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Nothing Happens
by Itself
Copyright © 2024 Karl W. Palachuk
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Hello Karl, -
Many years ago, I used to have sales, primarily to attract new followers. But I quickly learned that that strategy resulted in followers who were too cheap to buy anything at full price.
I made the decision to focus on providing value so I could run a sustainable business.
Then, I had a very important experience. I wrote the standard operating procedures for my "four volume set" over the course of about five years. And when I compiled the books, I did a huge crowd-funding campaign. In that, I learned that many people are willing to support me personally as well as the work I do.
So, when I released those books, I offered them to my core followers at a huge discount. My marketing manager at the time was confused. She said, "Those people will buy right away, no matter how much your charge. You are losing money by giving them a discount."
My response has helped form my strategy since then: People who support me over the years get the best discounts. Strangers pay full price.
Skip ahead a bit. When I created my membership community, I established for-life pricing. So, members never see a price increase after they join. And, whenever we have new books or checklists, members get the new content at no additional charge.
The result is: As strangers become friends, they save more and more. All of that is part of my larger commitment to help YOU be as successful as possible. And it's why I continually thank you for all of your support over the years.
(Sorry: All of that popped into my head because I'm having an actual, really big sale in a few days. So there you go.)
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Learning to Live with AI
I continue to be amused with AI graphics. When I generated the frogs here, I wondered if the AI generator got the fingers wrong. Then I started thinking: Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe frogs do have cartoon-style fingers. I don't think so. But I didn't have great confidence.
I Googled it: Frogs have four fingers and five toes. I admit, I didn't know that. But if I can Google it, so can the AI!
I used Adobe Photoshop's "object" selection to select the frogs. Then I reversed the selection and deleted the background in one click. Next, I resized the graphic so the frogs had space for lettering.
Finally, I asked Adobe's "generative fill" to give me a green pond scene for the background. I made the background a little less opaque, but did no editing. While I would never claim to be good with graphics, AI helps me suck less.
Meanwhile . . . Kara, our web developer and Community Manager, has been using ChatGPT to help her speed up coding. On a few occasions, she started to pore over code to find the inevitable typo that is always the problem. Then she copied the code to ChatGPT (paid version) and asked where the typo is.
Not only did she get the answer, she also got an explanation for why there was a problem. She is beginning to use the tool to help her be more productive.
These things seem simple, but they are easy to adopt. Very few technologies have been so easy to adopt as AI. Yes: It's not perfect. And it never will be. We just have to learn how to use it . . . like all other technologies.
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Thursday Only!
Leap Day Sale at Our Store
February 29th, we're holding a big 29% off sale. To take advantage of this, just log on to ...
store.smallbizthoughts.com
On Thursday, February 29th.
This is a one-day-only sale. No limits.
This is a great opportunity to stock up on books for Mother's Day, Christmas, and all the birthdays in your family! Mark your calendar now and come back to visit us for the sale.
Note: Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community members receive a big discount every day. Obviously, you get the books free in e-format. But you can also grab your discount code and buy the paperbacks as a huge discount. See your discount codes at
https://www.smallbizthoughts.org/member-account/coupons-and-discounts/
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Version 4.0 Released!
An All-New 68-Point Checklist
Now 13 pages. FREE. No credit card required.
Over the years, the my 68-point checklist has been used by thousands of IT Professionals to begin their network audits, provide monthly maintenance of client computers, and generally keep client computers tuned up and working great. Best of all, this checklist is FREE for the taking.
You can see the details in this blog post.
View the video here with tips on how to use it.
Or just head to Store.Smallbizthoughts.com to download now.
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New Member Benefit Video
We have a number of new members joining at the new $799 level. This video is intended to give new members a "quick start" introduction to getting the most from your membership.
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If you're thinking of joining, click on the graphic to view the video on YouTube. And if you have any questions, let me know.
We plan to create videos for the Community Plus membership and Community Team membership as well. Stay tuned.
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Heads Up:
Free Webinar for IT Consultants
Registration is now open.
Register at https://mspwebinar.com.
This is my first public discussion of using a "Systems" approach to running an IT company. I hinted at it in my State of the Nation Address.
All too often, our love for measuring things goes too far. I'm a big believer that you should measure frequently but change infrequently. This is particularly true in small business. I love this quote:
“If management sets quantitative goals and makes people’s work dependent on achieving them, they will probably do so – even if they have to destroy the company to do it.” - W. Edwards Deming
As a coach, I am always asked what I think "this" or "that" measurement should be in an IT company or MSP:
- Revenue per employee.
- Profit per contract.
- Effective margins.
- Response times.
- Ratio of managed service revenue to total service revenue.
- And on and on.
Measuring all of these is good to the extent that it sheds light on your operations. If it just compares you to some mythical "norm" out in the universe, who cares? Ask yourself: IF you had the number or equation you seek, AND you can identify a target or the industry average, what good would it do for your business?
Tell me a story: If the ratio of revenue per technician per year moved up or down in 2024, what would you do with that information? How would you change your business? What does thast number mean inside your company? What decisions does it help you make?
Most business owners, especially in small business, have a very good idea about what's going on in their business and how things are going. How does measuring an arbitrary number you found on a blog post help you increase clarity about your business?
The big problem comes when we want to transform a measure into a goal. And, all too often, the goals are not something a technician (or sales person or front office employee) has any control over. So we need to be very careful not to improperly motivate employees regarding measures that are really the responsibility of management.
Block out April 10th and register today.
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That's the news and notes for the week. I'm headed to ASCII Edge in SoCal Wednesday. If you're there, look me up.
Have a great week.
:-)
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Join me live at . . .
- ASCII Edge - Feb. 28-29, 2024 in Costa Mesa, CA
- Channel Partners Conference - March 10-13 in Las Vegas, NV
- Coffee Coaching with ChannelWise at the big Channel Partners Conference - March 13th in Vegas, Baby.
- Measuring Success: The Unpopular Truth about KPIs, SLAs, and SMB IT - April 10th - on Zoom
- SMB IT Professionals - Oct. 25-26, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia
- ChannelPro SMB Forum - Nov. 12-13, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA
Links below in the events calendar - or at WhereInTheWorldIsKarl.com.
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You only missed two weeks. Sign up now. Catch up, and join us live tomorrow.
Managing Your Service Board
- Setup, Core SOPs, and Daily Procedures
Taught by Karl W. Palachuk
Author, Speaker, Blogger
- Five Tuesdays
- Feb 13 - Mar 12
Register Now - Only $399*
This course covers the most important pieces of making your PSA (Professional Services Administration) service board work effectively. Your PSA is the brain center of your entire operation.
Most Managed Service Providers don't use their PSA systems efficiently. In fact, most of them only use 10-20% of the capabilities of their PSA. This costs you money because you have the tool to run everything in your business more effectively. But if you don't put the right information into the tool, then you can't get the reports you need to improve your business.
This course covers the daily operation of a managed service business - or any IT shop with a service board and a one or more technicians who execute the service. It assumes you have a service board or PSA (Professional Services Administration) and a service manager.
Whether you sell “break fix” or flat fee services, a service board will take your company to the next level – if you use it right. In addition to covering setup and core standard operating procedures, we'll get into the "nitty gritty" of running a service board and managing the service department.
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Only $399
Which PSA?
I used ConnectWise for four years in my business. Then I switched to Autotask and used that for five years. Eventually, I moved to LogicNow and used that for more than five years.
On top of all that, I've worked closely with coaching client who have used all of these products. This course is intended to apply to all PSAs. I will point out areas where differences are most obvious.
You will learn
- How tickets should flow into, through, and off of the service board
- How to set up the core components of a service board
- Priorities
- Statuses
- Workflows
- Time Estimates
- The most important processes and procedures for making the board work effectively once it's set up
- Introducing new processes to you employees
- Getting clients to understand the new processes
- Time tracking the right way
- The most important reports you need to run
- Every Day
- Every Week
- Every Month
- When it's time for client renewals
- Avoiding the biggest pitfalls with service board management
- Building an Action Plan that works
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Only $399
Top Take-aways:
- Understand How the Components of Service Work Together
- Managing all the Time in Your Service Business
- Defining the Perfect Service Ticket
- The Most Important Reports You Need to Run
- Building Excellent Customer Service
PLUS lots more.
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Here are the specifics of what you'll learn, week by week:
Unit 1 Core Components / Building Blocks of a Great Service Board
Unit 2 Core Processes & Procedures for Success / Time Tracking the Right Way
Unit 3 Implementation and Daily Processes
Unit 4 A Day in the Life of the Service Desk / Policies that Drive Profitability
Unit 5 Build and Maintain a Well-Oiled Machine / Getting the Details Right
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Delivered by Karl W. Palachuk, blogger and author of the very popular "SOP Friday" posts at https://blog.smallbizthoughts.com.
Includes five weeks of webinars with related handouts, assignments, and "office hours" with the instructor. All classes are recorded for download.
This course is intended for business owners and managers. It is particularly useful for the Service Manager or Operations Manager.
ITSP University Certification:
Meets Certification Requirements for:
- Management
- Service Manager
- Technician
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.
Register Now - Only $399*
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 | |
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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Community News
SmallBizThoughts.org
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Join us every Thursday
9 AM Pacific / Noon Eastern
All members welcome.
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Member Notes
The 2024 DMARC training is now live in the Community. A huge thanks goes to Austin Stinger for the presentation. And Chris Sweeney, who put him up to it.
The recording is about an hour and includes the transcript as well as lengthy Q&A.
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The March Community Newsletter will be out Friday. So keep an eye out for that.
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Check out all the juicy new content in the Community by checking out this link:
https://www.smallbizthoughts.org/category/whats-new/
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Members: Grab that Free Training!
We have a great co-marketing program with IT Service Provider University. And you can engage at any level you choose.
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Community Members receive one free 5-week course each year from our list of twenty-five courses.
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Community Plus Members can access ALL twenty-five courses free of charge.
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Team Members can also engage with me to do a deep-dive on the live classes. We have two teams doing this right now with the Managing Your Service Board class.
If you have questions, or want to learn more, send me email to me at : karlp@smallbizthoughts.com.
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Here's the last Community News video: | |
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I did not call the number. But I am not exactly sure what they're selling via a sign stapled up on the side of the road.
Just one step above the hand-written sign offering to be your house-sitter.
:-)
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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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March
XChange Orlando
March 3-5
Orlando, FL
More Info: https://www.thechannelco.com/xchange
VSLive!
March 3-8
Las Vegas, NV
More Info: https://vslive.com/events/las-vegas-2024/home.aspx
Cloud Expo Europe
March 6-7
London, England
More Info: https://www.cloudexpoeurope.com/
Right of Boom
March 6-8
Las Vegas, NV
More Info: https://www.rightofboom.com/event/22f53824-56a7-4e87-9dc4-c25d1d93baf7/summary
MSP Summit
March 11-12
Las Vegas, NV
More Info: https://channelpartnersconference.com/msp-summit
XChange UK
March 6-7
UK
More Info: https://www.thechannelco.com/xchange
Channel Partners Conference & MSP Summit
March 11-14
Las Vegas, NV
More Info: https://www.channelfutures.com/channel-events
Join me live!
Gartner Data & Analytics Summit
March 11-13
Orlando, FL
More Info: https://www.gartner.com/en/conferences/na/data-analytics-us
Microsoft Envision AI Tour
March 12
Paris, France
More Info: https://envision.microsoft.com/en-US/paris
NVIDIA GTC
March 17-21
San Jose, CA
More Info: https://www.nvidia.com/gtc/
Datacenter Dynamics Converged
March 18-19
New York City, NY
More Info: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/dcd-connect-live/connect-nyc/2024/
CloudFest
March 18-21
Rust, Germany
More Info: https://www.cloudfest.com/
Midsize Enterprise Summit IT Security 2024
March 18-19, 2024
Indianapolis, IN
More Info: https://www.thechannelco.com/events
KubeCon + CloudNativeCon
March 19-23
Paris, France
More Info: https://events.linuxfoundation.org/kubecon-cloudnativecon-europe/
ASCII Edge 2024
March 20 & 21
Houston, TX
More Info: https://events.ascii.com/
Days of Knowledge
March 21-22
Birmingham, England
More Info: https://www.directionsforpartners.com/conferences-and-events/days-of-knowledge/uk-2024
Gartner CIO Leadership Forum
March 25-26
Hollywood, FL
More Info: https://www.gartner.com/en/conferences/na/cio-us-east
Microsoft Fabric Community Conference
March 26-28
Las Vegas, NV
More Info: https://fabricconf.com/#!/
MSP Rescue from SMB Nation
March 27
Los Alamitos, CA
More Info: https://msprescue.pro/
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April 2024
Fortinet Accelerate
April 1-5
Las Vegas, NV
More Info: https://www.fortinetaccelerate.com/home/3861565
Intel Vision
April 8-9
Phoenix, AZ
More Info: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/events/on-event-series/vision.html
Google Cloud Next
April 9-11
Las Vegas, NV
More Info: https://cloud.withgoogle.com/next
North American Cloud & Collaboration Summit
April 9-11
Dallas, TX
More Info: https://www.collabsummit.org/
Special Webinar with Karl:
Measuring Success: The Unpopular Truth about KPIs, SLAs, and SMB IT - April 10th - on Zoom
April 10th
On Zoom
Register Now: https://mspwebinar.com
Join me Live online
ChannelPro LIVE
Apr. 10-11, 2024
Orlando, FL
More info: https://events.channelpronetwork.com/
Days of Knowledge
April 12-13
Odense, Denmark
More Info: https://www.directionsforpartners.com/conferences-and-events/days-of-knowledge/nordic-2024
Directions
April 14-17
San Diego, CA
More Info: https://directionsna.com/
Black Hat Asia
April 16-19
Singapore
More Info: https://www.blackhat.com/asia-24/
ASCII Edge 2024
April 17 & 18
Newark, NJ
More Info: https://events.ascii.com/
eMerge Americas
April 18-19
Miami Beach, FL
More Info: https://emergeamericas.com/
TDWI Transform
April 28-May 3
Chicago, IL
More Info: https://na.eventscloud.com/ereg/newreg.php?eventid=777592&_gl=1*x88u25*_gcl_au*NjI4NDAyOTQxLjE3MDE3Mjk1NjI.
Kaseya Connect Global
April 29-May 2
Las Vegas, NV
More Info: https://www.kaseyaconnect.com/
Microsoft 365 Conference
April 30-May 3
Orlando, FL
More Info: https://www.m365conf.com/#!/
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May
Red Hat Summit
May 6-9
Denver, CO
More Info: https://www.redhat.com/en/summit
RSA Conference
May 6-9
San Francisco, CA
More Info: https://www.rsaconference.com/usa
ServiceNow Knowledge
May 7-9
Las Vegas, NV
More Info: https://knowledge.servicenow.com/events/k23/getupdates
SMB TechFest
May 9-10
Irvine, CA
More Info: https://www.smbtechfest.com/showdates.asp
European Collaboration Summit
May 14-16
Wiesbaden, Germany
More Info: https://collabsummit.eu/
Gartner Application Innovation & Business Solutions Summit
May 14-16
Las Vegas, NV
More Info: https://www.gartner.com/en/conferences/na/applications-us
ChannelPro LIVE
May 15-16, 2024
Baltimore, MD
More info: https://events.channelpronetwork.com/
Dell Technologies World
May 20-23
Las Vegas, NV
More Info: https://www.dell.com/en-us/dt/events/delltechnologiesworld/2024/index.htm
IBM Think
May 20-23
Boston, MA
More Info: https://www.ibm.com/events/think
Microsoft Licensing Boot Camp
May 21-23
Atlanta, GA
More Info: https://www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/members/get-training
Nutanix .NEXT
May 21-23
Barcelona, Spain
More Info: https://next2024.nutanix.com/
MSP GeekCon
May 21-23
Orlando, FL
More Info: https://www.mspgeekcon.com
ASCII Edge 2024
May 22 & 23
Denver, CO
More Info: https://events.ascii.com/
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June 2024
Cisco Live
June 2-6
Las Vegas, NV
More Info: https://www.ciscolive.com/global.html
Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit
June 3-5
National Harbor, MD
More Info: https://www.gartner.com/en/conferences/na/security-risk-management-us
ConnectWise IT Nation Secure
June 3-5
Orlando, FL
More Info: https://www.connectwise.com/theitnation/secure/cybersecurity-conference
VeeamON
June 3-5
Fort Lauderdale, FL
More Info: https://www.veeam.com/veeamon
Microsoft 365 Educon & PWRCON
June 3-7
Seattle, WA
More Info: https://pwrcon.com/
Infosecurity Europe
June 4-6
London, England
More Info: https://www.infosecurityeurope.com/
ChannelPro LIVE
Jun. 5-6, 2024
Columbus, OH
More info: https://events.channelpronetwork.com/
Databricks Data + AI Summit
June 10-13
San Francisco, CA
More Info: https://www.databricks.com/dataaisummit/
European Power Platform Conference
June 11-13
Brussels, Belgium
More Info: https://www.sharepointeurope.com/european-power-platform-conference/
North American Information Security Summit
June 16-18
Denver, CO
More Info: https://infosecurity-summit.com/
Commsverse
June 26-27
Weybridge, England
More Info: https://www.commsverse.com/
ASCII Edge 2024
June 26 & 27
Chicago, IL
More Info: https://events.ascii.com/
XChange Best of Breed
June 2024
East Essex, England
More Info: https://www.thechannelco.com/xchange
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Note: If you know of any in-person event for SMB Consultants, please send info to karlp@greatlittlebook.com. | |
Check out all my "Channels" | |
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Small Biz Thoughts is a subsidiary of Great Little Book Publishing Co., Inc. | |
View this and previous newsletters at
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AI Transparency Statement
We do not use artificial intelligence apps in the writing of any content for this newsletter. Some of our royalty-free paid graphics might use AI-generated images. But all of the writing is by Karl W. Palachuk, or others as noted.
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