Managed Services in a Month - 5-Week Course Starts May 28th

Managed Services in a Month - Applying the Book - Newly Revised

Instructor: Karl W. Palachuk

- Five Tuesdays - May 28 - June 25, 2019 -- Register Now

- All classes start a 9:00 AM Pacific

You're guaranteed to learn something that will make or save you the price of admission!

This course will cover the process outlined in the book - to build your managed service practice in a month. In this case, five weeks. :-)

Managed Services in a Month is the best-selling guide to turning your "computer consulting" business into a recurring revenue machine!

This course is designed to walk you through the process outlined in the book. AND your registration includes a free copy of the book in the format of your choice.

Updated Information on Tools, Cloud Services, Per-User Pricing, Creating Bundles, and MORE!

For more information on the book, see www.managedservicesinamonth.com.


It's not too late! YOU can get into Managed Services -- in a month.

Even if you decide not to become an MSP (managed service provider), this course will help you establish some great best practices when it comes to running your I.T. business.

Whether you're a new "Computer Consultant" or an experienced Managed Service Provider, you need to create successful processes that will propel your company forward. Nothing is more critical to making profit than having the right processes and procedures in place!

You will learn

• Computer Consulting in the 21st Century
• What’s Different About Technology Consulting Today?
• Cloud Computing in the Small Business Space
• The Managed Service Model
• New Consulting Business vs. Existing Business
• Managed Services in a Month
• Integrating Cloud Services
• Making A Plan
• Starting Fresh with No Clients to Convert
• Create A Three-Tiered Pricing Structure
• Bundling Services
• Per-User vs. Per-Device Pricing Models
• Putting Your (New) Business Together
• Weed Your Client Garden and Finish The Plan
• Write a Service Agreement; Have It Reviewed
• Overcoming Objections
• Desktops and Managed Service
• Executing the Plan
• Client Sit-Downs
• After The Sale
• Key Points to Remember for Profit
• Running Your New MSP Business
• The Right Tools for the Job
• Your Standard Offerings (Your Catalog of Services)
• Building an Action Plan that works
• and MORE!

Includes five weeks of webinar classes with related handouts, assignments, and "office hours" with the instructor.

This course is intended for business owners and managers. It is particularly useful for the Service Manager or Operations Manager.

Only $259

Register Now

A Few Details . . .

• Each course will be five one-hour webinars
• There will be handouts and "homework" assignments
• If you wish to receive feedback on your assignments, there will be instructor office hours
• Class webinars will be recorded and made available to paid attendees only.
• All calls start at 9:00 AM Pacific Time

Questions? Email concierge@smallbizthoughts.com

:-)

Free Webinar - Design and Sell Recurring Revenue Programs that Work - June 4th

Design and Sell Recurring Revenue Programs that Work

Albert Einstein said that “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world.” Recurring revenue is a lot like compound interest. Join me for this webinar - How to Design and Sell Recurring Revenue Programs that Work - for an exclusive, educational and entertaining look at the world of recurring revenue.

June 4 @ 11 a.m. PST

Sponsored by Virtiant
Register Now

I have been a consultant since 1995 and I can honestly say that recurring revenue changed my life and changed my business. More than one person has told me that recurring revenue saved their business when the economy turned south.

BUT you can't just sell a flat fee contract think you're going to make money. Like everything else, you need to do it right! There's magic in building bundles that sell. And there's magic in creating the right 3-tiered price list.

There are also some pitfalls you need to avoid. You can't sell a service based on one business model and then deliver a service based on another.

Join me for a webinar jam-packed with tips, tricks, and best practices!

June 4th
11 AM Pacific / 2 PM Eastern
Register Free


Learn More about Virtiant at Virtiant.com


:-)

Photo Credit: Photograph by Orren Jack Turner, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=925243

Cloud Services in a Month - on Amazon

Today I approved the final, final printing proof for Cloud Services in a Month.

That means, with luck, that you'll be able to order it on Amazon next week. You can order the paperback today at www.smbbooks.com.

Find out more about the book at www.cloudservicesinamonth.com.


Please be patient with Amazon. We have no direct connection with them. In other words, they don't buy books from us. Our books are distributed by Ingram Books, the largest book distributor in the world. Amazon orders through them.

With a new book, Amazon almost never keeps stock. But the book is POD - publish on demand. So it's never really out of stock. They just have to order one and have it drop shipped to you.

After a book has been up a while, this all works very smoothly. But with a new book, it can take a bit of time before they start ordering as they should.

- - - - -

Update: The paperback is available at Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1942115547

and the Kindle edition is available here:
https://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Services-Month-Successful-Business-ebook/dp/B07RRWYHFB/

The paperback is "back ordered" until Monday.

- - - - -

Anyway - Thank you all for all your support.

Please visit www.cloudservicesinamonth.com to learn more.

:-)

SMB IT Pro Conference - Adelaide in October - Join me!

First of all, for you Americans: It's really NOT that expensive to get to Australia.

I just did Travelocity Searches from some U.S. cities for the period October 22-29. Remember, you lose a day getting there and gain one coming back, because you cross the International Date Line.

• New York area airports start at $1,270
• Chicago area airports start at $1,478
• LAX starts at $1,098

Remember the exchange rate: Once you get to Australia, everything is 25% cheaper!


The SMBiT Professionals Annual Conference has become one of my absolute favorites. It is focused completely around the IT Pro, not around vendor presentations.

Plus, it's a lot of very friendly folks, with an over-abundance of Microsoft MVPs.

Friday-Saturday
October 25-26, 2019

Plus I'm SURE some of us will find an excursion on Sunday. Which may involve large plates of meat and some amount of beer in a local Octoberfest.

Here's the official promo into:

SMBiT Professionals 2019 Conference
There's strength in numbers. Join us!

We live in an age where information is available anywhere, anytime, always. Mainstream IT services have moved beyond break fix and Managed Services models. Where are the new frontiers for the modern IT business? How can we harness the new technologies currently available and coming in the future to enable the modern IT business to move into the new future of IT services? The SMBiT Professionals Conference 2019 will assist you in growing your business in fast moving and constantly changing environment.

Nestled among the serenity of beautiful beaches and rolling hills, Adelaide is a hive of multiculturalism with a pumping arts and live-music scene, and a burgeoning small-bar scene. In October, the hills are alive with the sounds of German Oktoberfest. For the lovers of the outdoors, Adelaide is a perfect location for a lazy stroll on the beach or a rugged run or bike ride in the beautiful Mt Lofty Ranges. A quick trip to the north or to the south brings you to some of the best wines in the world from the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale regions.

If you are looking for the right conference to attend in 2019, the SMBiT Professionals Conference 2019 in Adelaide should be on your calendar.


For details of Sponsors, Speakers and Accommodation see http://www.smbitpro.org.au/smbit2019/

To book Accommodation directly go to http://bit.ly/SPA-SMBiT1019/

You will need to meet your own costs for flights, accommodation and ancillary expenses.

Location
Stamford Plaza Adelaide
150 North Terrace
Adelaide

I hope to see you there!

https://membership.smbitpro.org/event-3303333

:-)

Cloud Services in a Month - Available NOW!

I just posted the final PDF version of Cloud Services in a Month - 396 pages!!!

There are two ways to download this book right now:

Option One: Buy Now for only $49.95

• Browse to www.smbbooks.com
• ZIP file includes the book in PDF format and all the downloads (Excel spreadsheets, marketing flyers, checklists, etc.)

Option Two: Get it FREE in the Small Biz Thoughts Community

• If you are an SBT Community member, just go download the ZIP file now
• Visit www.smallbizthoughts.org and browse to the "Books" section
• ZIP file includes the book in PDF format and all the downloads (Excel spreadsheets, marketing flyers, checklists, etc.)

Note on the Community: One of my pledges is that all of my books will be available in the community at no additional charge. This is the second new book I've posted this year (along with The Nonfiction Book Publishing Plan, co-authored by Stephanie Chandler).

Just the books inside the SBT Community are worth more than the cost to join. Find out more at https://www.smallbizhthoughts.org.

-- -- --

Cloud Services in a Month is a step-by-step, no-nonsense guide to building an extremely profitable cloud service business for the SMB (small and medium business) market. Filled with practical advice based on the author's experience over more than a decade, this guide is the playbook you will use for success in the Cloud.

Based on more than a dozen years selling and delivering millions of dollars of Cloud services to my clients. In this book, I share exactly how I did it.

I also give you all the details you need to build a Cloud Five-Pack™ - The custom bundled offering of services you will market, sell, and deliver to your prospects and customers. Chock full of additional assets such as spreadsheets, checklists, processes, and more, Cloud Services in a Month includes everything you need to hit the ground running – even if you’re not a Cloud expert.

Whether you have a time-and materials, professional services, or managed services practice, Cloud Services in a Month reveals how to incorporate Cloud services into your existing solution stack and up-sell and cross-sell the Cloud with your existing services in 30 days.

-- -- --

Table of Contents:

Author’s Preface
I. Everyone’s a Cloud Service Provider
1. Tip Toe into the Clouds?
2. My Company’s Move to the Cloud
3. Cloud Computing in the Small Business Space

II. Right Sizing Your Offering
4. One Size Does Not Fit All
5. Assessing Client Networks
6. Placing the X
7. Money-Making Homework - Network Assessments

III. Create a Cloud Service Offering
8. Sneak Peek: The Cloud Service Five-Pack
9. Server Lite
10. Plan Changes and Updates
11. Transactions, Customers, and Clients
12. Managed Services and Cloud Services

IV. Migrating to the Cloud
13. One Service at a Time
14. Managed Service Tools and the Cloud
15. Storage Migration
16. Email Migration
17. Microsoft Office
18. Money-Making Homework - Migration Plans

V. Backups, DR, and Continuity
19. Basic Backups
20. Cloud and BDR Backups
21. Business Continuity

VI. Running Your New CSP Business
22. The Right Partners for the Job
23. Your Standard Offerings (Your Catalog of Services)
24. Staff Requirements for Cloud Services
25. Selling Cloud Services
26. Final Thoughts: Cloud Services in a Month

VII. Resources: Checklists and Documentation
27. Cloud Readiness Checklist
28. Robocopy Samples
29. Client Onboarding Checklist
30. New User Welcome Package
31. Monthly Maintenance for Cloud Services
32. Cloud Documentation Sample
33. Removing Clients from Cloud Services

Appendix A: Alphabet Soup Cheat Sheet
Appendix B: Products and Resources Mentioned
Keeping Up With Karl
Index

Buy Now - only $49.95

Download Free in the SBT Community

Also available on Kindle from Amazon

:-)

Reminder: "Cloud Hangout" today at 11AM Pacific

Reminder to members of the Small Biz Thoughts Community:

Special event for the month of May!!! 

Members Only “Cloud Hang”

Here’s what we’re up to: I’m going to turn on the camera and microphone and just hang out on Zoom. I’ll answer any questions you have. Or if you just want to chat about cloud services or your offering, I’m happy to talk about that. Any member who shows up between 11 AM and Noon (Pacific) is welcome to join us.

You can come with an agenda or without. I just want to make myself available to all members.Of course I hope some of you will be working your way through Cloud Services in a Month – so I’m happy to talk about the book, the philosophy, the handout, etc. Other than the general topic of “Cloud,” I’m not setting any limits on what we discuss.

Potential topics include:

• Cloud Services in a Month (the book)
• Pricing plans
• Building your bundle
• Working with vendors
• How does M365 fit into all this?
• Storage options
• Transitioning clients to bundles
• . . . Or whatever else you need

Note: I won't have slides, advertising, or any kind of promotion. This is just a value-add for members.

Here how to join us: Go to the Webinars/Meeting section and look for the “Members Only Cloud Hang.”

Members Access Here

You’ll need to register on Zoom. The password is on that page.

Strictly limited to Members Only. If you want to attend, you need to be a member.

Here’s the schedule:
Friday May 10, 11:00 AM (Pacific)
Friday May 17, 11:00 AM
Friday May 24, 11:00 AM
Friday May 31, 11:00 AM

Note: These meetings are NOT going to be recorded. If you want to be part of the Hang, you need to show up live.

If this works, we’ll do more stuff like this.

Non-Members: You can join for $999 USD. This includes one year of membership at no additional charge. See https://www.smallbizthoughts.org

:-)

Episode 1 - The Killing IT Podcst

Well, after more work than you'd think, there's a new podcast in town: The Killing IT Podcast.

More Info and First Episode here: killingit.smallbizthoughts.com

I am joined by co-hosts Ryan Morris and Dave Sobel for a fun, irreverent, and thoughtful look at the industry we're in and where it's going.

In a month no one will care that it takes effort to jump-start the iTunes feed. But to get that process started, I produced a tiny Episode .9 a few days ago.

But the real Episode One is now live.

Please give it a listen and put any comments or questions in the form at KillingIT.smallbizthoughts.com.

We do have a Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/killingITPodcast/
(or you can talk about us on Facebook with the tag @killingitpodcast.

Enjoy!

:-)

3-part mini class: Weeding Your Client Garden

One of the most important things you can do for your company is to Weed Your Client Garden from time to time. Just like a real garden, you need to trim your client base from time to time.

This seems very counter-intuitive to many people. But you have to get rid of clients who cannot grow with your company, as well as those who are difficult to work with, unprofitable, or don't fit your culture. In this three-part mini class, we'll look at several scenarios for growing your business by "weeding" out some of your clients.

This weeding is not random. It's not brutal. And you absolutely will not lose money. Some people hear my advice on this strategy and think I'm getting rid of clients you need to survive. Just the opposite is true. I'll show you how to find those clients who are costing you money, wasting your time, and holding you back.

We'll walk through the math of cutting out clients as well as various strategies for growth. Weeding your client garden is ALL ABOUT growing your business and making more money.


This class is FREE for Small Biz Thoughts Community members.

Only $99 for non-members.

Weeding Your Client Garden
Instructor: Karl W. Palachuk
- Three Days: May 9, 16, and 23
- All classes are recorded

- All classes start at 10:00 AM Pacific
- Classes are generally 30-60 minutes

Members: Click Here to Register Free

Non-Members: Add this item to your cart.

More information on the Small Biz Thoughts Community is available at by Clicking Here.

Note: This is a live class. Once it is finished, it will only be available at no additional charge to members of the Small Biz Thoughts Community.

:-)

Special event for May - Members-Only "Cloud Hangout"

We have scheduled a special event for the month of May!!!
. . . Along with the release of Cloud Services in a Month . . .

Small Biz Thoughts Community Members Only - Cloud Hangout

Here's what we're up to: I'm going to turn on the camera and microphone and just hang out on Zoom. I'll answer any questions you have. Or if you just want to chat about cloud services or your offering, I'm happy to talk about that as well.

This will be the last four Fridays in May: 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st.

Any SBT member who shows up between 11 AM and Noon (Pacific) is welcome to join us.

Member Go Here

You can come with an agenda or without. I just want to make myself available to all members. Of course I hope some of you will be working your way through Cloud Services in a Month. So I'm happy to talk about the book, the philosophy, the handout, etc. Other than the general topic of "Cloud," I'm not setting any limits on what we discuss.

Here how to join us: Go to the Webinars/Meeting section and look for the Members Only Cloud Hang.

You'll need to register on Zoom. The password is on that page.

Strictly limited to Members Only. To find out more about the SBT Community, go to https://bit.ly/sbtinfo

Note: These meetings are NOT going to be recorded. If you want to be part of the Hang, you need to show up live. If this works, we'll do more stuff like this.

(If it doesn't work, we're just pretend it never happened, and we'll never mention it again.)

:-)

Cloud Readiness Checklist V3 - Free Update

I've had a Cloud Readiness Checklist available - for free - since 2010. I updated it about five years ago. And again this month.

Of course you can buy the new book - Cloud Services in a Month - and get the checklist there. But you can also download the newest version for FREE at SMB Books.

Here: http://www.smbbooks.com/Karl-s-Cloud-Readiness-Checklist-p/cloudchecklist.htm

Karl's Cloud Readiness Checklist was designed for technology consultants to use when evaluating whether their clients are ready for cloud services. It's also a great starting place for designing cloud service offerings that are just right for your clients.

This checklist is FREE for the taking. No credit card required. (Yes, you get on our mailing list. But you might just like that. If not, nuke it. We're not easily offended.)

The checklist has two parts. First: What products and services are you ready to offer in the cloud?

and Second: Evaluate whether a specific client is ready for cloud services.

And, yes, there's a whole lot more than bandwidth to consider. In fact, with most hosted services, bandwidth is almost an irrelevant consideration.

Anyway, download the checklist today. You can always fine-tune it for use in your business.

:-)