2024 MSP CEO Recap

Earlier this year (March 25th to be exact) I decided to start a Linkedin Managed IT Services Provider industry Newsletter for a couple different reasons:

1. LinkedIn is a powerful tool to create industry connections, enhance Lyra Technology Group brand awareness, and also create more visibility for the Managed IT Services Providers and people that I work with on a daily basis.
2. Sharing knowledge nuggets from my MSP journey has always been on my personal roadmap and there's no better way to get started than to just start writing and shipping content.

Here we are in December, 24 editions and 1,200+ subscribers later, and I wanted to reflect on the experience to date, recap some of the highlights, and look ahead into 2025.

Looking back, most of the year is a blur but for a foodie like me, good eats with good people are always things I remember. My Meet & Eat series was a lot of fun connecting with people, sharing a meal, and talking about their personal and professional journey. A round up:

Ted Garner - Founder of IT Weapons

Kam Bansal - CEO of Dyrand Systems

Nick Tolimieri - Analyst Lyra Technology Group

Roman Rapoport - Team Lead at Nucleus Networks

Jennifer Roy - CEO of Nucleus Networks

I definitely need to do a better job of expanding on this series in 2025, if you want to grab lunch or a drink in the next year, let me know. I also had the opportunity to feature some amazing Vancouver-based Managed IT Services Providers in my MSP Spotlight series:

Dyrand Systems - Vancouver, BC

Nucleus Networks - Vancouver, BC

Flashing back to the summer, the CanITCon MSP Conference was definitely a highlight. The location was phenomenal and people are still talking about the VIP after party to this day. Talking to a lot of people at the conference, they asked about my experience selling our MSP and "when was the right time to sell?" - truthfully there is never a right time, but I did connect with Ramsey Sahyoun and Sarah Ahmed on when to sell your MSP and ultimately what is your MSP worth.

I shared a lot of thoughts around Business Development, a topic I'm extremely passionate about. A lot of this has to do with approach and mindset and I extracted nuggets of wisdom from people have that have taken their brands and businesses to the next level aka Founder Mode. Building an MSP requires that "startup hustle" at least that's what we had in the early building days of Nucleus. It was all about selling that SIZZLE and we had a mindset that sales cures all wounds and creates nothing but opportunities within your MSP.

I had a lot of fun reflecting on the Tech for Kids program I launched at Nucleus. Giving back and making an impact on the community is definitely one of my career highlights. The expression and gratitude from those donations will stick with me forever (so will my infamous bowl cut picture that I shared in the article):

One thing is for certain, I'm starting to miss working from an office (maybe I need to move to Chicago) - I don't know if anyone else is starting to feel this after working from home for so long. I talked about Working from Home (or a cafe) and I still think businesses are figuring out the best model for their and their people. I anticipate this will continue to evolve even though I do believe hybrid is the way to go as you provide the best of both worlds.

Another bright spot for me in 2024 which I didn't feature in an article (2025 goal) but talked a lot about in my main feed was spending time in Salt Lake City. It was my first time visiting Utah and I definitely fell in love with the area. It has been a pleasure getting to know the team at Executech and working alongside them at this amazing MSP.

Visiting our Eastern Canadian Managed IT Services Providers in September was epic. I was able to spend time in Burlington, Toronto, Ottawa, and Prince Edward Island. While it was definitely a grind being on the road for so long and visiting so many places, it was great to spend time in person with people that you've been working with all year. It was also filled with epic experiences including a very special PEI dinner experience thanks to Bradley Yeo :

Looking ahead, there's a lot in store for 2025. I've started to frame out some goals and changes I want to make (continuous improvement!). If you're looking to make some tweaks in the new year, I talked about the morning routines of Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk and also unpacked mine. I'm sure by now everyone is looking forward to the holiday season, it's an opportunity to disconnect and recharge the batteries. Throughout most of my career, I've failed at unplugging and stopping to smell the roses. I did change that this year with an epic trip to Maui and encourage everyone to make time for your "oyster boat".

Thank you all for reading along in 2024 and hope you all have a relaxing holiday season. With this being my last edition of 2024, here's to a prosperous 2025!