Uncle Marv’s MSP Confessions (EP 1045)
I open up about what’s been happening with my family, how it’s affected my focus, and why I’m choosing to put family first while still showing up for the MSP community. I also own up to some recent missteps around ThreatLocker, Microsoft updates, vendor calls, DNS changes, and even past data loss, using them to talk about accountability, respect, and culture in our industry.
I start by sharing a real-life update on my mom’s health and how that’s pulled my attention away from work and the podcast, because I believe family and personal life have to come before business—even when you run an MSP and a show that people count on. I talk honestly about what it feels like to keep pushing through while your head isn’t fully in the game, and why I’m finally letting the community in on what I’ve been dealing with.
From there, I walk through several “confessions”: clarifying what I said about ThreatLocker and Microsoft updates after testing and confirming the issue was on my side, admitting my part in vendors calling my wife’s cell, apologizing for missing a DNS change email, and even revisiting an early-2000s server incident where I lost customer data before I truly understood that RAID is not backup. Those stories lead into a bigger conversation about how rarely IT pros simply say “I’m sorry,” how cliquish some peer groups and conferences have become, and how often MSPs oversell managed services and security stacks while under-delivering on real outcomes. I also touch on vendor and swag booth etiquette, podcast etiquette, and why community still matters more to me than endpoint counts or flashy growth.
=== Chapters
- 00:59 Wednesday Show Opener
- 02:48 Family Comes First
- 05:23 Clarifying Past Comments
- 09:43 Vendor Etiquette Explained
- 14:59 Customer Apology Story
- 23:32 Peer Groups and Cliques
- 27:55 Managed Services Reality
- 32:14 Swag Booth Etiquette
- 36:39 Podcast Etiquette
- 37:51 Community Matters Most
- 39:58 Closing and Sponsors
=== Companies / Vendors / Products / Books
- IT Business Owners Group (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/groups/ITBusinessOwnersGroup
- The ASCII Group: https://www.ascii.com
- Podnutz (Podcast / Community): https://podnutz.com/
=== SPONSORS:
- Livestream Partner, ThreatLocker: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/threatlocker
- Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
- Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
- Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
- Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready
=== SHOW MUSIC:
- Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
- Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
- Author Username: AlexanderRufire
- Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML
=== Connect with Uncle Marv
🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcast
If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.
