What do you do here at The 20?
I am a Senior Tier 1 Support Technician.
Describe The 20 in three words…
Innovative, supportive, and rewarding.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A fighter pilot (Top Gun and Independence Day were my favorite movies)!
What’s the most challenging thing about your job?
Getting my monitors to align correctly on the mounting bracket.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I once ran a mile in under 7 minutes.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
Eagerness. One must be eager to relentlessly pursue his or her goals regardless of the circumstances.
What do you like most about The 20?
I enjoy having access to the abundance of knowledge shared by all the smart folks on the support desk.
What do you like to do in your spare time? / What are your hobbies?
I love rock climbing. It combines physical activity with the great outdoors and there’s nothing much better than that. I’m also very into music and regularly play guitar. Video games and ‘nerding-out’ on computer parts/other gadgets are also common pastimes.
Where are you going on your next vacation?
No plans yet, but hopefully somewhere cold with lots of mountains and trees.
What’s your top life hack?
A simple inventory of what you’re grateful for when you’re feeling down can often correct that sour mood (this may be a boring life hack, but IMPORTANT nonetheless)!
Interested in working with David Albert at The 20? We’re hiring! Check out our Careers page for more info.
MSP Spotlight: Meet Bill Whelden, President and CEO of Rx-IT
Tell us a little about your MSP…
Rx-IT started in 1999 with one client; just barely large enough for me to make a go of it. That was a 35-seat law firm — they owned me and they knew it. It was a really good feeling to get enough clients so they didn’t own me anymore. I was highly motivated! It was a better feeling bringing on the first hire so I didn’t have to do everything for everyone all the time. Up until then, I used to joke that my girlfriends name was ‘Palm Treo.’
How long have you been a member of The 20?
We’ve been in The 20 just over 3 years now.
Why did your MSP originally look to partner with The 20?
I went to some channel event back in early 2016. As I recall, someone invited me to a party. There was a man there. He talked and cussed a lot. Some called him ‘MSP Holy Man’ others called him ‘IT Prophet.’ He said to me, ‘Come, eat, be at peace and drink Tito’s.’ The next morning I woke on the sofa in the lobby of the hotel. I had a signed contract with The 20 and a one dollar bill stapled to my shirt collar.
Seriously, we spent a good number of years bumping our heads on the ceiling, we just couldn’t grow past a certain point. I was getting tired, really tired; burned out you might say. We were looking for a way to scale and grow the business. We knew we needed a good help desk but we also knew that peer guidance and a wider knowledge base were just as important. When we found The 20, it seemed to fit like a comfortable shoe.
Tell us about the biggest change in your business since joining The 20.
We’ve almost tripled our revenue in just over 36 months!
What do you like most about being a member of The 20?
The community. There are many communities within the channel but nothing quite like this.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
Motivation.
What are your biggest business challenges?
Our biggest challenge right now is learning how to better prioritize and keep what’s truly important in front and center. It’s amazing to me that I will find myself mindlessly organizing my sock drawer when there are so many other things to do, so many opportunities in front of us. Motivation and organization are things we always strive to keep in focus.
What are your areas of focus for 2019?
Profitability and growth.
What advice would you share with an MSP looking to scale their business?
Partner with The 20!
What book are you currently reading?
I am re-reading How to Stop Worrying and Start Living for the umpteenth time.
Favorite blogs / podcasts
My favorite blog is ‘The Negotiation Edge’ by The Black Swan Group
Interested in becoming a Partner? Click here for more information!
Tell us a little about your MSP…
Network Management Solutions is located in Santa Cruz, California. We serve Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Jose and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. The business was established in 1984 by Greg and Robin Sirakides under the name ‘ComputerLand of Capitola.’ I began working for them in 1998 and offered to purchase the business from them in 2006. I renamed the business in 2009 and began migrating my clients to an all-you-can-eat monthly support model. We enjoy serving our clients and giving back to the community that we live in!
How long have you been a member of The 20?
I believe we’re close to 3 years!
Why did your MSP originally look to partner with The 20?
We wanted to augment our support staff with a 24/7 service desk that was US-based. Additionally, we were already operating a managed IT department and liked the idea of partnering with like-minded MSPs to extend our breadth and depth of skill and location.
Tell us about the biggest change in your business since joining The 20.
Joining The 20 caused me to focus on the type of deals that were win-wins for both us and the client. This meant that I needed to start saying ‘no’ to opportunities, which was one of the best things I could have ever done. Not all deal are the right deals.
What do you like most about being a member of The 20?
The community. I have been a part of other networking groups, but everyone in this group is conducting business essentially the same way — and it helps when getting and giving advice.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
Having a growth mindset. All businesses make mistakes, including myself, including the service desk — it’s what we learn from those mistakes and how we grow from them that make us better and creates a better offering for our clients.
What are your biggest business challenges?
I have had 2 significant challenges to face in the last 4 years. First: finding and keeping good talent. This business is often a platform for younger people to launch there careers. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just that the churn is hard.
The second issue is that in the course of a 2-year period, I lost my 2 biggest clients to circumstances out of my control. It made my business feel stagnant for several years even though we were still growing; the problem was replacing what we once had.
What are your areas of focus for 2019?
We are making sure to discuss with each of our clients what the current cybersecurity landscape is and ensure that they are as protected as possible.
What advice would you share with an MSP looking to scale their business?
Make sure to start working on process now. Document the way you do business. Scaling is hard when you’re attempting to reinvent the wheel each time.
What book are you currently reading?
I am currently re-reading Traction and implementing more items. I plan on reading The Checklist Manifesto next.
Favorite blogs / podcasts
Seth Godin
The Hustle
Interested in becoming a Partner? Click here for more information!
Tell us a little about your MSP…
Since 2002, VM Squared has been a leading provider of IT support and consulting, focusing on small and medium-sized businesses in the North Mississippi area. We have helped hundreds of businesses increase productivity and profitability by making IT a streamlined part of operations. We equip our clients with customized technology solutions for greater operational value and to reduce risk.
How long have you been a member of The 20?
Since April of 2019.
Why did your MSP originally look to partner with The 20?
I was at a crossroads. My Marketing Director resigned with no notice for medical reasons and our marketing/sales machine was just gaining traction. I really didn’t need help desk support but badly needed the marketing piece. I talked with Matt King to see how we could make this thing work. I discovered that I could deliver the help desk for much less than it was costing me for my team of 2, and I’d get the whole help desk. I moved forward thinking I’d transition my on-site team to field engineers. I ended up removing 1 and the other is my field engineer.
We will be starting with marketing next month.
Tell us about the biggest change in your business since joining The 20.
Re-aligning my business to work well with The 20 is the biggest change. I not only changed roles around but I also changed our sales process and size of client to seek out (larger).
What do you like most about being a member of The 20?
I enjoy the community and the staff of The 20. They are my extended team and are there to bounce ideas off of — then help you run with them.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
Process, Process, Process. You cannot scale without well-documented processes.
What are your biggest business challenges?
Sales. I have been doing all the sales and have just not been getting in front of the right people. It goes back to marketing, but I am growing my sales team.
What are your areas of focus for 2019?
Adding prospects with 500-plus endpoints. Becoming the MID for these companies. With sales, the other problems can be dealt with. We are also opening a BCDR Failover facility for enterprise clients. This will give them a physical place to conduct business when their primary facility is disrupted.
What advice would you share with an MSP looking to scale their business?
Get the right people in the right seat on the right bus. Then, get your processes documented and stick to them. Get in front of prospects that match your core values and mirror your best clients.
What book are you currently reading?
I’m always reading or listening to books on Audible. My current books are The Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick, Clockwork by Mike Michalowicz, and Social Engineering by Paul Wilson.
Favorite blogs / podcasts
I listen to Leo Laporte and read Brian Krebs.
Interested in becoming a Partner? Click here for more information!
Tell us a little about your MSP…
Carefree Technology was started in California in 2001. In 2014 we moved to Utah to be closer to family, so we now have offices in California and Utah, and thanks to The 20, we have clients in Washington, Oregon, California, Utah and Colorado!
How long have you been a member of The 20?
We joined The 20 in November of 2018.
Why did your MSP originally look to partner with The 20?
We joined The 20 because it was time to grow our business. In 2001, when I quit the best job I ever had, it was so I could reclaim my time and be an active, present influence in raising our 4 kids. As our company grew, I noticed that the more employees we had, the less time I could spend with my family. Somewhere along the way, I made a conscious decision to have a “lifestyle business” so I could maintain my desired quality of life.
In a space of 4 months in 2018, 2 of our kids got married and another left for college. Now that our kids are leaving, it is time to change our focus from maintaining a lifestyle, to preparing for retirement by building a strong, profitable business and The 20 was perfectly positioned to provide the leverage we desired so we wouldn’t have to build and manage our own internal support desk.
Tell us about the biggest change in your business since joining The 20.
Our biggest change since joining The 20 is largely psychological and emotional. We no longer look at a large opportunity and think, “That’s too big for us.” Now we look at those larger environments with a hopeful expectation that we can provide what others cannot.
What do you like most about being a member of The 20?
It’s a toss-up between the Support Desk and the community. I love reviewing ticket notes and activities provided by the Support Desk that I didn’t have to be involved with. However, The 20’s partner community is really unique. I have developed many close relationships over the years with “friendly competitors,” but the level of camaraderie in The 20’s partner community is truly special.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
To be successful, you need to know what has lasting value and importance to you and your family and then work towards that goal every day. As long as you are working towards a meaningful end, you are successful regardless of how long it takes. The moment you identify what is important and move in that direction, you are a success.
What are your biggest business challenges?
With all the demands on our time, our largest challenge is always maintaining a consistent focus on sales and marketing activities.
What are your areas of focus for 2019?
Working with The 20 has opened the door to much larger clients. Our focus for 2019 is learning how to work with these larger, more complex environments so we can continue to add more of them.
What advice would you share with an MSP looking to scale their business?
Be honest about your shortcomings and find people or organizations who are strong where you need help. For us, that was joining The 20. It has been an absolute game-changer!
What book are you currently reading?
My ADD makes reading quite a challenge; too many shiny things around. However, I love audiobooks on 2x or even 3x speed. This month I have listened to the following titles: The Road Less Stupid: Advice from the Chairman of the Board by Keith J. Cunningham, The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey and Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World by Max Lucado.
Favorite blogs / podcasts
If I’m not listening to audiobooks, I enjoy listening to comedians like Jim Gaffigan or watching Good Mythical Morning with my daughter.
Interested in becoming a Partner? Click here for more information!
Tell us a little about your MSP…
Managed IT Systems is located in Athens, GA, and our field engineers cover about a 100 mile radius from there. We have been providing top-notch IT support services since 2005.
How long have you been a member of The 20?
Managed IT Systems has been a member of The 20 for just under 2 years.
Why did your MSP originally look to partner with The 20?
We initially partnered with The 20 because of the potential to grow our MID model and be able to offer more features, products, and services than we could alone.
Tell us about the biggest change in your business since joining The 20.
We have increased our annual revenue by over 35% in only one year. This was possible due to added benefits, especially the help desk. Our prospects see us as a much more complete, larger organization, which means we are able to be more competitive when bidding for services.
What do you like most about being a member of The 20?
The openness of communication between formerly-competing companies is astounding. On any given day, you can count multiple on-going conversations between companies from across the country that are geared toward helping solve a problem, offer a solution, or providing hands-on assistance.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
Perseverance. You have to be willing to put forth the same effort day in and day out, regardless of the outcome.
What are your biggest business challenges?
Getting more leads in the door has to be the number 1 challenge for us. Outside of that, struggling with client education – whether it is differentiating our services, explaining why we recommend a specific solution or service, or why they need to change their password regularly – is a challenge that we face each and every day.
What are your areas of focus for 2019?
Managed IT Systems is going to continue to focus on selling our MID service, but we are also going to push harder on managed security solutions as well as improve our cloud-focused offerings.
What advice would you share with an MSP looking to scale their business?
Take the leap and commit to becoming an Elite member so that you can take advantage of the help desk. The amount of time your company will gain back will allow you to focus more on new growth, better reporting, and perfecting your services.
What book are you currently reading?
‘How to Secure Office 365’ by Matt Katzer
Favorite blogs / podcasts
Linus Tech Tips – YouTube, MSP Insights
Tell us a little about your MSP…
I started Tech Junkies in January of 2007 in Hays, KS (I’ll wait for you to Google Maps that). I was working full time for a local ISP and fixing computers on the side. I started making more money from my side gig than my full-time job, so I decided to venture out on my own. I used my older brother’s four wheeler as collateral, got a loan for $8,100, signed a lease on a retail space, quit my job, cashed out what little I had in my company retirement, then went home and told my wife what I had done (I strongly recommend you put that last item first)! She was a bit shocked, but supportive. We were doing retail computer repair initially, but quickly started to transition into managed services for local businesses. Seeing need in our area for both residential and business IT solutions, we continue to offer both, utilizing a MSP service model.
How long have you been a member of The 20?
I was in The 20 before it was really ‘The 20.’ I was on the first call with Tim that started to form the concept of The 20. Since that time, I have been all in with The 20 model. I have seen it grow from just a concept to what it has become today. I guess I’d be considered the OG of The 20.
Why did your MSP originally look to partner with The 20?
After hearing the concept, I was on board right away. My goal with Tech Junkies was to scale on a massive level. I saw partnering with Tim and The 20 as my best option to do so.
Tell us about the biggest change in your business since joining The 20.
Starting day 1 we could handle almost any client that walked in the door. Coming back from the first meeting in Dallas I closed my biggest deal up to that point. Before The 20 I would have been gun shy to take on such a large client. However, with The 20 on my side it was an easy process to onboard and support.
What do you like most about being a member of The 20?
The community. We have all become such a tight community between the partners, The 20 Leadership, and even The 20 staff. I have forged business relationships and friendships that will last a lifetime.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
The ability to execute. I think some people just lack the ability to execute on ideas. Talk it great but it’s the walk that will make you money.
What are your biggest business challenges?
Lead generation. I don’t think I’ll ever be happy with the leads we are getting, I’ll always want more.
What are your areas of focus for 2019?
We are focusing on adding a comprehensive Cybersecurity Solution for all of our current clients and prospects. We handle managed IT services one way… the right way. We now offer a layered approached to cybersecurity defense based on the relationships that we have built through The 20.
What advice would you share with an MSP looking to scale their business?
Join The 20! Don’t re-invent the wheel. Let The 20 bring their expertise to the table on the operations and service delivery. You as a business owner should be focusing on marketing and sales.
What book are you currently reading?
Scaling Up byVern Harnish (I’m always re-reading / listening to it).
Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss.
Favorite blogs / podcasts
GaryVee – I usually have GaryVee or some other audio playing in the background all day.
Tell us a little about your MSP…
Southern Data Solutions, located in Atlanta, Georgia, was founded in 2005 with the purpose of providing excellent customer service. With a stellar team dedicated to the success of that vision, we have grown our business and looking to expand. Our services and products are now solidified and moving forward is much easier with special thanks to The 20. I have a saying that, “No one drives a Ferrari, until we can all drive a Ferrari,” meaning that the company’s success will be shared among all of the people that contribute to the success of Southern Data Solutions.
How long have you been a member of The 20?
Southern Data Solutions became a partner to The 20 in February of 2017.
Why did your MSP originally look to partner with The 20?
Southern Data Solutions was coming out of a failed relationship with Continuum and was seeking out a new partnership for help desk and NOC services. We continue to be pleasantly surprised by the entire offering from The 20 and signing up was a no brainer.
Tell us about the biggest change in your business since joining The 20.
The 20 partnership has helped Southern Data Solutions align our business so that we can focus on bigger-picture growth. Simplified, it means that The 20 staff take care of our existing client’s support needs while we can focus on the relationships of existing and new.
What do you like most about being a member of The 20?
Being around Tim Conkle… LOL! Seriously, it is a breath of fresh air knowing that new products and partnerships are being brought to the group — and the information sharing is the best!
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
I have always been a driven person and the key to success is finding ways to gain back as much of our most precious and valuable asset — TIME! Being proactive with our clients — and having good clients — allows the men and women I work alongside of to be able to spend more quality time with their family and friends.
What are your biggest business challenges?
Our challenges have consisted of bringing in new business on a consistent basis, as well as keeping the clients utilizing our established processes instead of latching on to one person in our organization. Engaging Google AdWords has significantly increased our inbound leads. As for keeping the client on track with our processes (calling the help desk and not the last engineer who helped them), we continually stand united in delivering the message of calling the help desk is faster than putting you, the client, in the queue of one person who has other tasks and tickets ahead of you.
What are your areas of focus for 2019?
Southern Data Solutions is focused on growth through new business, which will either be through new sales hires and/or acquisition.
What advice would you share with an MSP looking to scale their business?
Select a focus or goal and stick with it. Manage your time wisely and make sure your team is doing the same! Communication is key with both your employees and clients. Show appreciation to both your employees and clients. In this day and age you can find new clients, but a good employee is hard to find or replace, so always have their back!
What book are you currently reading?
I read the Bible daily and that is all I need.
Favorite blogs / podcasts
The YouVersion Bible app has great reading!
5 Reasons Why Your Company Should Outsource IT Support
Companies commonly outsource its accounting and bookkeeping duties, customer service, and HR management… so why should technical support be any different?
It shouldn’t.
Outsourcing provides a lot of benefits, especially to small businesses with limited resources. Plus, good IT support teams are especially hard for companies to build and maintain.
Here are 5 reasons as to why outsourcing is a good business move:
1. Reduces Costs
Reducing labor and equipment costs is one of the major reasons why companies outsource IT support. Employing a company to do the work for you is cheaper than hiring a whole IT staff. The employees’ initial training to get them onboarded, plus the regular training to ensure their knowledge is up-to-date, add to the cost as well.
Buying all the equipment you need for a functional IT department and maintaining the system also costs a lot of money. Removing these factors and paying a fixed cost contract will help you manage your annual operating costs more easily.
And If your operating cost is high, you will likely pass it on to customers by raising your product prices. This makes you lose your competitive edge.
2. Provides Support 24/7
If your business is one that needs to be open to customer calls 24 hours a day, that’s one of the reasons to outsource IT support. Instead of getting another IT staff, which will only cost you more, solely for answering calls outside of your normal working hours, outsourcing to a company will guarantee that someone is always available to help your customers.
A 24/7 team will also allow you to recognize flaws and bugs even before they affect your infrastructure and business.
3. Adjusts According to Demand
When the demand suddenly increases, and more calls start coming in, what do you do if you have a permanent staff?
Hiring temporary employees poses a lot of issues. You don’t know when the demand decreases, which will force you to terminate them immediately. You’re also not sure of the technical skills and personality if you’re in a rush to get someone onboarded.
Meanwhile, an IT company can easily scale up or down depending on your needs because of their access to vast resources.
4. Gives Access to Cutting-Edge Technologies and Industry Experts
Security of your data and your customers’ data is paramount. That’s why Facebook is in a lot of heat nowadays — its platform is vulnerable to third-party entities mishandling the users’ data. Even large companies are susceptible to attacks, with hackers successfully gaining access to JP Morgan’s 76 million households plus 7 million small businesses in 2014.
To keep your data safe and secure, however, you must have the newest technologies and the knowledge of industry experts. You and your staff must be up-to-date with the industry standards, which might be hard to do if you’re a small-time player.
Outsourcing solves this problem. It’s their job to get cutting-edge technologies and train their employees regularly so you don’t have to do it. Getting access to these will also ensure that your systems are working smoothly.
5. Allows You to Focus on Your Business
When you no longer have to worry about the security and integrity of your system, it allows you to focus on what you need to do in order to grow your business. Your employees, without network interruptions and possibly the added IT responsibilities, will also be able to perform with their best for the company.
You can focus on improving your products and services while the outsourced IT team deals with the technical issues so you and your staff can keep on working without worry.
