Ready to break free from limited vendor connectors? Check out the MSP Skills Repo and connect your entire stack to agentic AI: ➡️ https://compoundingteams.com/youtube

In this week's episode, Shane Naugher, CEO of Innovative Automations, joins the show to unpack how he transformed his MSP experience into a new AI and automation business. He shares the hard lessons learned behind selling AI services, why project-based automation can destroy margins, how scope creep led to a 20x budget overrun, and why MSPs need to think beyond simply reselling vendor AI tools. We also dive into AI governance, recurring revenue models, automation ROI, internal team adoption, and why MSP owners need to lead from the front before their clients fall behind.

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:57 - Starting an automation company
17:53 - Governance + Assessing what they need
23:52 - Figuring out the ROI
28:57 - How do you keep up?
33:00 - Getting hands on
36:39 - Dealing with AI overwhelm
39:00 - What are clients wanting?
44:16 - What was impossible before?

Connect more with Damien and Shane:
Damien - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstevens/
Shane - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanenaugher/

📺 Watch on YT: https://www.youtube.com/@mspmindset

In this week's episode, Matt Van Horn, creator of Last 30 Days, CLI Printing Press, and Agent Cookie, joins the show to unpack how AI agents are changing what non-engineers can build. Matt shares how he went from sales and business development to creating world-class agent tools, why CLIs may be the missing bridge between AI and real business systems, and how MSPs can start using agents to move faster, automate deeper, and build workflows that were previously impossible.

Connect with Damien and Matt:
Damien - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstevens/
Matt - https://x.com/mvanhorn

🎙 Listen on audio:
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/msp-mindset-with-damien-stevens/id1669572779
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5B1k3Z8qXBGBSCJeSScjBE?si=c5d185c306064520 #msp #managedservices #managedserviceprovider

📺 Watch on YT: https://www.youtube.com/@mspmindset

Every Thursday, I build AI agents in Claude Code with other MSP owners. It’s live, free, and on screen. Join our next build ➡️ https://compoundingteams.com

In this episode, Damien talks with Laith Palawan, CEO of Orange Crew and founder of Bloom Logic, about why AI is becoming the next major differentiator for MSPs. Laith explains how every modern business is drowning in scattered data across email, tickets, phone calls, Teams, Zoom, CRM, QuickBooks, and documents — and why MSPs are uniquely positioned to help clients make sense of it all.

Laith shares how he built an AI company alongside his MSP, what he learned from trying to bring AI into the SMB market early, and why the future MSP opportunity may not be just fixing infrastructure, but becoming the trusted partner who connects data, intelligence, and business outcomes.

Chapters:

0:00 - Intro

2:22 - Getting started as an MSP

12:04 - Differentiating your MSP with AI

38:06 - Ways AI helps him understand business

45:00 - What is down the road?

Connect more with Damien and Laith:

Damien - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstevens

Laith - https://www.linkedin.com/in/laith-pahlawan-26b93a/

📺 Watch on YT: https://www.youtube.com/@mspmindset

Every Thursday, I build AI agents in Claude Code with other MSP owners. It’s live, free, and on screen. Join our next build ➡️ https://compoundingteams.com/

In this week's episode, Damien sits down with Robert Burke, CEO of Core12 and founder of Sobo, to discuss how AI agents are changing the future of MSP operations. He shares how Core12 grew 62% last year and is trending above 68% this year by using AI agents to handle repetitive internal work that once required manual effort.

He shares their shift from traditional managed services to becoming a Managed Intelligence Provider — combining IT support, cybersecurity, compliance, and AI automation. For MSP owners who want better margins, less operational chaos, and a smarter way to scale, this episode shows where the industry is heading.

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
01:11 - Results with AI and Soho
10:02 - What is managed intelligence
23:48 - What does MIP mean to him
32:32 - Where do I start with AI? (Culture first)

Connect more with Damien and Robert:
Damien - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstevens
Robert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robburkejr/

📺 Watch on YT: https://www.youtube.com/@mspmindset

Ready to build agents in your MSP? Join our build sessions todady ➡️ https://compoundingteams.com

In this week's episode, Damien sits down with Jon Salisbury, CEO at Nexigen, to talk about what 20 years of AI experimentation has taught him as an MSP leader. Jon explains why MSPs should stop thinking only in terms of tools and start focusing on use cases, governance, literacy, data quality, and culture. He also breaks down why “locking down” AI is not enough, and why creating a safe “Golden Road” may be the best way to reduce shadow AI and help clients adopt AI responsibly.

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
1:41 - Getting started with AI
9:40 - Working on himself around AI
22:20 - How does this inform his MSP
29:53 - How do you help people with AI
36:10 - What he's excited about now
41:11 - How he leads his team

Connect more with Damien and Ben:
Damien - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstevens
Jon - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonsalisbury/

📺 Watch on YT: https://www.youtube.com/@mspmindset

Ready to build agents in your MSP? Join our build sessions today ➡️ https://compoundingteams.com

In this episode of MSP Mindset, we're joined by Ben Smoker, CEO of Sota, a top 10 MSP in the UK, about why Sota chose to dogfood AI internally before selling it to customers. Instead of leading with tools or rushing a new offer to market, Sota spent months testing AI across finance, HR, compliance, sales, service, and back-office workflows to understand what actually saves time, where governance matters, and how MSPs can create meaningful client outcomes with AI.

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
2:43 - How they're thinking about AI
30:03 - AI shaming
44:58 - Culture around AI

Connect more with Damien and Ben:
Damien - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstevens
Ben - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-smoker-a01b6389/

📺 Watch on YT: https://www.youtube.com/@mspmindset

Ready to build agents in your MSP? Join our build sessions today ➡️ https://compoundingteams.com

In this week's episode, Damien sits down with John Snyder, CEO of Net Friends, to unpack how he used AI to improve client reporting, reduce wasted scoping time, and increase project win rates from 47% to 65%. He shares how his team moved from reports nobody read to QBR-style insights that got clients responding within minutes, asking better questions, and requesting follow-up meetings.

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
1:38 - What they're doing with AI currently
14:04 - His AI QBR reports that get real results
43:27 - AI and Security

Connect with Damien and John:
Damien - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstevens
John - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsnyder-netfriends/

📺 Watch on YT: https://www.youtube.com/@mspmindset

What happens when an MSP goes all-in on automation first—and then layers in AI the right way? In this episode, Brian Luckey (CIO of Integris) reveals how his team scaled capacity exponentially, saving tens of thousands of hours, increasing profitability, and transforming how work gets done across the organization. If you’re still relying on traditional service models, this conversation will show you why the future belongs to MSPs who combine automation, clean data, and AI-driven workflows to do more with less.

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:56 - Saving 35,000 hours
17:55 - Changes to the L1, L2, L3 model
29:22 - Why we need to be the enablers with AI
38:33 - Fear around AI
42:17 - Start with yourself first
52:28 - Future business models
57:15 - How do I move the needle?
59:37 - Where would he start today?
1:04:55 - Where is this going?

Connect with Damien and Brian:
Damien - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstevens
Brian - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-luckey/

📺 Watch on YT: https://www.youtube.com/@mspmindset

#msp #managedservices #managedserviceprovider