Sunny's Silver Linings

The biggest business challenge for 2022 will regard people – the employees who make your business tick. But with the employment landscape changing drastically amid The Great Resignation, how do you retain your team – especially the "stars" – to save you time, money, and keep your operations running smoothly and profitably? This Sunny's Silver Linings podcast covers many critical areas and solution...

With the Great Resignation, talent is extremely difficult for employers to find. But from an employee perspective, opportunities are endless because today's workplace no longer has borders. In this podcast, you'll hear from Todd Billiar, Director of Channel Partnerships for IT By Design and a 20-year MSP industry veteran, as he and Sunny explore the challenge of hiring and retaining MSP talent. Le...

To become a successful MSP owner, you must be sales driven. That ardent belief comes from Robin Robins, the CEO of Technology Marketing Toolkit, in Part 2 of this podcast. Robin shares the four actions you must take to develop a strong foundation for your organization, as well as the five most essential marketing steps you must take if you're a small MSP. Robin's extensive work with many MSPs shin...

You hear many MSPs talk about culture in their workplaces, but some "walk the walk" better than others. Kevin Blake, the President of ICS, is one who definitely walks the walk. In this episode of Sunny's Silver Linings, he shares his strong belief in culture and why he invests so heavily in it and his people. He also talks about how he successfully carries that culture to other companies after he...

You've heard stories about MSP owners selling their business after building it up for 20 or 30 years. But what's it really like? Not just the nuts and bolts of the selling process, but the emotional side of it? The letting go of this entity that you created from scratch. In this episode of "Sunny's Silver Linings", you'll hear that story from Jamison West, an author, serial entrepreneur, and strat...

How do MSPs contend with the "infinite game" of cybersecurity? The answer to that tough question comes from Bob Coppedge, the CEO of Simplex-IT, an Ohio-based MSP in this podcast. Bob shares his thoughts on "the bad guys" and their online threats, ways to combat them – including how to successfully hire cybersecurity tech talent – along with ways to retain talent and determining the best resources...

Has anyone ever told you that in order to lead, you must lead yourself first? If not, then this brand new episode of Sunny's Silver Linings featuring Kayvan Yazdi is perfect for you. The Founder and President of TruAdvantage, a Cupertino, CA-based MSP, defines the idea of leading yourself first, the importance of being intentional, and how these behaviors can profoundly impact your team's culture...

A poor hiring decision or promoting the wrong candidate to a leadership position can have a huge negative impact on your MSP business. So how can you improve your ability to identify qualified candidates for the right roles? Find out in this edition of Sunny's Silver Linings with Ammara Abedi, a strategy consultant with Insperity. She's an organizational psychologist who helps businesses implement...

Are you a good listener? If not, join the club! The majority of people are not. You can become one, though, with intention and some great tips from this episode of Sunny's Silver Linings featuring Marcus Bond, a senior consultant with The Collaborative Way. Marcus shares the challenges you face when trying to listen to others, the "filters" you employ that reduce your attentiveness, and why listen...

When you want to improve any business, you call in a coach. This is true for MSPs as well. One of the best in the industry is Dave Cava, a business coach with Encore Strategic. A former owner of a $10 million MSP himself, Dave shares in this podcast his experiences as an owner, identifies the four types of MSP leaders, and helps you determine which one you are. He also names the biggest obstacle t...

A poor hiring decision or promoting the wrong candidate to a leadership position can have a huge negative impact on your MSP business. So how can you improve your ability to identify qualified candidates for the right roles? Find out in this edition with Ammara Abedi, a strategy consultant with Insperity. Ammara is an organizational psychologist who helps businesses implement employee strategies a...

IT tech rage is real! Just ask Matt Rose, the co-founder and Director of Technology Services for Tech Rage IT, in Orlando, Florida. In this edition of "Sunny's Silver Lining", the author of "Kiss Tech Rage Goodbye" shares his story of going from an IT consultant to an MSP owner – and witnessing the frustration that individuals can have with technology. Matt talks about the importance of communicat...

Whether you attend business school or not, you're inevitably going to make bad decisions or have poor ideas along the way. How you embrace the feedback or negative results you get in return is vital to your MSP success. Just ask Michael Einbinder-Schatz, the President of Jobecca Technology Group, a cybersecurity and managed IT services provider. With no business schooling behind him, he built a su...

How young can someone be to launch a career in IT? Greg Browning, the CEO of SinglePoint Global (SPG), began in high school and his career skyrocketed from there. In this podcast, you'll hear his story which began domestically and went international by the time he was in his 20's. You'll learn how his MSP overcame a stubborn $2 million ceiling, how to create a healthy workplace culture to retain t...

Do you want to hear some incredibly inspirational stories about personal transformation and how it can positively impact your MSP business? In this episode of Sunny's Silver Linings, listen as Ross Brouse shares how a great transformation he experienced in his childhood has helped him in his professional life. Ross is the President and COO of Continuous Networks, which offers personal IT consultin...

What can a lifelong farm boy and serial entrepreneur teach you about how to improve the way you run your MSP? Plenty. In this brand new episode of Sunny's Silver Linings, Arlin Sorensen, the VP of Brand and Ecosystem Evangelism at ConnectWise, gives you just a taste of what his upcoming presentation at Build IT LIVE will cover. Find out what an owner's mindset is and learn about the four key areas...

The tables have turned on this special episode of Sunny's Silver Linings! This time, ITBD CEO Sunny Kaila is interviewed by ITBD's very own Todd Billiar, Director of Channel Partnerships. Listen as they discuss the importance of having a growth mindset when recruiting technical talent – it's the #1 challenge for MSPs especially in this new post-pandemic world. With ITBD's continued success over th...

Can you name 3 huge post-pandemic business opportunities for MSPs? Rob Rae can. He's the SVP of Business Development for Datto and says that cyber resiliency, work from anywhere, and co-managed IT with large companies are big opportunities for MSPs. In this episode of Sunny's Silver Linings, he touches upon where the newest and best opportunities are for MSPs. For greater details, come to Build IT...

In this latest episode, ITBD CEO Sunny Kaila speaks with Joe Ruskey, Owner of Dependable Solutions. He shares his unexpected career path into the IT industry and eventually starting his own IT business. Listen as they discuss how aligning your values and passion with the right cultural environment can have a lasting effect on your employees and ultimately your customers. • How focusing on your cus...

Being a leader can have its challenges. One day you are exceeding sales targets, the next day you are the bearer of bad news. There are ups and downs but it can be the most rewarding role! The impact you have within an organization can determine its success. In this latest episode, ITBD CEO Sunny Kaila invites Don Ribar, Partner at TTG, Inc. who has over a decade of experience working in the Manag...

Building your sales organization can be a hurdle that stands between your MSP and true success. Listen as renowned sales coach Jack Daly sits down with IT By Design's CEO Sunny Kaila and talks about building the foundation for your revenue team; while recruiting, hiring and trusting your sales organization. - Before you hire, take time to build your sales playbook, systems and processes - Teach yo...

If you want great advice on how the hiring world is evolving, who better to ask than Steven Carroll, part of the talent solutions team at LinkedIn? Listen as Steven shares tips on how you can stand out as an employee and ways to create the career you want during his conversation with IT By Design CEO Sunny Kaila. - The talent marketplace: How it's shifting from reactive to proactive and how to tak...

Change is inevitable. How will the service provider of tomorrow look different from today? Listen as IT By Design CEO Sunny Kaila speaks with Dan Tomaszewski, Senior Vice President of Channel & Community at Kaseya, who knows first-hand the challenges for growing MSPs to successfully market their solutions. Dan shares his wisdom on how today's MSPs can use effective sales and marketing strategies t...

ITBD CEO Sunny Kaila speaks with Harbinder Khera, Global CEO & Founder of Mindmatrix - the leader in direct and channel enablement software. With over 20 years of experience leading his company to success, Harbinder shares his secret behind what really makes a business profitable and how sales and marketing roles have evolved over the years. Get invaluable advice that you can start implementing to...

IT By Design CEO Sunny Kaila speaks with Sean Harris, CEO & Head of Cybersecurity at A Leap Ahead IT about what it means to have a growth mindset in the MSP channel. Sean shares his personal journey as a leader and educator over the last 20 years and the secrets he learned over the last 20 years to grow your MSP business successfully in the world of technology. - What it means to have a growth min...