Cynthia Schreiner Talks MSP Community (EP 1033)

[0:14] Hello, friends. Uncle Marv here with another episode of the IT Business Podcast

[0:18] coming at you live from Salt Lake City at PAX 8 Beyond 2026. I just had lunch, so I had a little bit of a break, but now it's back to the grind. And my first guest after the break, this is going to be, I guess, a little bit of an announcement. Cynthia Schreiner here. Yeah. Last, when you were on the podcast last, you were with another company. Now you are here at PAX 8. Yes. July will be one year, which is hard to believe. It's hard to believe it's only been a year. Yeah. Because, you know, PAX 8 moves really, really quickly and we're very busy. But also it feels like I've been here a long time, right? You're working with people like Eric Torres and Ola Witukiewicz and Rob Rae. I mean, these are people that I've admired for so long. Titans of the channel. Yeah. And they wanted me on their team. Like, how cool is that? So it's really been a fun ride. Yeah. Do you remember when we talked last year about getting you on the show and you were like, well, hang on. Something might be a brewing.

[1:25] And then nothing. I couldn't find you. Yeah. Then you popped up and then I couldn't figure out how to, you know. Yeah. Yeah, there was a little bit of a time in between while I was just, I was looking for the right opportunity. I really wanted to be somewhere where I felt like it's making a difference in MSP's businesses. And Pax8 just, they're doing a lot of cool stuff. It's a true partnership, and I'm just really, really proud to work for them. Now, your official title, let me see if I got this right here, Senior Management of Channel Engagement. Yes. Is that right? That is true. Okay. Thank you for getting a small, short title. Yeah. All right. Rob's title is way too long. Oh, yes. He is CVP of.

[2:10] Is it? Hold on. It's community and partner experience. Yeah. And I threw in ecosystems in there. Yeah. At one point we had there was an ecosystems in there, but I think now it's just and partner experience. Although things could have changed. But yes. I just told my godfather and he's like, what? Yeah. That feels right. I like that. but yeah so a year so that would have put it was did you get, assigned before or after Pax 8 Beyond last year? Did I get, what was that? Well, I say assigned, like chosen. Did you start the job? Oh, I was part of a layoff. And so I had about three months in between. No, no, no. I mean, but were you with Pax 8 at the last Beyond? Oh, at the last Beyond. I'm sorry. I have not eaten lunch, friends. So, you know, forgive me if I. Okay. I.

[3:06] May not have In the past, actually, I never had the opportunity to come to Beyond when I was with other vendors because IT Nation Secure was always happening right down the street. The week after, yeah. And I live in Florida, so it always made more sense for me to go over there. And I have a lot of strong relationships with the ConnectWise community.

[3:26] So this is actually my first ever Beyond. Really? So my first Beyond as a Pax8er and my first Beyond. Okay. Well, that takes me down another row of questioning. How was your flight here? My flight here was really early. It was at 7 a.m. Yeah. It was like four and a half hours. Did you do direct? Yes. Get out. There's one direct flight. Yeah. One for me too. Just the one. But mine would have been five plus. Yeah. And I said no. Yeah. It's like four and a half hours. And I would have gotten in at like 11.45 at night. Yes. So I'm not taking the directs back for the same reason. Because I would have gotten in at like, I don't know, 1 a.m. or something. Okay. Yeah. I was going to go hang out in Nashville for a little bit in between. So I flew in through Nashville. Okay. But I'm flying back through Houston. Oh, okay. Which one? What do you mean, which one? I don't know. Well, there's two airports in Houston. Listen, I live in Florida. Why would I care how many airports are in another city? I grew up in Houston. That's why. Oh, really? Yes. Let's see. It's, I don't know. Is I-H or is it H-O-U? I told you I don't know.

[4:33] All I'd wait for is as we're about to land, when the flight attendants say your gate. Yeah, exactly. H-O-U. H-O-U. That's Houston Hobby. So you're probably on a Southwest flight. Yes. Is that the real airport? That is the smaller airport of the two. Oh, really? But it's nice. It's like nice and bright. It's good. Okay. Yeah. All right.

[4:57] Anyway, actually, the reason we're here. Rabbit holes. So your first PAX 8. My first PAX 8 Beyond. Now, I imagine that, so for the last year, you've been kind of getting yourself acquainted with everybody and all of that gear. What's it been like for you to actually see partners here, be a part of this experience? Yeah. What's that like? And let me say this. Uh-huh.

[5:20] You look happier. Ah, do I? Yeah. I, uh...

[5:25] There's so much opportunity at PAX 8, right? Obviously with their size and just doing so much. So I love just feeling like, you know, the world is my oyster. But then, you know, being here at this event, walking into the main stage this morning and just the production value alone. But like the energy in the room and so many people. I don't feel like we've had that many people in a room since like before COVID. Like it just, yeah, it's really, really impactful. It's great. I'll get back to the question because you threw in another thing there. What did you think of Nick Hedy's entrance? Oh, it was great. Yeah? Yeah. Listen, I love that, like, he's approachable, right? Like, he's not just like, oh, I'm going to be up here. You never know. Like, it's approachable. And he s like, bringing some fun. And, again, it's about the energy, right? Because when you have that good energy at a show like this, that invigorates people and they bring that back to their business, right? And, you know, that's what you want. That's the end goal. right now. So I don't, I don't interview him this year. So I don't, I don't know if you'll tell him if you're here somewhere that reminded me of who's the guy that plays that played Greg Brady.

[6:36] Oh, on the Brady Bunch. Oh, gosh. I don't remember that one award ceremony where somebody else was supposed to perform and he had to fill in last minute. Oh, and they brought him in on the on the chariot thing. And it kind of felt like, you know, an award ceremony. He's coming in from the back or whatever. Yeah, yeah.

[6:54] Kind of interesting. I feel like that's special, too. Right. You know, you've got the people that are sitting up there, our PAC members, you know, are up on the couches. You have the like the first 300, I think, that were VIPs. Right. purchased last year yeah like the first two to three hundred i believe it is don't quite quote me on that number first 200 that pay the 199 okay they get the signature seating right and so i think that's also special right when like kind of you get to like be part of the moment yeah and not so yeah i thought it was cool and i like his music choices all right.

[7:23] Yeah now back to the question i asked you okay what's it like hanging out with the partners here and how's that been over the last year it's been great it's been great i mean I ve been on the event side now for eight, nine years, right? I was at an MSP before, but so it's just, it's these like relationships that I've had for so long, but there's so many of them here and likes of people that I haven't seen in a year or two. So yeah, it's been wonderful and everyone's excited and it's exciting to listen to, okay, so have you started dabbling in AI yet? What are you doing? Have you built anything? And just talking about, you know, we're at, we're at this like starting point in this journey and then getting to share like what I'm doing. And it's just, yeah, it's cool. Okay. So tell me about some new stuff that you have the opportunity to do here that you weren't able to do at those other places. And I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with those. Yeah. But you've talked about the fact there's so many more opportunities. Yeah. What are those opportunities? I mean, the, you know, the AI piece comes to mind, right? Because that's all we're talking about all the time. But that is a, is really, really, really.

[8:29] It's been fun to change my mindset around it because usually when like new tools pop up and we have access to these things, I always feel like, OK, I really need to sit down and give myself time to figure out how to use this thing. I don't have time. I'm managing like, I don't know, 90 events or something like there's no time. So I finally just changed my mindset and I was like, if a task is annoying, I'm going to go to co-pilot or go to co-work and I'm just going to start asking it things and figuring out what its capabilities are. And now I've built skills and now I have things that used to take me hours that I literally say, hey, go ahead, run this skill. And then I go and do other work, and then I come back and the task is done. It's amazing. But is that a Pax8 thing that got you to think like that? I think so. Really? Yeah, I do. Because we're talking about the transformation all the time, right? And we're encouraging MSVs to take... Why talk about it if you don't do it, right? Exactly. Okay. Exactly. And so how do I make these systems talk to each other? If I'm using systems that don't talk to each other, what do I need to do to change my process? So like when, you know, Hedy was talking about, well, first you got to do it, like basically you kind of got to tear it down, you got to rebuild it. And then you, you know, you get your AI, your automation put in there. And I'm literally in the middle of that right now. So it's just, again, it's just cool to be a part of something at the beginning.

[9:52] Okay. I'm going to shift you again. Okay, let's do it. East Coast versus West Coast? East Coast all day. Really? Hold on.

[10:02] Of Florida or of the United States? Oh, I see. Okay. So you're one of the few people that get that because I do that all the time. Because if it's Florida, West. Yes. Florida, West Coast. Yes. U.S. East Coast. Yeah. Okay. I think so. I don't know. I mean, yeah, the West Coast is fine. But I just feel like I like the East Coast. Yeah. Yeah. Well, hold on. Why don't you like anything in the middle? It's not that I didn't say that.

[10:28] So I'm only asking because, you know, I only fly west in the Mississippi once a year. Right. Which has been to PAXA. Okay. Other events are trying to get me to do that. And I'm like, eh. And then, of course, Rob announced, you know, next year, San Diego, further west. Mm-hmm. You're a Florida gal. Uh-huh. So I asked that because a lot of Floridians don't like going west. So I like it on the way there because I feel like I, you know, I gain these hours. Okay. But coming back is so hard because you lose those hours with the time shift. So coming back always feels like I've just lost a day. Okay. But getting there, I feel like I gain a day and usually I have a lot to do when I hit the ground. So that part's kind of nice. Okay. Now, since you're here as a Pax 8 person, I'm assuming you didn't have the same time.

[11:16] That a lot of attendees had where they came in a day early, went around, saw the town, went hiking stuff?

[11:22] Have you done anything like that? I did manage to walk down to, like, where the tabernacle and just, like, all the big, you know, Roman church buildings. You went to go see that? It was just, it's like a block or two away. Oh, okay. Not because you're interested in warrants. No, no, no, no. It's just, you know, it's, they're iconic buildings, right? Okay, yeah. Especially if you watch Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, You know, there's always the panoramic views. There's a real house of Salt Lake? Yeah. Really? Oh, gosh. They're Hot Mess Express. When did that start? Oh, gosh. They're in four or five seasons now. Why would you watch that? They're crazy. They're hilarious. I mean, I understand they're crazy.

[12:00] All the Housewives shows are crazy. They are. Okay, listen. I don't allow for, like, drama in my life. But you'll watch it all day. But I love to watch it because, you know, I can comment on it. I can be, like, catty because it's people I don't know, right? Okay. Yeah, so it's, you know, it scratches that itch of like, oh, this person did this thing. But like, it's not actually like people in my life that are affecting my life. Okay. That makes sense. But yeah, there's a lovely gardens down over there. So it was nice to just like walk through and it was a really pretty day. And I have had some really good food. I've been really charmed by Salt Lake City, which I wasn't expecting. What kind of food? I have had, oh God, I've had all sorts of things. I had fish and chips last night, which was delicious and crispy. Because it's not like Salt Lake food. No. Well, Haddock is kind of like a Northwest. What is? Haddock? No. Was it? Oh, Haddock? I think it was Haddock. It's Pacific. Yeah. Specific. Okay. I mean, we're closer to the Pacific than normal. Yeah, it's the West Coast. Yeah. That place had really good French fries, too. I went to another place and had like this salad that had like a fried goat cheese situation happening. And then I had a burger that was absolutely delicious. And it had duck fat aioli on it. It was incredible. What place was this? It's called Copper Onion.

[13:17] Okay, the name alone would have just been like, okay. It's like a five-minute walk. Really? Easy peasy. And, oh, I found this coffee shop. It was Capula Coffee, Capula something. I don't know how to pronounce it. And I had a limoncello white mocha. Unbelievable. Like, unbelievable. And I never would have ordered it, but the barista was like, this one of like, all of our, because they're doing like a summer in Italy. Right. Like, theme with their drinks. And he's like, this one is hands down my favorite. And I was like, okay, sure. What in Rome? I'll try it. and I ve gone back and had like another couple of them and now I m probably going to get one for the afternoon now that I ve talked about it.

[13:54] Okay so yeah I ve been uh you know trying to enjoy myself as much as possible but not a ton of time okay well that's interesting, i took a 15 minute walk to salt and onion or onion and salt uh-huh it's all right all right little Italian place I went to, like, Red Rock Brewery last night. Oh, I looked at that. That one was good. I couldn't find anybody to walk with me. Aw. But I went to bed early, too. Well, that was smart. All right. So, is there anything, any talking points that you were told to do on the show? Anything we want to go over? No. I mean, you know. Make the PR people happy? Yeah. When it comes to me, it's about community. It's about, you know,

[14:41] connecting with partners, right?

[14:44] So tell me this. Tell me this. And I have people on the show all the time. Everybody's talking about community. It's been the buzzword for a few years. Yeah. Tell me right now, in your opinion, what makes community special in the channel? So. I think because.

[15:04] But MSPs have a hard job. Clients are usually not calling to be like, hey, great job. They're calling because something's broken and it's important for the function of their business. And they're upset. And whether it was the MSP's fault or it was this like other vendor, like they've got to deal with it. Right. So there's just there's a lot of fires to put out all the time. And it's very stressful. And then also a lot of times your family and your friends don't understand what it is you do. They just are like, oh, like Geek Squad at Best Buy is like, no, no, no. It's way more than that. It's way bigger. My nephew works at computers. You do what he does. Right. And so when you come to an event like this and you get to meet other MSPs, right, and you get to talk to vendors that are here just for you and building products just for your business, all of a sudden you feel seen. And I just think that that's so important. I think everyone is craving community a lot. And I just think that it's extra important for MSPs. Okay. Anything you saw in the PAX 8 community that's unique?

[16:11] I think that PAX 8s, they're like a partner. And I honestly, I always thought PAX 8 was really cool, you know, great. And then I got here and really started understanding, like, everything that our academy does and everything that you can get out of, like, professional services. And then all of these things that we're doing all the time to help MSPs grow. And like it's a real partnership, not just like a, hey, buy some Microsoft licenses. Right. It's more than that.

[16:40] It feels very genuine. And it's just cool to be part of. Okay. Now for your job specific. Okay. In terms of, you know, dealing with all these 90 plus events. Uh-huh. So how much. Are you dealing with like logistically, how much are you dealing with, you know, reaching out and getting partners to actually show up,

[17:00] prospecting MSPs that are not PAXA partners? How much of your job is, you know, in each of those pieces of the... So logistics, yes, very much part of my job. And strategy...

[17:14] MSPs aside even, strategy of like, who should we be sending, right? What types of MSPs are going to be here? What are we going to be talking about, right? So making sure, do we have a session, right? Just making sure you have all of those pieces, right? And I have a very, very long logistics checklist that we put against every single show to make sure that we're not missing anything. I mean, that's just, you know, been over years and years. If something breaks while are at a show. And I have to look back and think to myself, was there any point in the process where I could have maybe seen that coming, right? Put into the safety nets. Now, as far as like prospecting and all of that, no, because that's the company typically that's running the show. They're handling that. But now I do want to try to figure out who's going to be there. So some of that is just like some sleuthing, right? And like getting online. That's why social media is so important so that you, you know, kind of have an idea maybe of some people that you're going to connect with. But I think you always have to like leave room for the new connections. Right. Or being like, oh, hey, I didn't realize you're going to be here. So good to see you. What was going on with that problem that you were trying to solve? Right. So you've got to got to have some space. OK.

[18:28] Do you have any say on which events you guys attend? Yeah. Really? I do. Yeah. I'm asking for a friend. OK. You know, is there a certain size that you won't go below? No, no. We do all sorts of events, all sorts of sizes, right? So some are, you know, 40 or 50 attendees and then others are thousands. All right. How far in advance do you have to be asked?

[18:54] Best to ask me typically like fall of the year before, if not sooner, the sooner I know about something, the sooner I can start, you know, considering it, seeing if it works in the schedule. Is it a time of year where we're already going to be in a lot and my resources are going to be thin? That's where you really have to start like making some cuts that can, you know, be hard, right? Friend, pay attention. You want to get Cynthia to include your event before the fall. Get on yeah that way when i start doing like the bulk of our planning right, it i know that it's there and so sometimes too unfortunately it's you know you have a pile of i really want us, to go to this or try this but i am not sure that we're going to be able to make it work yet and then you know i just and had to let those simmer in the back but yeah we do a lot of our planning right at the end of the year all right all right before we get out one last question i gotta ask all the Pack State, folks, this is not going to air until after. Okay. Actually, yours will probably be two weeks from now. What do you think of the entertainment?

[20:00] What do I think of the entertainment? Yeah. I don't know who it is. What do you mean you don't know who it is? They didn't announce it this morning, did they? No, no, they never announce it. But Rob, you know, he's got a group of people that he tells. Oh, I forgot to, like, I think he was going to maybe mention it to me and I forgot to ask him. Really? Yeah.

[20:16] Like, I'm here for the excitement. Like, listen, it's going to be someone good, right? Still be a rapper, we know. I mean, probably.

[20:26] It's going to be fun. Everyone's going to be talking about it. This year I get to be part of it. All right. Yeah, it's kind of fun. That's why I forgot you hadn't been to one before. Uh-huh. You missed the Nelly and the Ludacris. Uh-huh. Snoop was last year.

[20:41] Yeah, I was hoping it would be Martha. Snoop and Martha together? Yeah, uh-huh. Yeah, and I think that's happening. That's a different kind of show. All right. Well, Cynthia, we will have to get together again. Let's do it. Now that you're more available. And now i know the secret as to why we weren't doing this before oh yes yeah the nighttime stuff can be tough because i you know am the uber service for my children yeah, all right well let's see we're in the middle of day two go get you some lunch yes.