Recently we sat down with Kam Kaila, President and Community Officer, IT by Design and we did one of our podcasts!

The high-level topics included:

• Leadership development and talent management for MSPs
• Leadership development in the MSP industry
• Leadership training for the channel
• Leadership styles, personality, and communication
• MSP support, software, and team management

The SMB Nation community has done it once (New Orleans – Hurricane Katrina) and we’ve done it twice (Houston – Hurricane Harvey). It’s time to dispatch the MSP Navy with resources to help long-time SMB Nation member Ulrich Kirkegaard. He has lost everything this week including his home and business in Lahaina, Maui.

Kirkegaard shared the following with me in an email exchange earlier today.

A busy and Jon Murchison, the CEO of Blackpoint, caught up with us at the recent Pax8 Evolve conference in Denver, CO. This first time event rocked (must have been an event team with over 100 staffers to pull that off. Blackpoint Cyber is making a splash and also announced its a Pax8 partner at this event. 

Step back and hear me out on this one.

While not a direct hit with the Managed Services Provider (MSP) small and medium business (SMB) space, it’s a technology story at its core: curbside pick-up.

First my journey. I recently started using curbside pick-up at a local grocery store “HEB” in the Austin, TX area. I am sold and will minimize my in-store visits moving forward. Here are a couple take aways.

Accuracy. The customer experience for online ordering has been awesome. The “stuff” I wanna buy is easy to find online. Also – there is an order history so I can simply repeat the last order (like copy-and-paste) and then make simple modifications.

Recently SMB Nation teamed with Ostra and Security Studio to have a non-salesy, open conversation about the challenges Small and Medium Business (SMB) Managed Services Providers (MSPs) face in providing robust cybersecurity solutions. Beyond the technical realm, there is a loneliness feeling that many MSPs feel alone. We hit that head on in the 30-min webcast.

Topics include:

Former Microsoft executive Caroline Goles at a recent industry conference hosted by Pax8 in Denver. Highlights from the interview include:

• Partner relations and cloud technology.
• Career progression and industry experience.
• Aligning sales and marketing strategies for partnership success.
• Partner needs and marketing services.

 One to watch: Timus Networks

We caught up with a busy busy Pinar Ormeci, CEO of Timus Networks, after our recent MSP Rescue – Princeton workshop.

In this podcast, we discuss:

• Zero trust network security solutions with Pinar from Timus networks
• Career progression from engineering to CEO
• Virtual security for modern workforce
• New company's events and partnerships in the MSP industry
• Strategic partnerships in the IT industry

Long-time and loyal SMB Nation member Ulrich “Uli” Kirkegaard endured a life alter event in early August with the Maui fires. He lost his home and business as did many of his beloved small and medium business (SMB) clients. The purpose of this content is to properly introduce you to Uil and have you discover and share with others what challenges face this well-respected managed services Provider (MSP).

One way you can help immediately is to contribute funds are you are able. Then further down the road he can use supplies and even feet-on the-ground (something we have done much of since Hurricane Katrina 18-years ago). I plan to visit Maui in early December or early 2024 (join me!).

Watch the conversation HERE! 

You may assist Uli and his family at this GoFundMe site https://gofund.me/d8d9d53d

Where to start the HandyAndy party? Well let’s go back to the very beginning. In 1998 when Windows Small Business Server (SBS) was announced and brought to market, HandyAndy and I met via Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine where we both wrote content and drove the SBS community. I fondly remember HandyAndy consistently hosting online meetups via a BBS system (way before Zoom and Teams).

Andy “HandyAndy” Goodman recently passed away and he will be missed. During his career he chose to remain on the technical side and had less patience for marketing malarky. Fair enough. It led to some spirted conversations over the years and HandyAndy always sparred fairly.