Meet Allan Sivils, CEO of Sivils IT Consulting!
Tell us a little about your MSP…
Sivils IT Consulting is located in Virginia Beach, VA. We were established in 2014 after I spent 15 years managing enterprise IT operations. I wanted to create a niche business that focused strictly on partnering with our clients’ IT operations, and not selling software or hardware. We focus on building true partnerships with our clients that allow us to advocate for their business growth.
How long have you been a member of The 20?
We joined in December 2019!
Why did your MSP originally look to partner with The 20?
A couple of reasons – The 20’s model is very similar to what we have been building since we started our business; to focus on being the best “Managed IT Department” for our clients. So, it made perfect sense from a partnership standpoint. Second, we have clients on both coasts, and being a part of The 20 gives us the resources that we need in order to serve clients across the United States. This allows us to scale faster, while not sacrificing the quality that our clients should expect. Lastly, the shared expertise of being a member alongside other top MSP’s allows us to work together to bring the best solutions to our clients.
Tell us about the biggest change in your business since joining The 20.
We do not feel limited by how much we can scale our business by being a member of The 20.
What do you like most about being a member of The 20?
The network of being a member. Being part of such a large community has already helped us since joining in December operationally. We’ve been able to provide onsite resources to our clients that are thousands of miles away, and have these resources follow the same processes we do internally. We’ve been able to implement better technical solutions and processes that have helped us internally to service our clients.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
Relationships. Both within our MSP community, our vendors, and especially our clients.
What are your biggest business challenges?
Managing the ebb and flow of IT projects around our clients growth – while we do our best to ensure that we can schedule to meet expectations, sometimes the volume of projects needed at one time can be difficult to manage. Also, sometimes projects require a wide range of very specific expertise. Being a member of The 20, this is quickly becoming less of a challenge.
What are your areas of focus for 2020?
Microsoft Azure, Windows WVD and Nerdio. We see that these have a huge operational advantage and efficiency versus having workloads onsite. It also helps us scale our clients faster, while ensuring their business continues to have the highest availability for their operations.
What advice would you share with an MSP looking to scale their business?
Stay focused on the relationships I mentioned above and being the IT Department advocate. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the business, with a lot of us being engineers that get too focused on the details, leverage your fellow partners/vendors instead of trying to take the entire pie for yourself. Follow this up by a repeatable IT operational standard and processes that will be clear and focused for your team to support and, most importantly; stable, secure, and protected for your client.
What book are you currently reading?
I travel a lot, so by “reading…” that really means “audio book” for me. This would be Traction by Gino Wickman. I’m actually listening to it again! I will listen to audio books that I have enjoyed, multiple times — that is — if I find the information extremely valuable.
Favorite blogs / podcasts
Honestly, I don’t have any. I spend so much time investigating, reviewing, testing, and reading about various IT solutions and methods. I guess I would say, I read “the internet.”
Interested in becoming a member? Click here for more information!
Meet Lee Mash, Business Development Manager
Today we turn the spotlight on Lee Mash. Lee has quickly become a tremendous asset to the Sales team and The 20.
What do you do here at The 20?
I’m the Business Development Manager, which means I’m in charge of member recruitment. I search for potential MSPs to see if they’re the right fit to join The 20.
Describe The 20 in three words…
Revolutionary, Teamwork, Unique.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be an astronaut.
What’s the most challenging thing about your job?
Finding MSPs that REALLY are open to change. Change is difficult, and most people say they’re committed to change — but when it comes down to it, they don’t want to leave their comfort zone. Stepping out of your comfort zone is the only way you’ll grow and excel.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Finishing my training and being accepted into the Elite Nahal infantry brigade of Israeli Defense Forces was my greatest life achievement. Our beret march was around 100 miles and I carried almost 100 pounds of gear. Climbing up Masada in full combat gear; carrying the stretcher while watching the sunrise and knowing I finished this trek was breathtaking. A task that I originally thought was impossible, became possible and that’s when I realized YOU can be the greatest barrier to your own success.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
Self-discipline.
What do you like most about The 20?
The 20 gives every MSP the chance to grow, no matter their size or where they’re at in their business plan. If they have the will and motivation to grow, The 20 enables them to unlock their true potential.
What do you like to do in your spare time? / What are your hobbies?
In my spare time I enjoy working out, playing ice hockey, hanging out with friends, reading, laying on the beach and traveling.
Where are you going on your next vacation?
I am going to Israel, Egypt, and Jordan in May!
What’s your top life hack?
Wake up before sunrise and you’ll be exponentially more productive! I guarantee it!
Interested in working with Lee at The 20? We’re hiring! Check out our Careers page for more info.
Meet Mark Elliott, CEO of 3i International!
Tell us a little about your MSP…
3i International is located in Houston, TX. We have 25 employees and have provided expert IT services since the year 2000. We are awesome at security and managed services, and our mission is to help people be their best by making technology easy and secure. We have a great team and have a lot of fun every day!
How long have you been a member of The 20?
3i International joined The 20 in December of 2018.
Why did your MSP originally look to partner with The 20?
Great question, this is a two-part answer for us. First, we were looking to move upmarket to larger clients and wanted a way to deliver services on a national level where we did not lose control of our customer or have degradation in support by hiring one-off boots on the ground. Secondly, we were having challenges scaling the business, and it kept leading to service delivery issues. Before The 20, we had a great company with talented engineers, and our clients loved our support and personal touch. At our size, we did not have separate teams for the helpdesk and onsite engineers. Every engineer had a seat in the call center, and when needed, they would be sent onsite. This methodology worked well as long as we did not grow. Every time we had major projects or a large new client onboarding, we would have to move resources from the call center to install equipment or onboard new seats. As soon as we reallocated resources from our call center, the level of service that our clients had become accustomed to would fall. We would then move some resources from the field back to call center only to have project deliver suffer. We found our company stuck on a staffing teeter-totter with happy and then unhappy clients. The 20 gave us the ability to truly separate our call center from the onsite and project team, which has been a Godsend. We now have happy clients all the time, not just in between waves of growth.
Tell us about the biggest change in your business since joining The 20.
We are closing more new MRR deals every month with the 20 offering and pitch. Our pipeline has grown with higher monthly recurring opportunities than we had before. The 20’s footprint has allowed us to focus on larger companies with multiple locations in different cities. We have found a real need here as an internal IT department with 500 employees cannot successfully support 20 locations with a couple of engineers. Our customer satisfaction with project delivery is through the roof. The 20’s call center handles the majority of our tickets, so we were able to shift our team around and create a dedicated team focused solely on project delivery. During our growth, we can now provide great support from the call center, our local onsite team, and the project team.
What do you like most about being a member of The 20?
The community is awesome, from weekly accountability calls with other members, the ability to message nationally on Microsoft Teams to find an answer to a tough question, the comradery at quarterly training meetings. It just a strong group of like-minded individuals with 1000’s of years of experience all fighting to make a difference in the lives of their customers and their families. The services The 20 provides encompass most of what an IT company needs to succeed. It is a great offering of tools at a fair price. We were concerned about what our customers would say about the changes, but our customer satisfaction continues to increase since becoming a member.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
I don’t. I think this question could be answered ten different ways by ten people, and no one would be wrong. You might hear answers like grit, ambition, courage, commitment, willpower, drive, integrity, and on and on, you get my point. So why is it that sometimes you see individuals with these traits fall short of their full potential? I have been at this game for 25 years now, and I know that I possess all of the traits I just listed above. I am moderately successful, debt-free, and can retire comfortably in a few more years. By national standards, I’m in the top 1%, but by no means do I have a yacht or private aircraft. My journey to this point has been a dog fight in a highly competitive market. So, I think great success takes more than character traits as they are table steaks in today’s business climate. I feel to blow it out of the water truly you have to be first, better, or different. I feel the opportunity The 20 has afforded my company compliments my character traits by creating a differentiation that allows me to reach my full potential.
What are your biggest business challenges?
Last year we spent time identifying our weaknesses and threats. Now, last year’s challenges are this year’s opportunities as we have prioritized what we will be fixing and implementing during this calendar year. This year we are working on increasing outbound lead generation to 50 leads per month, implementing an employee training program around culture and function, standardizing our QBR methodology, and executing on a new inbound digital marketing strategy.
What are your areas of focus for 2020?
We are an EOS company, so we will continue to implement and improve our use of the traction tools set. From a top-line perspective, we are focused on growing monthly recurring revenue in the healthcare, legal, AEC, manufacturing, and energy verticals.
What advice would you share with an MSP looking to scale their business?
Identify what’s holding you back, and if you’re willing to fix it, find a business coach or organization with the skill set to help you solve your challenges and hold you accountable. Don’t be afraid to partner with The 20. It is one of the best decisions we have made for our business and the people we support.
What book are you currently reading?
I recently just finished setting my personal goals for 2020, which includes a list of 36 books. Here are the three that I am currently reading in January:
1. The Big Leap – Gay Hendricks. This book is about removing upper limiting beliefs in your personal and business life that keep you from reaching your full potential.
2. The Road Less Stupid – Keith Cunningham. I am reading this book for the second time. Incredible lessons that are easily digestible like fatherly advice.
3. The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter – Michael Watkins
Favorite blogs / podcasts
Chris Voss – The Negotiation Edge
Guy Raz – How I Built This
Interested in becoming a member? Click here for more information!
Meet Misty Kaufman, Cloud Services Specialist
What do you do here at The 20?
I build and maintain strategic partnerships with vendors to better service/support our members!
Describe The 20 in three words…
Innovative, imaginative, resourceful.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a Foley Artist.
What’s the most challenging thing about your job?
Making sure communication flows internally and externally so everyone remains informed and up-to-date.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Giving birth to my son!
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
Work ethic. And you have to care about all aspects of your job/position to be successful.
What do you like most about The 20?
The 20 has given me the ability to utilize many skills I have that are not related to my position. I have had the opportunity to bring my ideas to the forefront that have now become standard practice!
What do you like to do in your spare time? / What are your hobbies?
So many hobbies. Mostly I am a musician, but I also make jewelry, knit/weave and turn on a lathe. When I am not doing any of those, I enjoy watching movies and running AV at church.
Where are you going on your next vacation?
New Mexico — we are going to see my husband’s brother.
What’s your top life hack?
Always check your cables first!
Interested in working with Misty at The 20? We’re hiring! Check out our Careers page for more info.
Employee Spotlight: Matt Mariaux, Support Desk Team Lead
What do you do here at The 20?
I am a Support Desk Team Lead, which makes me a bit of a catch-all. I try to provide auxiliary support in a variety of ways like acting as a resource, investigating service delivery issues with Zach, monitoring call and ticket flow, as well as tracking data for optimizing efficiency. I help out where I can.
Describe The 20 in three words…
People who help computer.
You know, I think I biffed that one…
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A Private Investigator. I grew up loving the Sherlock Holmes stories. I used to set up “crime scenes” around the house and question my whole family while writing down notes in my composition book. I was the best fake crime solver in the neighborhood.
What’s the most challenging thing about your job?
Sometimes you have to have tough conversations with people. I want to challenge techs when a ticket didn’t quite go as well as we’d like to see. That’s not always an easy chat, but it’s necessary to keep everyone at their best. Fortunately, they don’t hear all the quiet cursing coming from my desk beforehand. Or maybe they do. I don’t know.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Probably ‘Doctor of the Peggle Arts’on Xbox 360. It took a long time.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
Success is sort of a moving target, isn’t it? I prefer to focus on goals. If you want to achieve something, you have to put in on paper. You don’t truly know or understand anything unless you can write it down. So do that.
What do you like most about The 20?
I’ve really enjoyed seeing the growth and the changes that come with that growth. It’s nice to look back every once in a while and think, ‘I remember when…’
What do you like to do in your spare time? / What are your hobbies?
I’m an actor part-time, though I haven’t worked much lately. I’m also a bit of a film buff and have a totally not unhealthy love of video games.
Where are you going on your next vacation?
I was thinking I might find a small town somewhere I can drive to. I’d interview people and research the town’s history and quirks so that I could write a profile on the place. I might not even try to sell it. It’d really just be to unwind while focusing on a new challenge.
What’s your top life hack?
Did you know you can get blood out of clothing if you soak it in Hydrogen Peroxide? That probably makes me sound like a serial killer, but I just learned it recently and I thought it was cool!
Interested in working 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!
Employee Spotlight: Meet Tiana Ware, Administrative Coordinator
What do you do here at The 20?
I am an administrative coordinator here at The 20 and Roland Technology.
Describe The 20 in three words…
Innovative, Upbeat and Dynamic.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A history professor!
What’s the most challenging thing about your job?
There are times when the job can be pretty demanding, and as a result, I can feel overwhelmed. But I have such a strong support system here that these occasional storms always get weathered!
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Losing over 150 pounds!
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
Tenacity.
What do you like most about The 20?
My colleagues!
What do you like to do in your spare time? / What are your hobbies?
Traveling for food with the kid, making different vegan meals, attending conferences, workshops and DIY classes.
Where are you going on your next vacation?
Seychelles, Africa.
What’s your top life hack?
If you feel a cold coming on, consume spicy foods and foods with a lot of garlic. It assists in alleviating the mucus in your body, possibly avoiding getting sick all together.
Interested in working at The 20? We’re hiring! Check out our Careers page for more info.
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!
What do you do here at The 20?
I’m a Support Desk Engineer (After Hours).
Describe The 20 in three words…
Top, Twenty, Percent — lol just kidding, but it seemed like a trick question!
Let’s go with: Crazy, Fun, Fast.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be Spiderman until I was about 8, then it changed to playing with anything electronic and getting paid to do so!
What’s the most challenging thing about your job?
Working during off/odd hours.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Still being alive!
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
Honesty with everyone you work with, to achieve success in anything you work for.
What do you like most about The 20?
It’s a second family and we look out for each other!
What do you like to do in your spare time? / What are your hobbies?
Music production and beat production for small and up-and-coming businesses and rappers.
Where are you going on your next vacation?
Colorado (I like the cold)!
What’s your top life hack?
When going out to a restaurant for dinner, tell the waiter/waitress that it’s someone’s birthday at the table. Depending on the group, you sometimes will get a free desert or a discount on the bill. This also can work in hotels and other places that a vacationer might go.
Interested in working at The 20? We’re hiring! Check out our Careers page for more info.
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!
