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Managing an IT business demands resilience—something Paul learned firsthand through a series of staffing nightmares that nearly brought his growing MSP to its knees.

After finding his first promising technician, the pandemic upended everything. When business stabilized faster than expected, bringing that tech back proved complicated due to childcare issues and remote work distractions. Then came the real challenge: a parade of mismatched hires. One refused to adapt to company processes, another lacked both technical skills and people skills, and a third quit abruptly after realizing "how much he hated" IT work. Suddenly, Paul found himself alone again, handling all technical work while trying to run the business.

The turning point came when Paul revamped his hiring and training procedures with help from industry peers. "Hire slowly and fire quickly if they're not the right fit" became his mantra. He discovered valuable team members in the Philippines who demonstrated strong work ethic while helping manage costs. Eventually, he built a team of eight, even successfully acquiring another company that doubled his business size.

What makes Paul's story remarkable isn't just his business persistence but his unwavering positive attitude despite simultaneous personal challenges—building a house, supporting a partner through medical issues, and navigating life's complications. His philosophy? "Every day is really just a blessing... If my business goes out of business tomorrow, I'm still going to be fine." This perspective helps him see each setback as a learning opportunity rather than a disaster, maintaining his characteristic laugh even when facing his most tenured employee's resignation.

Want to approach your business challenges with similar resilience? Remember Paul's wisdom: "Everything that is a thing is something to learn on, something to get better with."

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Hi, I’m Marc Thomas, Founder and CEO of Current TEK Solutions and CYBER GUARDIANS. If you or someone you know could benefit from our cutting-edge IT and cybersecurity services, we’d love to help. Reach out to us today to learn how we can secure and elevate your business. https://www.currentTEKsolutions.com

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Building meaningful relationships in business isn't just nice to have—it's essential for growth and sustainability. When we make connections with people, we open doors to unexpected opportunities, friendships, and partnerships that transcend immediate business needs.

The MSP industry has been stuck in a price-focused mindset for too long. We need to shift toward being prescriptive advisors, similar to how doctors diagnose and treat patients. Your customers don't just pick the "white pill" from a selection of medications—they trust their doctor's expertise. Similarly, MSPs should diagnose business technology problems and prescribe comprehensive solutions. This approach positions you as a trusted advisor rather than a commodity service provider.

Going beyond technical solutions creates even more value. Sharing your own business improvement methodologies—whether it's implementing Traction or other operational systems—helps clients optimize their entire operation. This makes you "sticky" as a partner and ensures that as they grow, they'll need more of your services. The relationships become mutually beneficial: their success fuels yours.

The same collaborative approach should extend to vendor relationships. Before rushing to complain on social media when problems arise, reach out directly to company representatives. Every negative post creates ripple effects that can't be undone, potentially harming your reputation and the vendor's business. Remember that vendor relationships should be 50-50 partnerships where both sides contribute to improvement.

Our MSP community stands apart in its willingness to support each other despite competition. When we attend industry events with intentional networking plans, we create connections that often yield surprising benefits. Sometimes the person you meet at a vendor booth might become your next employee, partner, or even liver donor—you simply never know!

Ready to transform your approach to business relationships? Focus on building authentic connections, providing prescriptive value, and engaging positively with the broader ecosystem. Your business—and our entire community—will be stronger for it.

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Hi, I’m Marc Thomas, Founder and CEO of Current TEK Solutions and CYBER GUARDIANS. If you or someone you know could benefit from our cutting-edge IT and cybersecurity services, we’d love to help. Reach out to us today to learn how we can secure and elevate your business. https://www.currentTEKsolutions.com

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Breaking through glass ceilings is the entrepreneur's constant challenge. Every stage of business growth demands new skills, knowledge, and experiences—gaps that must be identified and filled to reach the next level.

Our guest reveals the bittersweet reality of entrepreneurship when he shares the heartbreaking moment his young daughter brought him her piggy bank saying, "So you don't have to work no more." This pivotal experience transformed his approach to work-life balance, teaching him to prioritize family while maintaining his business ambitions.

Now, years wiser, he's intentional about creating meaningful moments with his children—from impromptu golf outings and vacation time to bringing his teenage son into the business. This "60% forced, 40% interest" approach gives his son professional skills and experiences 6-8 years ahead of his peers, what our guest calls "the golden ticket" his son doesn't yet appreciate.

The entrepreneurial journey is undeniably lonely. Without a boss providing direction, self-motivation becomes essential. Successful entrepreneurs treat their business with disciplined structure, "clocking in at 8 and out by 5," doing the uncomfortable work that drives growth. Surrounding yourself with the right people—peer groups and business mentors who've already broken through your current ceiling—accelerates progress dramatically.

For those building businesses, remember that comparing your journey to others only creates unnecessary stress. Every path is unique. Instead, be relentless, embrace discomfort, and recognize that continuous personal development powers business growth. The freedom waiting on the other side makes this challenging journey profoundly rewarding.

Ready to secure your business and focus on growth rather than IT problems? Reach out today and let's elevate your company together.

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Hi, I’m Marc Thomas, Founder and CEO of Current TEK Solutions and CYBER GUARDIANS. If you or someone you know could benefit from our cutting-edge IT and cybersecurity services, we’d love to help. Reach out to us today to learn how we can secure and elevate your business. https://www.currentTEKsolutions.com

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What happens when you realize your head is bleeding from banging it against the wall of repeated behaviors? Lou Winter's riveting account of personal transformation begins with this visceral metaphor for the frustration that accompanies stagnation.

"I absolutely believe in holistic wellbeing," Winter explains, outlining his rigorous daily practices: 5:30 AM workouts, weekend beach runs, meditation, yoga, and consuming a book weekly. But his journey toward this balanced life wasn't straightforward. With refreshing candor, he admits to having been "a professional drinker" whose habits eventually stopped serving his growth. "Didn't serve me anymore," he reflects simply, marking the profound shift in his relationship with himself.

The conversation delves deep into ego management—distinguishing between its destructive and constructive forms. Winter describes moving from being "the apex predator" concerned primarily with personal success to finding fulfillment by elevating others. "Am I serving my wife properly? Am I serving my children properly? Am I serving my team properly?" These questions revolutionized his approach to leadership, culminating in his creation of a succession plan at The Pacific Institute where he now serves as CEO Emeritus.

Perhaps most compelling is Winter's account of navigating his consultancy through COVID-19's existential threat. Faced with an analog company suddenly needing digital transformation, he embraced vulnerability and innovation. "What got us here won't get us there," he acknowledges, quoting Marshall Goldsmith's wisdom on the necessity of evolution.

Ready to explore your own pattern interrupts? This episode offers practical wisdom for anyone seeking to break cycles that no longer serve their growth. Subscribe now and join our community of intentional leaders committed to both personal development and serving others.

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Hi, I’m Marc Thomas, Founder and CEO of Current TEK Solutions and CYBER GUARDIANS. If you or someone you know could benefit from our cutting-edge IT and cybersecurity services, we’d love to help. Reach out to us today to learn how we can secure and elevate your business. https://www.currentTEKsolutions.com

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Have you ever wondered what makes truly great teams function so seamlessly? The secret might be simpler than you think: shared values that everyone genuinely believes in.

When Mark set out to establish core values for his company, he initially approached it as a solo exercise. "I have to come up with what I believe my core values are," he explains, reflecting on his early leadership journey. But the magic happened when he opened up this process to his entire team. Suddenly, these weren't just Mark's values—they became the team's collective compass, something everyone had a stake in upholding.

The surprising revelation came when "communication" emerged as a core value the team prioritized, catching Mark off guard. This sparked important self-reflection: "Is it because I don't communicate enough? Do they feel like there's not enough transparency?" This vulnerable moment highlights how collaborative value-setting creates opportunities for growth that top-down approaches often miss. Other values like integrity, teamwork, accountability, and continuous improvement rounded out their foundation, creating a framework that guides both internal interactions and client relationships.

What happens after establishing these values? The conversation explores how Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) transform abstract values into measurable actions. As Mark beautifully puts it, "by having the team help with the core values, it's much easier to get them in the boat rowing with me as a team and not rowing in a different direction." This rowing analogy perfectly captures the essence of values-based leadership—when everyone understands and believes in the destination, they naturally align their efforts without constant management. Listen now to discover how defining your core values might be the most important team exercise you'll ever undertake.

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Hi, I’m Marc Thomas, Founder and CEO of Current TEK Solutions and CYBER GUARDIANS. If you or someone you know could benefit from our cutting-edge IT and cybersecurity services, we’d love to help. Reach out to us today to learn how we can secure and elevate your business. https://www.currentTEKsolutions.com

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What happens when the simple act of eating becomes impossible? For eight years, Zach lived on medical formula, rice cakes, and pears due to a severe case of eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE), a chronic illness that drastically restricted his diet and transformed his relationship with food and his own body.

Zach's powerful story begins at age 15, when doctors determined he needed to follow an extremely limited diet to manage his condition. The physical limitations were challenging, but the mental and emotional toll of being unable to participate in one of life's most fundamental and social activities proved equally difficult. "It's such a mental burden to be around people eating," he reflects, describing years of watching friends enjoy meals while he consumed the same bland items day after day.

Throughout this journey, Zach developed remarkable resilience and perspective. Swimming became his outlet during high school, while creative expression through rap music about his unique dietary situation provided both humor and release. When medical interventions became necessary, he embraced a feeding tube to improve his quality of life, even as he occasionally rebelled by "cheating" on his diet, accepting the painful consequences as sometimes "worth it" for moments of normalcy. His outlook transformed from questioning why this happened to him to embracing a philosophy that "being negative doesn't change your circumstance."

The turning point arrived unexpectedly in 2020 when doctors offered an experimental medication that gradually allowed him to tolerate food again. Two years later, Zach had his feeding tube removed, leaving behind a scar he now cherishes as "like my second belly button...a little reminder of where I've come from." His story illuminates not just the physical challenges of chronic illness, but the profound mental journey of acceptance, adaptation, and ultimately hope even in the most restricting circumstances.

Have you faced health challenges that transformed your relationship with something most people take for granted? Share your story or thoughts about Zach's powerful journey of resilience in the comments, or connect with organizations like Cured that support research for eosinophilic conditions.

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Hi, I’m Marc Thomas, Founder and CEO of Current TEK Solutions and CYBER GUARDIANS. If you or someone you know could benefit from our cutting-edge IT and cybersecurity services, we’d love to help. Reach out to us today to learn how we can secure and elevate your business. https://www.currentTEKsolutions.com

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What drives someone with a seemingly perfect life to take their own life? This raw, unfiltered conversation explores the devastating impact of unaddressed mental health issues, particularly in high-pressure professional environments.

The episode opens with a deeply personal story about a friend who, despite all outward appearances of success—family, career, stability—died by suicide. This tragedy serves as a powerful launching point to examine how we often miss the warning signs in those around us, and perhaps more importantly, how we might fail to recognize them in ourselves.

Physical and mental wellbeing emerge as inseparable companions throughout the discussion. One host shares his journey of addressing hypertension through consistent exercise and lifestyle changes, losing 35 pounds while maintaining a demanding business schedule. This practical example illustrates how prioritizing physical health creates the resilience needed to withstand professional stressors—making yourself "better prepared to handle all the crap," as they candidly put it.

The conversation takes a critical turn when addressing the gender disparity in seeking help. At a recent industry mental health panel, approximately 90% of attendees were women, highlighting how men often avoid these crucial conversations due to perceived weakness. As one host confesses, "I may be one of the biggest bears in the room as far as being the tough guy, but I have problems and issues, and I need this stuff as much as the next person." This vulnerability creates space for listeners to acknowledge their own struggles.

The power of community emerges as perhaps the most actionable takeaway. From simple check-ins to physically showing up during someone's crisis, these small acts of connection can make the difference between someone spiraling or finding their way through difficulty. Have you reached out to a colleague who seems distant lately? Your call might be exactly what they need today.

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Hi, I’m Marc Thomas, Founder and CEO of Current TEK Solutions and CYBER GUARDIANS. If you or someone you know could benefit from our cutting-edge IT and cybersecurity services, we’d love to help. Reach out to us today to learn how we can secure and elevate your business. https://www.currentTEKsolutions.com

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A virus named after Mountain Dew became the unlikely catalyst for a cybersecurity career that would eventually spawn a successful managed service provider during one of the worst economic downturns in modern history.

The founder of Triada takes us through their fascinating journey from corporate IT professional to entrepreneur, describing how a 2003 "Code Red" virus attack sparked deep curiosity about cybersecurity. When malicious code rapidly spread through their investment firm's network, questions emerged that would shape their future: Why did someone create this? How did they do it? How could we stop it? This intrigue ultimately led them down a path toward deeper cybersecurity expertise.

By 2008, after building infrastructure from scratch at a small investment firm and developing crucial Silicon Valley connections, an opportunity emerged amid financial chaos. As professionals fled large firms to launch their own funds, they needed expert help with infrastructure, compliance, and security. With four young children at home and as the family's sole breadwinner, the founder made the bold decision—fully supported by their spouse—to launch Triada instead of returning to corporate safety. Their vision extended beyond themselves to creating a business that could support future generations.

The challenges of competing in New York City's dense marketplace, where potential clients and competitors exist in equal measure, required strategic differentiation. By offering unique experiences that professionals couldn't find at financial giants, Triada carved its niche. From its humble beginnings as a "fractional IT manager" splitting time between clients to becoming an established managed service provider, Triada's story demonstrates how entrepreneurial courage, family support, and long-term vision can transform crisis into enduring opportunity. Ready to secure and elevate your business? Reach out today and let's build something that lasts.

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Hi, I’m Marc Thomas, Founder and CEO of Current TEK Solutions and CYBER GUARDIANS. If you or someone you know could benefit from our cutting-edge IT and cybersecurity services, we’d love to help. Reach out to us today to learn how we can secure and elevate your business. https://www.currentTEKsolutions.com