 2000-2009

Having survived the Y2K rollover, many offices had discovered that investing in technology was a good thing. Everyone was convinced that "this Internet thing" was here to stay. The 1990's introduced so-called personal computers everywhere. And many offices didn't have computers, didn't have networks, and didn't have servers.

The only real options for small office servers were Novell Netware and Microsoft Windows. Novell was in a slow decline, and Microsoft had pumped a lot of money into a strategy that would see them own the SMB market very quickly.

If you were in business at the time, the short-term future was pretty clear. Computers were going into all the offices, they were all going to get networked together, and they were all going to get connected to the Internet.


The "IT Professional" World 2000-2009

If you were in IT consulting at the time, the streets were paved with gold and the streams were flowing with milk and honey.

If you had experience with Novell and networking, you were set. Your only real choice was whether to drink the Microsoft Kool-Aid slowly or quickly. If you were a Microsoft consultant, you needed to learn networking and then dig into the new server offerings.

I can honestly say that the one single, most important training I ever received as an IT consultant was the week-long TCP/IP networking course. Oddly enough, this course did not apply to any specific Microsoft exam. But the knowledge I gained in this course helped me cruise through many exams over the years.

I think I took that course around 2000 or 2001. At that time, I had about eighteen years experience working with a huge variety of networks, protocols, servers, and computer operating systems. I think all that practical experience and self-education helped me understand the material better and faster.

Mastering TCP/IP and all the details of networking hardware and software was critical to my success. And that course was a true turning point for me personally and professionally.

At that time, technicians were learning how to build and work with servers. Everyone was learning networking and how to get things connected to and through the Internet.

Lesson Learned: If you're going to touch IT infrastructure, learn TCP/IP. There have been changes in the last twenty years, but the core training that I received back then is still 99.99% relevant today and made learning everything much easier. If you're in this business, learn TCP/IP at a deep level and it will serve you well.


The "Microsoft" World 2000-2009

Microsoft's big, big picture was simple: Get every business in the world to believe they needed to connect all their computers; make that easier with a server; and do it all with Microsoft licenses. The details of the plan were then divided into enterprise clients, mid-market, and SMB - small and medium business.

On the enterprise side of things, there are a limited number of companies like HP or Intel that could buy 100,000 user licenses at a time. So a whole lot of money went into the small and mid-market offices. This included three components that were clearly visible from my tiny window:

1) Design products and bundles for the SMB market

2) Design marketing programs for the SMB market

3) Engage Microsoft Partner resellers to act as a trained sales force to deliver all that marketing and sell all those servers, desktops, and office licenses.

Microsoft accumulated a mountain of data telling them that small business was the foundation for their future. Virtually every business in the world has 25 or fewer employees. Then and now, that number exceeds 90% of all businesses. 

A business with 1,000 employees might buy a lot of servers. But a thousand businesses connecting to the Internet every week were going to buy a lot more servers!

So, Microsoft committed money and people to develop SMB-focused products like Small Business Server and licensing that allowed partners to make a lot of money. They trained up partners, invested in communities where they could meet, and provided them with training and programs that helped they find businesses that needed "Microsoft Solutions."


My Business World 2000-2009

As we rolled through Y2K, I was seeing and selling more Microsoft servers, and had some exposure to the new Windows 2000 Small Business Server. It was decent but not amazing at the time. My attention was on the 2000 server generally, and getting trained up on Active Directory.

We spent several years fixing up mess-up or abandoned server installations. By abandoned, I mean that consultants would sell a server, set it up, and then walk away. They made no attempt to document or do regular ongoing maintenance. That maintenance had become the mainstay of my business, and I was happy to have the tools and remote resources that came with the 2000 servers.

As Microsoft introduced and rolled out SBS 2003, we jumped in with both feet. My company was growing and would add one or two people per year until 2008.  SBS was the perfect "first server" operating system. And Microsoft was really embracing and supporting the SMB consultants that sold their software to the world.

We got heavily involved with Harry Brelsford's SMB Nation and the SBS user groups worldwide. We became a Microsoft Certified Partner shop, even reaching Gold for a short while. We embraced the training and marketing programs that Microsoft provided. I sat on several product advisory panels/councils and met other partners all over the world.

SBS 2003 was like a license to print money for us. We had a system for selling it, a system for migrating clients to it, and a system for maintaining it. Recurring revenue was the natural result of all of that.

By 2008, it became clear, to those who paid attention, that SBS would not be around forever. I thought the 2008 version would be their last, and was quite surprised to see that 2011 was released at all.  But by then we had begun moving everyone to hosted ("cloud") services. That was so obviously the future, we did not see a reason to wait.

Just as SBS and Microsoft's Small Business Specialist programs served us well in the first part of the decade, cloud services became our bread and butter for 2007-2009. 

As the global economy collapsed, starting in October 2008, almost all of our clients were on hosted services. But not Microsoft. Not Azure. Not Sharepoint. Why? Three reasons: Profitability, flexibility, and friendliness to the SMB market.

Microsoft didn't love us any more. They now saw that they could cut us out of the middle and take all those clients for themselves. Once again, I think this was obvious to those who paid attention. But too many people were still in love with the Microsoft that used to be. 

More and more, Microsoft used the term "disintermediation." In other words, getting rid of the middleman. I was the middleman! The entire SMB IT consulting world was the middleman.

Microsoft marketing tried to pretend this wasn't happening as the SBS development team was gobbled up inside other departments and the pricing was focused completely on larger and larger partners serving much larger clients.

The love was gone. 

I don't know a source for the quote, but I've heard it said: "Most things end badly. Otherwise, they wouldn't end at all." The Microsoft relationship just faded away. They didn't love us anymore. We didn't love them.

In 2010, we took the Microsoft logos off our business cards. By 2011, we stopped maintaining our Certified Partner status. 

Lesson Learned: When you find a vendor who wants to embrace you, embrace them back. Learn what they want you to learn, let them educate you, and pay them back by selling their stuff. BUT always be aware that they have to make decisions that are good for THEIR business, not yours. Don't love them more than they love you.

This is particularly true of giant corporate partners. There might be a new CEO or new business plan tomorrow. The love can disappear in one calendar quarter. And someday it will. 

Sub lessons:

1) Don't let vendors tell you what your business model should be. It will certainly serve them; it might not serve you in the long run.

2) You can't be more loyal to a vendor than they are to you.

All comments welcome.

-----

Episode 32

This Episode is part of the ongoing Lessons Learned series. For all the information, and an index of Lessons Learned episodes, go to the Lessons Learned Page. https://blog.smallbizthoughts.com/p/lessons-learned-blog-series.html

Leave comments and questions below. And join me next week, right here.

Subscribe to the blog so you don't miss a thing.

:-)


Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Three Quick Questions about Training - No Email Required

 Hello.

IT Service Provider University has been offering 5-week courses for twelve years - 100% focused on managed service, IT consulting, and creating great business processes.


We have more than twenty-five courses, including two new courses this year.

... But, of course, we're planning for the future. We'd love to get a tiny bit of feedback, whether you've taken courses or not. Our focus is on providing value, with emphasis on both price and the kinds of courses offered.

Please take 60 seconds to fill out this form. I really appreciate it.


ITSPU Feedback form: https://www.itspu.com/?ff_landing=14


... and if you just want to browse courses and sign up your entire team, check out https://www.itspu.com.

Thank you!

:-)



The ASCII Group Appoints Jerry Koutavas as CEO

I got this press release from my friends at ASCII. Congratulations to Jerry K!

-- -- -- 

The ASCII Group Appoints Jerry Koutavas as CEO, Founder Alan Weinberger Named Non-Operating Chairman of the Board

Washington, D.C. – June 18, 2025 – The ASCII Group, North America’s original vendor-neutral community for Managed Service Providers (MSPs), today announced the appointment of Jerry Koutavas as Chief Executive Officer. Alan Weinberger, founder and former CEO, will transition into the role of Non-operating Chairman of the Board, continuing his decades-long mission to advocate for the IT channel.

Weinberger founded The ASCII Group in 1984, pioneering the first collaborative organization of its kind for IT solution providers. At a time when MSPs had limited resources and little collective representation, Weinberger’s vision created a peer-driven, vendor-free community focused on growth, independence, and shared success. Under his leadership, ASCII became a respected force in the channel—uniting thousands of IT providers across North America.

“Building The ASCII Group from the ground up and watching it evolve into a true community has been one of the most meaningful journeys of my life,” said Weinberger. “This organization has always stood for trust, collaboration, and independence. Jerry has been a steward of that mission for many years, and I have full confidence in his leadership as ASCII moves into its next chapter.”


Koutavas, who has worked in the IT channel for nearly 30 years, played a key role in helping thousands of providers transition from break/fix to managed services. During his tenure, he helped establish one of the industry’s most effective vendor-free peer networks—facilitating over 500,000 member-to-member exchanges that have solved technical issues, improved service delivery, and guided critical business decisions.

“Alan built something truly special—a values-driven organization that puts people first and has stood the test of time,” said Koutavas. “I’m deeply grateful for his vision and leadership, and it’s an honor to carry that legacy forward as we continue to support this incredible community through its next phase of growth and opportunity.”

David Stinner, President of US itek and member of ASCII’s Advisory Committee, shared, “I’m excited to see Jerry take on the role of CEO and lead The ASCII Group into its next chapter. His leadership and deep understanding of the MSP community have been instrumental in bringing together valuable vendor relationships, industry experts, and meaningful programs that support members like myself. I look forward to seeing how ASCII continues to grow and evolve under his guidance.”

Rob Rae, CVP of Community and Ecosystems at Pax8, added, "Few organizations in our industry have stood the test of time like ASCII. Alan’s vision created a community that has empowered MSPs, and what continues to set ASCII apart is the leadership behind it. Jerry’s ability to anticipate where the industry is headed allows ASCII to adapt while fostering trust, collaboration, and long-term value for its members.”

This leadership transition reaffirms The ASCII Groups commitment to its founding principles while positioning the organization to meet the evolving needs of today’s IT and MSP landscape—through community, innovation, and a shared commitment to excellence.


About The ASCII Group, Inc.

Founded in 1984, The ASCII Group is the original IT community of the channel, uniting Managed Service Providers (MSPs) across North America. As a vendor-neutral organization, ASCII provides unbiased resources and a collaborative environment to support business growth. Members span the U.S. and Canada, ranging from SMB-focused MSPs to international solution providers. ASCII offers leveraged purchasing programs, education, marketing support, peer networking, and more, complemented by a vibrant ecosystem of technology vendors. Learn more at www.ascii.com.

-30-

:-)

Friday, June 13, 2025

Summer Freebies for MSPs - Grab Up to $8,200 in Value - No Obligations, Just Free


Free Valuable Things for MSPs

Summer 2025

Summer arrives next week - and we've got some cool freebies just for you.

We did an "MSP Freebies" give-away last year. It went over well, so we did another in Q1. So we're doing it one more time.

I've cultivated relationships with a lot of coaches, authors, and community leaders who are committed to a "give-first" mentality. These free resources are designed to help IT professionals like you with your business while also opening the door to meaningful connections with leaders in the community.

I'm always amazed how my "famous" 68-point checklist has been a great lead generator for my services (Check it out at this link to our store). That freebie inspired me to reach out to my network with a simple question: Do you have something valuable to share with MSPs and ITSPs?

As usual, we got a great response.

In fact, so big that we had to limit the number of offers. There's too much generosity, so we limited the number of participants, but not the value of their freebies.

The total value of these give-aways this time is more than $8,000! All available for the asking.

There are no hidden sales or agendas here—just genuine offers from people who care about supporting the IT community. To claim these freebies, all you need to do is engage: click the links or fill out a forms.

Is there a catch?

No. 

These resources are offered in the spirit of giving first, with no requirement to sit through a webinar or sales pitch. 

Of course, these contributors hope you’ll find value in their work and stay connected, but that’s entirely up to you. 

Check out the list below. I think you'll recognize many people who seem to give and give and give. I assure you that any new-to-you names on the list are just as generous with their time and talent.


Here's How It Works:

Explore the offers below. If one or more looks interesting, follow the instructions.

Please use a legit email, if requested. These folks have put out an effort to be part of this program. And they are giving you something of real value.

Be patient. It might take some effort to organize a coaching session or receive a postal mailing. And some are in other time zones and countries!

Say thank you! If you find something particularly helpful, close the loop and say thank you! A quick note or shout-out on social media is also a great way to express your appreciation.

With all the big bucks in our industry these days, it's good to remember the people who focus on community first and giving first. Yes, they still need to sell *stuff* and make a living. But the give-first approach is a great way to make new friends and build meaningful relationships.

I'd love to hear your feedback about this program - and don't forget to check out MY give-away as well!

Note: ALL offers expire July 31st. Don't forget, and don't delay.

Thank you. - Karl P.

-- -- -- 

The Great Free Stuff - June 2025:

From: Karl W. Palachuk / Small Biz Thoughts

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OR use the coupon code to save $19.95 on any purchase from our store.

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-- -- --

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-- -- --

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Browse to https://biggermsp.com/branded-msp-video/. You can license the branded version of these videos from Bigger Brains for $499, or get them free with the promo code 'Karlsentme'.

-- -- --

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Register at https://www.smbTechFest.com/Go/Karl

-- -- --

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To claim this give-away, head to https://www.pcsforpeople.org/schedule-a-pickup/

-- -- --

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To enter, take Paul's super quick marketing quiz. 10 winners will be pulled at random. https://growth.mspmarketingedge.com/freebie

-- -- -- 

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To receive the first year free subscribe to http://techChannelResults.blog and then email your request for the free year to [email protected].

-- -- --  

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-- -- --  

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-- -- --


Thank You for checking out these offers. I hope you found many useful.

Once again, if you find this valuable, and we get a good response, we'll continue to put together these great community offers.

As always, I would love your feedback. Is this kind of "Free Valuable Stuff" email worth receiving? Send me a note.

. . . and have a great Spring!

All my best . . .

:-)


Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Time to Go Back to the Home Office Market? (SOHO, part 2)

A fun – and very dated – book I’ve had for about twenty years is Microsoft’s old spoof book for kids: Mommy, Why is there a Server in the House? I put it on the shelf with books for my granddaughter, and she brought it to me the other day. Of course, the pictures were nice, but she had no interest in the story.


And neither did anyone else, apparently. Windows Home Server was not a resounding success. It was Microsoft’s attempt to take the SBS (Small Business Server) “all-in-one” technology approach into the home market just as hosted services were coming of age.

Lots of IT consultants and MSPs simply don’t serve home offices. As I mentioned in the last blog on this subject (https://blog.smallbizthoughts.com/2025/06/home-offices-largest-opportunity-hiding.html), home networks used to be low-end, used junk, and share with very outdated and insecure kids’ games. They were the lowest priority to their owners and to their IT consultants.

But today, working from home often means dedicated resources, good equipment, and commitment to keeping things secure. And that means that it also need remote monitoring and management. Hmmm. Sounds perfect for managed services!

 

Who Works from Home in 2025?

In some sense, everyone does. But some industries (e.g., retail, restaurants, transportation, and manufacturing) require folks on-site, even though the owners and managers might have great home offices.

See the tables and graphs cited below (1). The data show that the most frequent fully-remote workers are in

  • Finance and Insurance
  • Professional and Business Services
  • Utilities

But, even better, is the market for those in hybrid work settings. They need both office support and home office support, and probably a way to keep them connected. Most frequent hybrid remote workers are in

  • Finance and Insurance
  • Professional and Business Services
  • Arts and Entertainment
  • Wholesale
  • Real Estate

(Note that I’m not included IT folks in this as you can support your own stuff.)

 

In each of those industries, more than 35% or workers are in hybrid home office environments. Like the home office of twenty years ago, these environments are still complex. But unlike twenty years ago, they have a serious budget, far more complexity, and a strong need for security.

The “kids” part of the equation is actually a lot easier than it used to be. There are no four-year-olds putting DVDs in machines. They connect the Internet via the TV, tablets, and smart phones. Ms. Rachel and Elmo are safely behind secure firewalls somewhere in the cloud.

At the same time, there’s increased complexity from network cameras, connected doorbells, and thermostats with default security settings. Home networks need security at least as much as office networks. And they are constantly under attack from very well funded folks on the dark web.

In addition to all that, there are gamers and home audio and theater enthusiasts that bring another bundle of always-on, well-connected, and probably-insecure devices into the home network. More devices with more operating systems and more holes to plug.

 

The Opportunity

Obviously, you could “secure” this environment, although that might take some time. But first you need to scan it. 

How many networks are there? For example, my home office firewall serves up networks at both 5G and 2.4G with separate DHCP scopes and no bridging. So you can’t easily get to one from the other. But with the right tools and the right software, anything’s possible.

In my opinion, scanning, documenting, and securing the network is a billable job.

Some, but not all of it, needs to be backed up. Backups need to be tested.

Network monitoring is a good idea. Reports need to be generated.

Patches and updates need to be applied to everything, if possible.

And the word “secure” is in quotes because the best security in the world is good for about fifteen minutes. Things change. People plug things in. Software is downloaded to devices. So, security is a never-ending job. The only question is, how often do you need to be onsite or remote in to run updates?

If I were going to build a recurring revenue model for a SOHO market, I would probably not be in the software game. In 2011, Marc Andreessen said, “Software is eating the world.” I think today he’d say that cloud services are eating the world.

I would not try to help home offices buy one license of MS Office and one license of QuickBooks. I’d let them pay me $175/hour to sit with them and help them buy the right thing. Then I would charge them to set it all up securely, and document it.

(Exception: If this is a business client with a contract at their big office, then I’d sell and deploy what they need for the home office as part of that contract.)

And then I’d create a recurring revenue program to monitor, patch, fix, and update all those operating systems and all the software. Everything needs to be under warranty or a service contract. But we’ll make sure all the updates are happening, and we’ll fix things when they break.

As always, managed service covers maintenance of the operating system and software. It does not cover adds, moves, and changes. And it doesn’t cover hardware. The contract should definitely include backups and testing backups.

What does the labor look like? I haven’t dug too deep here, but I’m thinking that the three tiers are simply based on complexity and frequency. So maybe Silver is one visit per quarter; Gold is one visit every other month; and Platinum is one visit every month. Visits might be remote. In all cases, you’ll do some monitoring remotely.

Then the calculation is based on how long each visit is, which tasks are on the monthly maintenance checklist, and how much you charge per hour. Add an hour per quarter for average onsite labor and you’ll have a cost for annual support. Divide by twelve and round up.

Note: We recently started working with Fing Professional, and I would definitely add that to the mix. It works across multiple networks for a very affordable price. See note below.

 

Is It An Opportunity?

Is this really an opportunity? Quick math might say each client is in the range of $300-$700 per month. Is that worth your time? You have to decide. But remember that this market is made up of people who are professionals. Most of them are connected to some real office somewhere. If you shine at the home office, you have an in for the office office.

And these folks are probably not going to be in the same job forever. They’ll need help setting up their office again once they change employers and get a whole bunch of new equipment shipped to them. And that’s a possible introduction to another business.

There are probably no $5,000/month opportunities in the SOHO market. But they’re also not $300/year, which is about what you could expect when you were trying to hock a Home Server.

 

What do YOU think about the small office/home office opportunity in 2025?

Comments welcome.

-- -- --

 

(1) See the table/graph here: https://backlinko.com/remote-work-stats, compiled from the Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes, available here: https://wfhresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/WFHResearch_updates_September2024.pdf.

See, also, my recent post Home Offices: The Largest Opportunity Hiding in Plain Sight.

-- -- --

Note on Fing: This is not a sponsored post, but Fing is sponsoring some posts of my posts on social media.

I'm very happy to be working with Fing as they roll out their Fing Professional network monitoring service. Fing has been helping consultants monitor small offices and home networks for more than fifteen years. Now they offer a single dashboard across all client installs.

Many IT Professionals have used Fing to scan client and prospect networks. With Fing Professional, you now have an MSP-friendly dashboard for all your client networks – at a very affordable price.

That means you can manage multiple workspaces, invite collaborators, (giving them different roles such as admin, editor, viewer, contributor), and basically manage multiple networks all from a single dashboard.

Check them out at https://www.fing.com/msp/?utm_source=Influencer&utm_medium=socpost&utm_campaign=Karl_MSP&utm_id=Influencer_Karl.

#fingapp #ITConsulting #ITProfessionals #managedservices

:-)

Friday, June 06, 2025

Tax Filings and When to Outsource

- Lessons Learned, Episode 31



When I quit my last real job, in 1995, I knew I'd have to pay state and federal taxes with payments I had to make (since no employer was making them). And I knew there were lots of other little taxes, but I wasn't sure what they were.

Required: Minimum of four payment calculations and payments for state and federal. And, of course, I had to file business income tax for each entity.

Tally so far: Ten filings per year.


Then I got a local business license that needs to be re-filed every year

Tally so far: Eleven filings per year.


Somewhere along the long, I found out that I needed to pay county property taxes on my business, which is more annoying than monetary.

Tally now: Twelve filings per year.


Next up, I got a seller's permit, which allows me to buy products through wholesale distribution in California. And that meant filing tax forms with the state to pay them the taxes collected. This started with quarterly filings and grew to monthly as my sales grew. Add twelve tax filings.

Tally now: 24 tax filings per year.


When I incorporated, I also had to pay an annual fee to keep my corporation name valid. 

Tally now: 25 tax filings per year.


Note: At this point, I had elevated my first administrative assistant to office manager. She had great accounting and QuickBooks skills, so it made sense for her to manage a lot of the details in all this.


In this case, I delegated the preparation of all filings. Then she walked me through the filings and I signed on the dotted line. The key for me was that I felt like I still understood every piece of the process. That's the level of comfort I need.

And then we looked at our growing payroll.

We pay twice per month. And, in a good year, we have a separate bonus payroll (so the taxes taken in one check are not out of line). For me, this was too much.

To run our own payroll, we had to deal with all those details I took advantage as an employee - state and federal deductions, plus unemployment, SUI, SUI and gawd knows what. As the number of employees grew, the calculations grew.

Payroll added twenty-five filings per year.

Tally now 49 tax filings per year.


And, to be honest, there was another one I can't remember. I just remember that I had a big spreadsheet to make sure we didn't miss anything, and it totaled fifty.


That's when we decided to hire a service to run payroll. We used our bank until they had a major screw-up. So we changed to a national firm. They messed up from time to time. One day it was just too much and we moved to the other national firm. 

All payroll companies are over-worked and running with thin margins. In my opinion, there is no "winning" when you choose a national or bank firm. But it is what it is. 

In the end, outsourcing payroll was one of the best decisions we ever made. As we grew to five, ten, fifteen employees, the time it took to make sure everything was right grew month by month. Outsourcing that for less than the cost of one hour of billable labor was absolutely worth it.

Because someone will ask, here are my favorites.

Number one without any doubt is Gusto (https://gusto.com), a totally-online service. They are also the only service we've used that hasn't screwed up any payrolls. We put in hours and dollars and out comes direct deposits. It's beautiful.

Number two, in our experience, was Paychex Online (https://paychexonline.com). It should be as simple and easy as Gusto, but it's not. They are horrible and slow in communicating. What meager "service" they have seems to be unaware that timing is very short when you have strict deadlines and problems need to be settled fast. They were the least troublesome of any of the old-school payroll processors. But we are happy to no longer be using them.

My IT companies never outsourced basic bookkeeping as we've always had someone very qualified on staff. In my opinion, it makes sense to have one person (working with the owner as needed) who manages client invoices, internal spending, payroll processing, distributor invoices, etc.

And that includes taxes as well.

In other businesses I own, I have tried to outsource bookkeeping services and found it to be more trouble than it's worth. That's my personal opinion. I delegate to someone on staff, not to someone outside my office.


YOU have to find your own way. Managing the money side of your business can go very wrong, very fast. And (in my opinion), 100% of fraud and embezzlement comes down to abdicating control of your finances to the point where you do not know where your money comes from or goes to.

Feedback Welcome.

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All comments welcome.

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Episode 31

This Episode is part of the ongoing Lessons Learned series. For all the information, and an index of Lessons Learned episodes, go to the Lessons Learned Page

Leave comments and questions below. And join me next week, right here.

Subscribe to the blog so you don't miss a thing.

:-)


Thursday, June 05, 2025

The Ultimate Resource for MSPs of Any Size

What's your challenge? We've got you covered with the Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community. Really. 

Hiring? We got an entire Hiring Roadmap with job descriptions, sample ads, interview questions, evaluation criteria, all the onboarding paperwork, quarterly goal sheets, performance review forms, and more. Repeat all that for Technicians, sales people, and admin.

That's ONE resource available to all members of the Small Biz Thoughts Community.


Need your entire team to get on the same page regarding managing your service board? Teams Plus members can go through a 5-week course together with group- and one-on-one coaching. For no additional charge. 

That's ONE resource inside the Small Biz Thoughts Community.

Want hundreds of Standard Operating Procedures, including checklists, calculators, spreadsheets, documentation, and thousands of pages of downloads?

That's ONE resource inside the Small Biz Thoughts Community.

Want hundreds of video and audio training programs design 100% for IT consultants? We got that.

That's ONE resource inside the Small Biz Thoughts Community.


Collage - Books by Karl W. Palachuk

You want BOOKS?
How about ALL of the best-selling books for managed service providers? We have them all - in all available formats. Whether you prefer PDF, Kindle, ebook, and audio, you get all my books in all available formats. 

No extra charge. They're all available with any membership level. And members get all new books FREE - before they're released to the public.

That's ONE resource inside the Small Biz Thoughts Community.


You want Classes? We have dozens of classes. Right inside the Community, we have lots of trainings that range from 1-5 hours each. PLUS, all members receive at least one free 5-week course at IT Service Provider University.

Check out twenty-five courses at ITSPU. If you want to buy them individually at $399, you can do that. But if you want to grab free courses on top of all the goodies above, just join the Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community.


On Top of All That . . .

We are a community. We meet as a group once a month. Those meetings are recorded, transcribed, and posted inside the community. Everyone is welcome to review the conversations and shared links.

In the last few months, we've discussed just about everything from vendors to hiring, marketing, and more. Meetings are scheduled for an hour, but frequently go for 1.5 or even 2 hours.

And we have focused breakouts - including "Back to Basics," marketing, and more. Some of these are recorded for everyone in the community and some are just available live. So, if you want to get in on the juicy good topics, you need to be there. 

Since 2018, hundreds of MSPs of all sizes have found resources, community, and success in the Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community. We exist to help you with the business side of running your business. 

Join us. There are three levels of membership to choose from. They all include complete access to all of our books, checklists, SOPs, training, community meetings, and more.

Whether you're just getting started or you've built a team you want to take to the next level, we can help. 

Just because you're in business for yourself doesn't mean you have to go it alone.

Check us out at www.smallbizthoughts.org.


-- -- -- 

Here's a sample of some of the resources and downloadable materials you'll find in the Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community. We are adding more all the time. 

  • Audio program: Create a Hugely Profitable Cloud
  • Audio program: Chandler Own Your Niche
  • Audio program: Build Robust Email Marketing
  • Audio program: Build 8 Hour Work Week in Cloud
  • Audio program: Consistency and Success
  • Audio program: How to Get Rich Small Business
  • Audio program: Organize for Success or Die
  • Audio program: Only the Excellent will Survive
  • Audio program: Book Relax Focus Succeed
  • Audio program: SOPs That Instantly Increase Profits
  • Audio program: Seven Stages Of Building Wealth
  • Book: Network Documentation Workbook
  • Book: Cox Quote Me On This
  • Book: Palachuk Publish Your First Book
  • Book: SAN Primer for SMB
  • Book: Book Relax Focus Succeed
  • Book: Project Management in Small Business
  • Book: Chandler Palachuk - The Nonfiction Book Book Publishing Plan
  • Checklist: 68 pt checklist v3 2017
  • Checklist: Printer Setup Sample
  • Checklist: Cloud Readiness Checklist
  • Checklist: 68 Point Checklist
  • Class: Relax Focus Succeed Class
  • Class: 5W01 Core Standard Operating Procedures
  • Class: Build Your Brand Through Service
  • Class: Five Mistakes of Self Publishers
  • Class: 5W10 Managing Service Board (2015)
  • Class: Mini Course on LinkedIn
  • Excel Spreadsheet: Billability Calculations
  • Excel Spreadsheet: Contracts Schedule
  • Zip file: Employee Onboarding Forms
  • Workbook: Self Assessment Operations Procedures
  • Workbook: Change Plan
  • Workbook: Kernan One Page Business Plan
  • Workbook: Business Plan Worksheets
  • Workbook: Landers Accountability Workbook
  • Workbook: Monthly Meditations
  • Whitepaper: SOPs for SMBs
  • Whitepaper: Build SOP Folders
  • Whitepaper: Client Status Memo
  • Whitepaper: Building SOPs
  • Whitepaper: Billability Calculations
  • Whitepaper: Overcoming Fear of Change
  • Whitepaper: Building a Change Plan that Works
  • Whitepaper: Absolute Basics of Promotion
  • Whitepaper: SOP Monthly Maintenance
  • Whitepaper: Backups
  • Whitepaper: HaaS Starter Kit
  • Word Doc: Service Manager Roles
  • Word Doc: Technician Roles
  • Word Doc: Hiring Process Overview
  • Word Doc: TSR Log
  • Word Doc: Draft client service portal AT
  • Word Doc: Draft client service portal CW

Find Out More and Join Today!

:-) 



Tuesday, June 03, 2025

Home Offices: The Largest Opportunity Hiding in Plain Sight

Ten years ago, many IT consultants gave up on the SOHO (small office, home office) market. At the time, home offices shared equipment and networks with four-year-old, outdated operating systems, and a growing market of unsecure devices. For the most part, these offices had one business user and a family full of security holes that weren’t worth the investment it would take to make the environment safe.


Skip ahead a bit to the global pandemic. In Spring 2020, we all went home. Many took their computer setups with them. Lots of people bought cameras, of course. But they also invested in newer systems, anti-virus, and a host of do-it-yourself security tools. You probably made money with all that. But are you still making money?

The US Census reports that the number of home offices tripled between 2019 and 2022. And even when people started going back to the office part time, many continued to work from home some of the time. And, of course, a whole lot of old equipment got replaced somewhere along the way. 

In February 2025, Gallup reported that 52% of “remote-capable” workers operated in a hybrid environment while 27% worked exclusively remote. It’s estimated that more than 32 million Americans are working from home.

Home offices are now far more professional – and complex – than they used to be. And that’s not a market you should ignore.

I’m actually writing this because of an email I got, asking the simple question of whether it’s time to take another look at the SOHO market. It definitely is! The next question is, how does this compare to the “standard” managed service contract based on monthly maintenance and recurring revenue. I’ll address that in a follow-up blog.


Questions:

1) Do you support small offices and home offices (the SOHO market)?

2) Do you sell a bundle of “managed services” into the SOHO market with recurring revenue?


Next time:

Building a SOHO managed bundle, and the best verticals for custom SOHO MSP services.


Sources for stats above:

  • https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/journey-to-work.html
  • https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-13/remote-work-productivity.htm
  • https://invedus.com/blog/remote-work-statistics/


Comments always welcome.

:-)


Friday, May 30, 2025

The Hiring Formula for Early Growth

The Hiring Formula for Early Growth

- Lessons Learned, Episode 30

In earlier episodes, I talked about my first and second attempts to hire employees (See Episodes 21 and 25 here). 


So, I'd gradually converted some part-time employees into full-timers. And as we added more clients and started doing more regular scheduled maintenance, we needed to develop ongoing processes for hiring. When you're super-small I don't believe that you should always be hiring (or pretend to be hiring). 

But you should have a process that works, and that gets better each time it's used.

Two important factors drove the development of my hiring. First, I wanted people who would learn *MY* processes and procedures. Second, I wanted people who were not mentally or physically lazy. In other words, they needed to be ready, willing, and able to work.

Focusing on those two things allowed us to avoid people who had no attention to detail, worked to avoid work, were burned out on the industry, and wanted to be overpaid for doing less than everyone else. Sadly, the job market in IT tends to attract (or create) people with very bad habits.

Here are two tactics that worked really well to find the right employees (both technicians and administrative assistants): Internships and local Craigslist ads.


Internships

Our foray into internships started with the local community college and move to local tech schools. For a while, I was on the advisory board for a local tech school. So that gave me easy access to internship postings.

We always paid for internships. It wasn't a lot. By today's standard, we would probably pay $20/hour. That gives a college student or tech student some spending money and helps build some loyalty. We always found good people. 

One person who stands out is a web developer who eventually helped us sell about $500,000 in programming over three years. Of course, he moved from intern to fulltime and much better paid in that time. He was also a great guy, easy to get along with, and very good. We would not have found him if we just put an ad out.

Another stand-out is a design student who created several graphics for us. She designed some posters I had made for our office. And she designed a book cover that won a design away. Although the award went to my book company, I gave her the plaque to take home because her name was right there on the cover as the designer.

Internships allow us to tap into young talent. In my brain, young people have more new ideas and less burnout. And, in many cases, they have access to and experience in some newer technology. Best of all, they are willing to learn. If I have to choose between someone who graduated sixth grad and swore to never read a book again, and someone who went to a tech school to learn career skills, I'll take the tech student every time.

To get interns, we wrote up a simple job spec and posted it with local tech schools and community colleges. They all have job centers. And they all take offers like this via email or a web site. Some of them are working on a formal internship from the school, but most don't care about that and are just willing to take an entry-level job so they can build their resume and skills.

In the "buy vs. build" world of IT support, I'd rather build a consultant that does things our way than to buy one with bad habits who has to be un-trained and re-trained.


Craigslist

I've blogged a lot about our success with CL ads. Search for "Craigslist" on this blog. Or just start with this one and follow the links: https://blog.smallbizthoughts.com/2017/08/hiring-good-administrative-assistant.html

One of the biggest problems with a very small company looking to hire someone is the overwhelm of the job search process. If you put out an ad, you'll likely get hundreds of responses, MOST of which are irrelevant. Job counselors give horrible advice, like, "Apply everywhere to any job that might just be related."

This results in applicants that are completely unqualified, or don't even want this job. They just hope someone, somewhere talks to them. And then, I guess, that person will know someone who actually needs them.

I have to admit, I don't actually understand why they do it. But I got resumes from SQL programmers for entry level IT infrastructure jobs. And people demanding $75,000 (ten years ago) for a level 1 tech position. And thousands of other examples.

So we settled on a process that allows people to filter themselves. Our ad says DO NOT send a resume or your email will be deleted. Instead, write one paragraph telling me why I should ask for your resume. You would be amazed at how quickly people eliminate themselves. The tiniest bit of effort will remove 100 people from a potential of 125 applicants.

Next, we required that they have at least one Microsoft certification. I don't care what it was. But we wanted to see their MS transcript and verify that it was legit. You can argue all day about certifications being irrelevant. But there is a difference between people who can pass one of those exams and one who can't. 

We also had a long hiring process, but that's another story for another day.

In general, our internships and Craigslist self-screening process did a great job of helping us find a really good mix of people and build an awesome team. And even today, when I hire about one person every two years, I do the exact same thing.

Feedback Welcome.

-----

All comments welcome.

-----

Episode 30 

This Episode is part of the ongoing Lessons Learned series. For all the information, and an index of Lessons Learned episodes, go to the Lessons Learned Page

Leave comments and questions below. And join me next week, right here.

Subscribe to the blog so you don't miss a thing.

:-)


Thursday, May 29, 2025

Webinar and Q&A: What Every MSP Needs to Know About Growth and Balance

 Please join Bill Black and me for a Relax Focus Succeed webinar - 

What Every MSP Leader Needs to Know About Growth and Balance



Wednesday, June 4th

9:00 AM Pacific / Noon Eastern


Running an MSP shouldn’t mean sacrificing your family time, your health, or your sanity. But if you’re like most MSP leaders, you’re stuck in firefighting mode constantly reacting, juggling tickets, managing people, and wondering when it all gets easier. 

In this free LIVE webinar, FocusPlanit brings you a special session with MSP legend and author Karl Palachuk to show you how to shift from chaos to clarity using the principles behind his book, Relax Focus Succeed.


What Every MSP Leader Needs to Know About Growth and Balance

  • Why most MSP leaders stay stuck in stress loops and how to break free
  • The difference between reacting and leading (and how to make the switch)
  • How to build better routines, reduce interruptions, and focus on what moves the business
  • A proven framework to lead with intention and growth

If you’ve been telling yourself you’ll slow down when things “settle” this is your moment to take back control, before burnout makes the decision for you.

Join us for this live webinar and walk away with tools to help you lead smarter, scale sustainably, and get your life back.

Save Your Seat Here:


:-)