Nothing
Happens
by Itself
Copyright © 2023 Karl W. Palachuk
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Greetings!
Heads up! No holidays for over a month. But come May 12th, be ready for Mother's Day.
This Newsletter normally has about a 30% open rate, which is outstanding. Most newsletters in the industry are about half that. And most pure-promotion email campaigns are closer to 5% open rate, with a 1-3% click-through rate.
Last week, YOU knocked our stats over the top. As of Saturday, last week's newsletter had a 45% open rate! And our click-through rate was 16%.
Thank you all for reading this newsletter and giving me feedback. After eighteen years, I am honored that someone still finds enough value to continue opening the newsletter to see what's inside.
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We've added another ten events to the calendar below. I've heard a rumor that a major conference will be cancelled, but I haven't received the official word on that. So, for now, it's still on. In the meantime, here's what I'll be up to . . .
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Join Me for the Big Webinar with Asigra
We've been planning this for awhile. If you haven't registered yet, now is a a time!
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April 19, 2023
9:00 AM Pacific Time / Noon Eastern
Register Now:
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I prefer Koffee Koaching with Karl, but I'm obviously not in charge.
Kathryn over at ChannelWise has arranged an amazing coaching event for the Channel Partners conference. She's invited Amy Babinchank, Jeff Ponts, and me to represent NSITSP and we have arranged to have spots at the event.
SO . . .
If you're in Vegas for Channel Partners, head over to the Venetian on May 3rd and sign up for 25 minute coaching session with one of user. Or about 30 other coaches.
More information and signups at
:-)
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How Much Clutter Do You Have?
I have to admit that, for me, there is a strong correlation between the amount of clutter in my life, and my ability to be creating. What's the "right" amount of clutter for you?
That's not an amazing book, and it won't change your life, but it *does* have some good advice. You know: Pick up after yourself. Make your bed. That sort of thing.
I only bring up that book because I think there's a common misconception about clutter. Different people create clutter, or leave a mess, for different reasons. Some people are more production in what others consider to be a true mess.
For me, I want to be clear: I can be productive when working in a messy environment, but it is difficult for me to be creative. When it comes to productivity, I can pump out a podcast or video, or schedule classes, or even tune up graphics as simple work. I can just push through and get it done.
But writing a blog post or a book chapter takes more time. I need to NOT have a pile of papers and sticky notes in front of me. This is one reason that I love to travel. I tend to write a lot when I travel. I have written many, many chapters in a hotel room. And I think one reason for this is the lack of piles begging for my attention.
I once knew a guy I'll call Brian. He has the messiest desk you could possibly imagine. His desk was literally covered - every inch - with a pile of paper more than two feet tall. It was both spectacular and frightening to behold. No one knew how he got anything done.
Giving him tech support could be a challenge. His mini-tower PC was wedged between his desk and the wall. And papers would get piled on the PC as well. Sometimes, this pile would grow tall enough to support papers falling off the desk, and then it would grow to be just another eight inches real estate for the desk pile.
Then, one day, Brian was elevate to being the Executive Director.
He spent the weekend in his office, sorting through the massive pile. I'm not sure exactly where all that paper went, because it would have filled every waste basket in the seven-person office. But on Monday, his desk was clean. Everyone was truly amazed.
I was called in to move him to his new office and I dreaded the prospect. But when I saw his desk, I was amazed as everyone else. I asked him if he felt better with the pile gone and he said no.
He told me, in confidence, that the pile had always been a great excuse for many ills, missed deadlines, and work that never quite got done. Now he had to step up and do all the work. He was nervous about the prospect.
I was struck with how clear Brian was with the relationship between "the pile" and his long-established habits of work. But making that move truly changed his work habits. The pile never re-emerged. I think he worked another five years before he retired. He was quite successful in his new role. And, as odd as it sounds, getting rid of that pile was a major event in his evolution as a worker and a manager.
My never-ending struggle with piles of paper is no so dramatic. For me, the piles represent over-committing to other people. And as the piles grow, my creativity shrinks. So, every now and then, I head to Big Lots and buy some organizing tools or containers so I can re-gain control of the mess.
But just like Brian, the piles aren't about the piles. For me, this is about reclaiming control over the clean surfaces in my office and the open space on my calendar at the same time. Spring is always a great time for me to sort through some piles and increase creativity. So that's what I've been up to.
I'd like to hear about your relationship with "piles" in your business.
:-)
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Thanks again for reading this newsletter.
If you know anyone else who might like it, please pass it on to them. Thank you.
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Have a great week!
:-)
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New Class Starts April 25th
Refreshed for 2023!
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Sign up today!
Position Your IT Firm for Growth or Sale
Taught By: Rayanne Buchianico, Author and Coach
- Five Tuesdays - April 25 - May 23
“Rayanne’s course on getting a company ready for growth or sale was amazing.”
– David Streit, Stephill Associates
As your business matures, you want to take control of profits and your financial house. You invested the time to set up your chart of accounts, align income with COGS for easy measuring, and organize your reports and service desk. You have the information you need; this course teaches you how to use it.
This class provides unique content from a unique teacher! Rayanne is a managed service provider from Tampa, FL. She is also an accountant and an Intuit Certified ProAdvisor. In addition to her MSP business, Rayanne helps I.T. consultants to take control of their finances and understand their own business at a deeper level.
Topics for this class include:
- Create KPIs specific to your company
- Benchmark against your peers
- Detailed cash flow management and measure debt against income
- Measure service-level profits and improve profitability
- Identify red flags in your business, make changes before they become problems
- Prepare your company for growth, sale or merger
- Use margins to price your services for profit
- Income Tax Planning and Projections
- Action plans for success
... And More!
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Here are the specifics of what you'll learn, week by week:
Module 1: Introduction, Overview. Marketing vs. Sales
- Plan
- Organize
- Documentation
Module 2: Google, Apple, SEO, And Managing Your Company's Meta Data
- Tracking EBITDA
- Valuation Methods
- Working Capital
Module 3: Graphics Overview And Tools Management
- Build KPIs
- Develop Trends
- Labor Costs
Module 4 Automating Your Social Media Marketing
- Cash Flow Forecasting
- Debt Reduction
- Controlling Costs
Module 5 When to Pay for Advertising and Tools
- Workshop – Bring is together
Delivered by Rayanne Buchianico, Accounting Professional and QuickBooks Advisor. Rayanne has been an MSP - managed service provider - for many years and advises MSPs on how to get the most out of their QuickBooks and PSA integrations.
Includes five weeks of webinar classes with related handouts, assignments, and "office hours" with the instructor.
This course is intended for business owners and managers. It is particularly useful for the Owner or Operations Manager.
ITSP University Certification:
Meets Certification Requirements for:
This class will be recorded. Each unit is generally posted within 24 hours of the live class. These recorded units will become the On-Demand class and you’ll have lifetime access to it.
Note: * Members of the Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community attend at no additional charge. See details in the Community
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All the Resources That Are Fit to Print |
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Recent Blog Posts, Podcasts, and Videos |
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Small Biz Thoughts Blog:
SMB Community Podcast - New episodes drop every Thursday
National Society of IT Service Providers News Blog
Relax Focus Succeed:
.
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Selected Recent Videos and Webinars:
Our YouTube IT Consulting channel now has more than 665,000 views!
Subscribe today and don't miss a thing!
A quick guide to my Playlists:
- Total: Over 900 videos on the Small Biz Thoughts channel
- 360+ SOP videos
- 275+ Relax Focus Success videos
Plus . . .
- Training, Courses, Seminars on Managed Services
- Product Reviews
- and more
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Community News
SmallBizThoughts.org
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We had a great Roundtable with Janice Burt!
As always, it was recorded. Members can access in your dashboard. And don't forget to tune in every Thursday for the new members-only SBT Roundtable.
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Janice is an author, speaker, trainer, actor, and much more. She is a court-certified Spanish interpreter as well as a yoga instructor and voice-over talent.
Update for those who attended: Janice has updated her profile picture on Facebook.
New Members: Don't miss the regular monthly meetings. They are officially scheduled for 60 minutes, but frequently go on for an hour and a half or even two hours.
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ALSO: Don't forget to sign up for your FREE classes at www.ITSPU.com. Note that these sites are different, so you need a unique logon for each. Your "transcript" of classes is tied to your login email. That way, no matter what happens in the future, you can access all the classes you've taken.
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Here's the April Community News video: |
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When the neighbor asked me what kind of decoration he should put up for Easter . . .
I didn't say a Peep!
:-)
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What's Here?
This calendar lists two kinds of things: LIVE in-person events from any organization that focuses on the SMB consulting community; and MY events, whether live, webinar, etc.
If you have live events on your calendar that may be useful to others in the SMB Community, please let us know. We'd be happy to list them.
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April
The IT Sales And Marketing Boot Camp
April 11-14, 2023
Nashville, TN
HIMSS
April 17-21
Chicago, IL
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Webinar:
Don't Be the Latest MSP Victim!
Webinar with Karl and Asigra's CEO Eric Simmons
Free online
Register now
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ASCII Edge 2023
April 19 & 20
Dallas, TX
CyberSecurity Expo
April 20, 2023
Bristol, UK
Kaseya Connect IT Global
April 24-27, 2023
Las Vegas, NV
RSA Conference
Apr. 24-27, 2023
San Francisco, CA
TECHSPO New York
Apr 27-28, 2023
New York City, NY
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May
Channel Partners
May 1-4
Las Vegas, NV
Join Me Live in Vegas!
Free Coaching
ALSO: Do not miss the FREE coaching sessions being sponsored by ChannelWise. This event is inside the MSP Summit. Many coaches, including Jeff Ponts, Amy Babinchak, Erick Simpson, and more!
May 3rd
Las Vegas
Join Me Live in Vegas!
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Webinar:
Don't Be the Latest MSP Victim!
Webinar with Karl and Asigra's CEO Eric Simmons
Free online
Register now
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IT Nation Evolve
May 1-5
Dallas, TX 75207
Nerdio Training Camp
May 2-3
Houston, TX
SMB TechFest Q2
May 4-5
Anaheim, CA
N-Able Empower
May 9-12
Prague, Czech Republic
ChannelPro Summit
May 9-10
Chicago (Midwest)
Service Desk and IT Show
May 10-11
London, UK
Ingram Micro Cloud Summit
May 15-17
Las Vegas, NV
7 Figure MSP Live
May 16-18
Nashville, TN
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2023 SMB Online Conference!
May 17-18
Online - Two Days - 13 Hours of Education
Join Me Live Online!
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IoTSSA Cybersecurity Expo
May 18
Columbus, OH
Channel Sec 2023
May 18
London, UK
MSP Geekcon
May 21
Orlando, FL
IT Nation Manchester
May 22-26
Manchester, UK
VeeamOn
May 22-25
Miami, FL
Dell Technologies World
May 22-25
Las Vegas, NV
ASCII Edge 2023
May 24 & 25
Newark, NJ
Dublin Tech Summit
May 31 - June 1
Dublin, Ireland
:-)
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June
Cisco Live!
June 4-8, 2023
Las Vegas, NV
IT Nation Secure
June 5-7, 2023
Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center
Orlando, FL
Nerdio Training Camp
Jun 7-8
Las Vegas, NV
ChannelPro Summit
June 7-8
San Jose, CA (West Coast)
Pax8 Beyond
June 11-13
Denver, CO
IT Nation Sales and Service Leaders
June 12-16, 2023
Denver, CO
Nerdio Training Camp
June 20-21
New York, NY
Infosecurity Europe
June 20-22, 2023
London, England
ASCII Edge 2023
June 21 & 22
Tampa, FL
James Kernan's Millionaire Mastermind Quarterly
June 29-30
Denver, CO
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July
IDM (Identity Management) Dach
July 6
Frankfurt, Germany
ASCII Edge 2023
July 12 & 13
Columbus, OH
CyberSecurity Expo
July 13, 2023
Manchester, UK
Nerdio Training Camp
July 19
Calgary, Cananada
SMB TechFest Q3
July 27
Anaheim, CA
:-)
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August
Nerdio Training Camp
August 1
Toronto, Canada
ChannelPro Summit
Aug. 9-10
Newark, NJ (Northeast)
IT Nation Evolve Business Leaders
August 7-11, 2023
Denver, Colorado
ASCII Edge 2023
August 30 & 31
Toronto, Canada
:-)
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September
ChannelPro Summit
Sept. 6-7
Boston (New England)
Nerdio Training Camp
Sept 12
Atlanta, GA
ASCII Edge 2023
September 20 & 21
Chicago, IL
James Kernan's Millionaire Mastermind Quarterly
Sept 28-29
Omaha, NE
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October
dattoCon 2023
Oct. 2-4, 2023
Miami, FL
Nerdio Training Camp
Oct 3
San Antonio, TX
ChannelPro Summit
Oct. 10-11
Atlanta (Southeast)
Acronis #Cyberfit Summit 2023
Oct. 16-18
Miami, FL
Nerdio Training Camp
Oct 17
Dallas, TX
SMB TechFest Q4
October 19
Anaheim, CA
ASCII Edge 2023
October 18 & 19
Washington, D.C.
SMB IT Professionals National Conference
October 27-28
Melbourne, Australia
Join me Live!!
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November
IT Nation Evolve Business Leaders
November 6-8, 2023
Orlando, FL
IT Nation Sales and Service Leaders
November 28 - December 1, 2023
Nashville, TN
:-)
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December
James Kernan's Millionaire Mastermind Quarterly
Dec 7-8
Phoenix, AZ
:-)
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Note: If you know of any in-person event for SMB Consultants, please send info to karlp@greatlittlebook.com. |
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Small Biz Thoughts is a subsidiary of Great Little Book Publishing Co., Inc. |
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