IT Business Podcast Episodes

In this special episode, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the ASCII group, the oldest and largest independent IT community in the world. I'm joined by ASCII's founder and CEO Alan Weinberger, VP of Marketing Alysia Vetter, and longtime member David Stinner from US itek. We discuss the origins of ASCII, how it has evolved over the decades, the value it provides to members, and its exciting plans for the future.

Uncle Marv welcomes back Tim Fitzpatrick from Rialto Marketing to discuss the importance of having a strategic marketing plan before diving into tactics. Tim emphasizes the need to identify your ideal clients by asking three key questions: who do you love working with, who are your most profitable clients, and which clients are you getting the best results for? He then provides a step-by-step process for defining your target market, including analyzing demographics, psychographics, and market viability. The conversation also touches on using AI tools like Perplexity to research where your ideal clients congregate online and offline.

Uncle Marv interviews Rob Rae, Corporate VP of Community and Ecosystems at Pax8, about the upcoming Pax8 Beyond 2024 conference in Denver. They discuss Rob's first year at Pax8, the company's global expansion, marketing efforts, conference highlights, keynote speakers, and the new European conference in Berlin. Rob shares insights on the value of user conferences for MSPs and Pax8's focus on innovation, education, and community.

Florida man Ron Cervantes join us to discuss some of the best "Florida man" tech stories. However, before diving into those tales, I had to rant about the frustrating issues I've been experiencing with my RMM provider, N-able, for the past two days. Their SSO issue prevented me from logging in and remotely supporting clients through their platform, which was a major inconvenience.

Uncle Marv visits the Kaseya headquarters in Miami and interviews Nadir Merchant, the General Manager and Chief Technology Officer for Kaseya's IT Operations suite. They discuss Nadir's role in overseeing products like Autotask, BMS, IT Glue, ConnectBooster, and My IT Process, as well as Kaseya's approach to integrating AI into their offerings.

Uncle Marv shares his experience visiting the Kaseya corporate offices in Miami. He addresses concerns from listeners about the visit and provides insights into Kaseya's products, pricing, and future plans.

Uncle Marv rants about the importance of using proper cable testing tools and the frustration of dealing with subpar work from other service providers. Juan Fernandez from SuperOps joins the conversation, and they discuss the value of time, firing problematic clients, and the mindset shift required for business growth.

Uncle Marv interviews Paul Green, a marketing expert specializing in helping managed service providers grow their business. Paul shares valuable insights on common marketing mistakes MSPs make and strategies to effectively market their services.

Uncle Marv interviews Brook Lee, the new Director of Channel at ScalePad, to discuss her recent career move and her plans in her new role. Brook shares insights into her decision to join ScalePad, her responsibilities, and her goals for supporting MSPs with ScalePad's suite of products.

In this episode of the IT Business Podcast, Uncle Marv sits down with technology lawyer Bradley Gross to discuss the importance of having proper legal agreements in place for managed service providers (MSPs). They dive into a recent high-profile lawsuit involving an MSP and explore the lessons that can be learned from such situations.

In this episode, I chat with Taher Hamid from MSP Camp about the key marketing challenges facing MSPs and how to build a strong online presence and inbound marketing strategy to attract new clients. We discuss the importance of having a professional website, social media, and personal branding to make a great first impression.

In this episode of the IT Business Podcast, I chat with marketing expert Matt Rodela about common mistakes MSPs make with their marketing and how to fix them. Matt shares his insights on differentiating your business, building a coherent marketing plan, and how his company Tech Marketing Engine has evolved to become a one-stop shop for IT businesses' marketing needs.

In this episode, I sit down with Chris Marks, the Principal Outbound Product Manager at Parallels, to discuss the company's evolution beyond just running Windows on Mac. We dive into Parallels' remote application server (RAS) and desktop as a service (DAS) offerings, exploring how these solutions can benefit managed service providers and their clients.

Uncle Marv discusses the latest news and announcements from the IT industry, including Kaseya's new Kaseya 365 subscription service and Brooke Lee's move from PIA to ScalePad. Uncle Marv also shares his experience using the NetAlly EtherScope NXG to troubleshoot a customer's Wi-Fi issues.

Uncle Marv sits down with Sean Lardo to discuss the upcoming Pitch It season 2024. They dive into the details of the program, including the record number of applicants, the focus on AI and cybersecurity solutions, and the 16-week accelerator program that helps prepare vendors for the live pitch competition at IT Nation Connect.

Uncle Marv is joined by Chris Marks, the Principal Outbound Product Manager at Parallels. They discuss the rise of remote and hybrid work, the challenges companies face in supporting this new work model, and how Parallels is helping organizations navigate the transition.

Uncle Marv and guest Dave Scott, President of Scott Growth Strategies, discuss the challenges MSPs face with ineffective marketing and share practical tips for mastering marketing to grow an IT services business. They explore the common pitfalls MSPs encounter and provide guidance on how to develop a successful, personalized marketing strategy.

Uncle Marv sits down with Shawn Walsh and Dave Cava, authors of the new book "The Pumpkin Plan for Managed Service Providers." They discuss the process of writing the book, the key lessons it teaches, and how MSPs can apply the principles to grow their businesses.

Uncle Marv interviews Colin Knox, the co-founder and CEO of Gradient, about their new product called StackTracker. StackTracker is a tool that helps MSPs gain deep visibility into their technology stack, including usage, costs, and profitability.

Uncle Marv interviews Lori Hardtke, a solo MSP owner who has found great success by implementing the Profit First system in her business. Lori shares her journey of how Profit First transformed her business and how she is now helping other MSPs achieve profitability through her Profit First Academy.

Uncle Marv recaps his experience at the recent Channel Pro Live event in Orlando, Florida. He also shares a story about a client who wanted additional services but was unwilling to pay for them, highlighting the importance of setting clear expectations and pricing with customers.

Say goodbye to the days of wasted resources and hello to strategic marketing that spotlights your MSP's unique strengths. Uncle Marv sits down with Tim Fitzpatrick, founder of Rialto Marketing, to discuss the importance of developing a strategic marketing plan for MSPs.

Brook Lee and Tim Coach discuss best practices for running an effective help desk for Managed Service Providers (MSPs). Streamed during Channel Pro Live in Orlando, Florida.

Uncle Marv sits down with Jeff Bishop, the Chief Product Officer at ConnectWise, to discuss the company's recent announcements and innovations around robotic process automation (RPA), workflow automation, and their new AI assistant Sidekick.