When former CIO Bob Coppedge, CEO of Simplex IT, joins Josh Peterson, the conversation turns into a masterclass on business maturity, luck, and the evolution of managed services. From aviation museums to model-year MSP strategies, Bob shares 45 years of perspective on what separates the techs who adapt from the ones who stall.

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In this episode of the BMK Vision Podcast, Josh Peterson chats with Bob Coppedge, CEO of Simplex IT, about his journey from CIO to MSP leader and his unconventional take on luck, learning, and leadership. Drawing parallels between aviation, poker, and IT, Bob and Josh break down why success often depends on timing, humility, and adaptability.

👉 The CIO Advantage – How Bob’s enterprise background shaped his MSP from the start. 👉 Luck vs. Skill – Why luck plays a bigger role in business success than most leaders admit. 👉 The Evolution of MSPs – From break-fix to business improvement and the dangers of commoditization. 👉 AI, Big Data & the Model Year Mindset – How Simplex IT stays future-ready by treating every year like a product upgrade. 👉 Content That Connects – Why MSPs should start YouTube channels and how to overcome the fear of video marketing.

This episode dives deep into what it means to run an MSP like a modern business—constantly learning, adapting, and sharing knowledge along the way.

Visit https://beringmckinley.com for more MSP resources.

🔗 Resources & Links • Bob Coppedge at Simplex IT: https://simplex-it.com @simplex-it • Bering McKinley MSP Consulting: https://beringmckinley.com

⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Welcome & Ohio stories 05:30 – The origin of Simplex IT 10:30 – From CIO to MSP owner 16:00 – The role of luck in business 24:00 – Adapting through disruption 28:00 – Information over technology 30:00 – The “Model Year” approach 35:00 – YouTube, AI & marketing shifts 45:00 – Making video content simple 54:30 – Final thoughts & where to find Bob

🔍 Primary Keywords MSP leadership, managed services, CIO mindset, business strategy

🔍 Secondary Keywords AI in MSPs, MSP marketing, Simplex IT, Bering McKinley podcast

#️⃣ Hashtags #bmkvisionpodcast #beringmckinley #msp #mspbusiness #managedservices #mspgrowth #mspmarketing #aitransformation #mspcommunity #itleadership #simplexit #bobjcoppedge #mspinsights #businessstrategy #technologytrends

Ashley & Jason share how they turned years in Domino’s operations and IT into a niche MSP with national reach—built for pizza-speed SLAs. If you’re an MSP owner wondering how to specialize, price, and scale processes without losing your mind, this one’s for you.

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Ashley (CEO/COO) and Jason (COO/CTO) of NTPC break down their Domino’s-focused MSP model: a 16-hour/day help desk, 363-day coverage, nationwide dispatch, and a $99/location entry offer that proves value fast. They explain why hospitality/restaurant IT is a different beast (Meraki edge constraints, no remote into endpoints, revenue lost by the minute) and how they engineered processes, tooling, and training to meet “Friday-night chaos” SLAs.

👉 Big takeaways 👉 Building a niche: why Domino’s operations demand pizza-speed SLAs and what that means for staffing, hours, and on-site coverage 👉 Process engine: Loom → SOP generator → Guru KB → Learn365 training → Quoter templates; 700+ KB cards and one “admin” dashboard to unify tools 👉 Pricing + agreements: $99/location core, unlimited remote, projects/on-site separate; why they don’t show time on invoices (client UX) and what to measure next (agreement gross profit) 👉 Scaling from $1M: why recurring revenue must cover OpEx, and the few financial metrics that unlock 1M → 2M growth (AGP/EHR, ticket velocity per location, on-site utilization) 👉 People first: 401(k) decision, five service pillars, and the mindset shift from “we do it” to “the team does it” (E-Myth in action)

Visit https://beringmckinley.com for more MSP resources.

🔗 Resources & Links • Ashley & Jason Radcliff at NTPC: https://www.ntpctech.com • Bering McKinley MSP Consulting: https://beringmckinley.com

⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Coffee-chat intro & origin question 00:32 – From Domino’s ops to niche MSP (phones down on a Friday) 04:10 – Why restaurant IT is different (SLA and access realities) 06:26 – Staffing hours, national on-site, 363-day coverage 08:15 – Toolchain: Synchro, custom admin dashboard, Guru, Loom, Learn365 10:50 – Pricing framework: $99/location core, projects extra 12:20 – Metrics to add next: agreement gross profit & utilization 14:50 – Sales today: word-of-mouth, Quoter templates, trade shows 16:30 – Hitting $1M and what changes to reach $2M+ 18:10 – Five pillars & team enablement; 401(k) and culture 19:30 – One thing they’d tell MSP owners (E-Myth mindset) 21:00 – Wrap-up & CTA

🔍 Primary Keywords msp niche strategy, restaurant it support, domino’s franchise it, msp pricing model, sla for restaurants

🔍 Secondary Keywords synchro msp, knowledge base automation, loom sop, quoter proposals, agreement gross profit, help desk metrics

#️⃣ Hashtags #bmkvisionpodcast #beringmckinley #msp #msppodcast #restaurantit #dominos #helpdesk #itoperations #sops #knowledgebase #mspmarketing #agreements #pricing #utilization #slas #fieldservices #managedservices #processautomation

Josh Peterson sits down with Mitz Giannakos, Co-Founder of Next Step Technology Solutions, to unpack what makes an MSP sales machine truly scalable. From early prospecting challenges to the art of sales leadership, Mitz shares how to transform sales chaos into a repeatable, data-driven system that drives real growth.

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In this episode of the BMK Vision Podcast, Josh Peterson and Mitz Giannakos dive deep into the mindset, methods, and mechanics of MSP sales success. With over a decade in telecom and enterprise sales, Mitz brings a refreshingly practical look at what it takes to grow an MSP from startup to scalable business — starting with building your sales system from day one.

👉 Key insights include:

The gap between MSP founders and true sales maturity — and why most owners still “play checkers.”

How integrating CRMs like HubSpot or Dynamics with ConnectWise changes the sales game.

Mitz’s “Discover–Stabilize–Optimize–Innovate” framework for building customer trust and ROI.

Why sales operations and data tracking—not just closing—are the future of MSP growth.

How to turn your mission, vision, and why into a brand story that attracts both clients and talent.

From controlling “the geography of the sale” like Muhammad Ali to designing repeatable sales SOPs that scale with your company, this conversation is a masterclass in modern MSP leadership.

Visit https://beringmckinley.com for more MSP resources.

🔗 Resources & Links • Mitz Giannakos at Next Step Technology Solutions: https://www.nextsteptsp.com/ • Bering McKinley MSP Consulting: https://beringmckinley.com

⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 01:04 – MSP Sales Maturity Today 05:18 – The Muhammad Ali Method of Sales Control 08:37 – Turning Tech into Revenue 13:18 – Communication, Love Languages & Sales Languages 15:58 – Prospecting in 2025: Outbound vs Inbound 23:25 – Why Outsourced Cold Calling Fails 26:39 – Mission, Vision, and Authentic Culture 33:02 – Building a Brand Story That Sells 38:42 – Owner vs Sales Leader Dilemma 52:14 – Documenting the Sales Process & CRM Setup 1:04:01 – Building for Scale from Day One 1:09:04 – Final Thoughts & Closing

🔍 Primary Keywords MSP sales strategy, sales system, MSP prospecting, sales operations, ConnectWise CRM integration, MSP growth, sales SOP

🔍 Secondary Keywords HubSpot integration, B2B sales, MSP marketing, Next Step Technology Solutions, lead generation, sales leadership, business scaling

#️⃣ Hashtags #beringmckinley #bmkvisionpodcast #mspgrowth #mspsales #salesleadership #connectwise #hubspot #salesstrategy #mspbusiness #salestraining #leadgeneration #entrepreneurship #scalingyourmsp #b2bsales #salesoperations #mspcommunity #businessgrowth #fromthetrenches

A candid conversation with Daniel Oquendo of Whispering Dragons on serving micro-small businesses, pricing with integrity, and using smart security + streaming tools to scale without a large team. Great for owner-operators balancing service delivery, sales, and modern content strategy.

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Daniel Oquendo (Whispering Dragons) shares how a game-studio pivot became a focused MSP serving micro-SMBs, and what it takes to keep them secure, supported, and educated. From real-world stories (a “certificate expiry” trap and nationwide outage risk) to force-multiplying with MDR, he explains how solo and small teams can still deliver enterprise-grade outcomes—without sticker-shocking clients. 👉 How word-of-mouth reliably gets you to ~$1M and why consistency beats splashy campaigns 👉 Pricing reality checks: letting clients “vote” for your sustainability, avoiding undercharging, and preparing customers for market-level rates 👉 Security stack pragmatism: using MDR (e.g., Huntress) to shut down threats fast and calm client nerves with a clear incident flow 👉 Streaming as a growth channel: weekly education shows, multi-platform chat aggregation, and turning content into pipeline (Beam Media) 👉 Operational hygiene: subscription/expense visibility (e.g., Better Tracker) to redirect waste and fund real security This episode weaves MSP pricing strategy, micro-SMB security, and modern distribution (streaming + video) into a practical playbook for owner-operators. If you serve small teams who “don’t think they need IT,” you’ll get stories, scripts, and tools to educate, protect, and grow—without overextending. “Visit https://beringmckinley.com for more MSP resources.”

🔗 Resources & Links • Daniel Oquendo at Whispering Dragons: https://whisperingdragons.com • Bering McKinley MSP Consulting: https://beringmckinley.com

⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Intro & show setup 00:29 – Rebrand origin & early MSP reality 02:20 – From game studio to repair shop to IT services 05:15 – The “expiring certificate” story & fix 10:01 – Transition to IT solution provider 12:37 – Pricing lessons, sustainability, and client pushback 16:12 – Solo operator model & client profile 18:45 – Micro-SMB security misconceptions 20:39 – Legacy goals vs. “go big” pressure 22:46 – Marketing: why word-of-mouth still wins 27:35 – Tools that multiply a solo MSP (MDR/Huntress) 32:26 – Make-or-break year, staying the course 34:18 – Expense visibility with Better Tracker 39:09 – Beam Media: multi-streaming & audience growth 45:33 – Centralized chat and platform strategy 46:04 – Streaming use cases for MSPs 50:24 – The streaming economy: subs, splits, sponsors 56:04 – Where to find Daniel 56:34 – Wrap-up

🔍 Primary Keywords micro msp growth, managed services pricing, mdr for msps, huntress mdr, streaming for small business, whispering dragons, beam media streaming, msp marketing word of mouth

🔍 Secondary Keywords small business it security, ransomware protection, subscription tracking, better tracker, multi streaming platform, riverside podcasting, youtube strategy for msps, pricing strategy msp, client education cybersecurity

#️⃣ Hashtags #beringmckinley #bmkvisionpodcast #msp #managedservices #cybersecurity #mdr #huntress #smallbusinessit #msplife #pricingstrategy #streaming #multistreaming #contentmarketing #riversidefm #youtubestrategy #wordofmouth

John Snyder (CEO, Net Friends) joins Josh to unpack how MSPs escape “do-everything” chaos by choosing a clear primary business model and fixing account management. You’ll hear owner-level lessons on partnership, procurement pitfalls, automation wins, and why marketing isn’t a “nice to have”—it’s the front door to recruiting and revenue.

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John Snyder of Net Friends shares his path from field tech to majority owner and the mindset shift from “say yes to everything” to a focused MSP. He explains how Primary Business Model (PBM) clarity changed profitability, why VAR-heavy procurement distracted the team, and how “Account Management 2.0” is being rebuilt around trackable, team-based communication instead of single points of failure. The conversation also dives into practical automation starting points and the underrated compounding effect of consistent marketing investment.

👉 PBM clarity: stop being “everything to everybody,” pick MSP as the core, and align ops, sales, and projects 👉 VAR trap: big hardware deals look great, but meetings, deal reg, and micro-decisions crush focus 👉 Account Management 2.0 → 3.0: replace lone CSMs with a shared inbox + ticketed comms for visibility and handoffs 👉 Automation that lands: start at the customer portal with HR forms (on/offboarding, role changes, leave) to prove value fast 👉 Marketing as a force multiplier: talent, recruiting, and referrals all begin with what prospects see online (benchmark ~8% of revenue)

Visit https://beringmckinley.com for more MSP resources.

🔗 Resources & Links • John Snyder at Net Friends: https://www.netfriends.com • Bering McKinley MSP Consulting: https://beringmckinley.com

⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Coffee-chat intro & origin story 03:00 – From field tech to CEO: gifted equity to 49% → 90% ownership 12:30 – Partners, morale, and the “AI makes you feel seen” aside 16:15 – Primary Business Model confusion and choosing MSP as the core 18:05 – VAR/procurement highs, hidden costs, and why focus wins 21:25 – Breaking fix habits, culling the long tail of $59/hour clients 32:24 – Automation starting point: customer portal + HR workflows 37:53 – Outlook: integrations, data flow, and making tools better 41:57 – Account Management 2.0 problems & the shared-inbox fix 48:39 – Sales vs. Success vs. Ops: one role at a time 56:48 – Lifecycle Insights, TBR pushback, and relationship signals 1:01:39 – Marketing lessons: invest ~8% of revenue & hire the team 1:03:54 – Where to find John + wrap

🔍 Primary Keywords MSP account management, MSP primary business model, MSP automation, MSP marketing strategy

🔍 Secondary Keywords customer portal HR forms, VAR pitfalls MSP, lifecycle insights vCIO, MSP profitability

#️⃣ Hashtags #beringmckinley #bmkvisionpodcast #msp #managedservices #accountmanagement #customersuccess #automation #rpa #servicedelivery #itbudgeting #lifecycleinsights #connectwise #mspprofitability #entrepreneurship #leadership #marketing

Learn the 13 MSP numbers that actually move profit. Host Josh Peterson breaks down revenue buckets, service gross profit, and the levers your service manager can pull today. Perfect for MSP owners and leaders who want clearer decisions, stronger margins, and a repeatable finance rhythm.

Episode Description → Josh Peterson (Bering McKinley) is joined briefly by former MSP owner Ryan Alter to challenge the myth that you need “hundreds of KPIs.” You’ll learn the few numbers that matter—and how to wire your P&L so your team can actually manage to them. This episode translates finance into field-ready actions for MSP operators, service managers, and fractional leaders. 👉 The 3 revenue buckets (service, product, resold cloud) and why your overall GP target centers around a weighted mix (aim ~42%). 👉 Service GP target (55%) and the critical ratio: service salaries to service revenue at ~33%—only possible if service payroll lives in COGS. 👉 Agreement Gross Profit (AGP): pricing vs. onboarding scope, why CW member costs & addition costs matter, and using the agreement GP report to verify reality. 👉 Effective Hourly Rate (EHR): how to calculate it (spendable revenue ÷ hours) and compare to rack rate (goal ≥1.125×) while staffing work at the right technician level. 👉 Billable utilization truths, calling out out-of-scope work without drama, and giving real P&L responsibility (and bonus levers) to your service manager. Visit https://beringmckinley.com for more MSP resources.

🔗 Resources & Links • Ryan Alter - Silverstream: https://www.silverstreamav.com • Bering McKinley MSP Consulting: https://beringmckinley.com

⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Welcome & why only 13 numbers matter 02:18 – YouTube push, Riverside move, and “From the Trenches” 05:12 – The 3 revenue buckets and service sub-buckets 08:40 – Guest drop-in from Egypt (Ryan Alter) 10:05 – Chart of accounts cleanup & payroll in COGS 13:22 – Targets: 42% company GP, 55% service GP, 33% salaries ratio 18:10 – Agreement Gross Profit (pricing vs. scope; CW setup) 24:03 – Effective Hourly Rate (formula, rack rate multiple, staffing) 29:45 – Billable utilization and the skills pyramid 34:20 – Out-of-scope cadence and profitable “needy” clients 39:05 – Service manager P&L ownership & incentive design 44:12 – Perspective, resilience, and closing takeaways

✅ Enjoyed this episode? Like, subscribe, and share your biggest takeaway below.

🔍 Primary Keywords msp kpis, service gross profit, agreement gross profit, effective hourly rate

🔍 Secondary Keywords managed services finance, connectwise reporting, billable utilization, service manager incentives

#️⃣ Hashtags #beringmckinley #bmkvisionpodcast #msp #msplife #mspowner #mspgrowth #mspsales #mspprocess #kpis #grossprofit #connectwise #servicedelivery #utilization #agreements #effectivehourlyrate #managedservices #itservices #itbusiness

In this “From the Trenches” conversation on the Bering McKinley Vision Podcast, host Josh Peterson sits down with Sparkle Tufano, CEO of Sparkle Innovations (https://sparkleinnovations.com), to explore what it takes to run a people-centric MSP in Middle Tennessee. Sparkle’s unusual path—from theatrical lighting and pyrotechnics to IT—taught her the power of precision, safety, and clear communication. Today, ~85% of her client base is women-owned or women-operated businesses, and she explains why that focus changed her service model: be direct, ditch the “geek speak,” and build genuine community relationships.

You’ll hear how Sparkle maintains loyalty without over-indexing on slides and graphs, using conversational QBR touchpoints and proactive two-, five-, and seven-year planning. We also unpack the growing role of AI in MSPs—from better prompting to agentic AI that runs continuous, outcome-focused tasks—and where MSPs can add real value without losing the human touch.

Whether you’re defining your ideal client profile, rethinking QBRs, or deciding how AI fits into your stack, this episode delivers practical insights you can apply right away. For more MSP growth resources, consulting, and finance best practices, visit https://beringmckinley.com.

MSP consulting women-owned business IT MSP podcast agentic AI QBR community-led growth MSP security client experience MSP sales MSP operations

AI for MSPs women-led business technology Middle Tennessee MSP plain English QBR tips how to define ideal client profile MSP MSP community outreach strategy nonprofit IT support MSP break-fix to managed services transition AI agents for small business MSP relationship management

MSP, managed services, womenownedbusiness, womenintech, MSPpodcast, AIforMSPs, agenticAI, QBR, clientexperience, communitygrowth, smallbusinessIT, cybersecurity, TennesseeBusiness, BeringMcKinley, SparkleInnovations, leadership, MSPsales, MSPoperations, SMBgrowth, businesspodcast

New founder Chris shares the real playbook for launching (again): lean tools, aggressive outreach, and a focus on recurring revenue. If you’re an MSP owner or IT leader eyeing your next growth phase, you’ll learn concrete tactics you can reuse immediately.

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Chris, founder of IronGate MSP, joins BMK Vision “In the Trenches” to break down how he’s building a modern managed services practice from day one—without bloated software or guesswork. You’ll hear how his first tech gig at 18 set the course, why he sold an earlier MSP, and what’s different this time: a sales-led approach, disciplined proposals, and a ruthless focus on MRR stability. The episode is a candid look at tool selection, vertical targeting, outbound prospecting, and using automation to stay proactive for clients.

👉 Launching lean: choosing an all-in-one PSA/RMM to avoid heavy contracts and minimums while you scale 👉 Sales first, not “word of mouth”: cold email sequences, local chambers, targeted mailers, and structured discovery to book meetings 👉 Proposals that win: align pricing to the problems uncovered (e.g., internet reliability + SD-WAN) instead of cookie-cutter bundles 👉 Projects vs. MRR: take smart projects that lead to managed services while tracking recurring revenue as the North Star 👉 Automation & AI opportunities: process optimization (Zapier/Make) and documentation integration to deliver consistent, proactive service “Visit https://beringmckinley.com for more MSP resources.”

🔗 Resources & Links • Chris Hart - IronGate MSP: https://irongatemsp.com • Bering McKinley MSP Consulting: https://beringmckinley.com

⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Why start an MSP (again) and family stakes 00:00:32 – First IT story: from printers to servers at 18 00:02:08 – SBS 2003, first client win, and the MSP spark 00:04:40 – Leaving a stable job to launch IronGate MSP 00:06:41 – Year-one goals: 15 clients and $100K revenue 00:09:55 – Avoiding pitfalls: sales process and proposal discipline 00:13:33 – Outbound engine: cold emails, social, chamber networking 00:15:27 – Funnel metrics and next-step mailers + call-downs 00:18:54 – Discovery and assessments that drive tailored proposals 00:20:42 – Projects as a bridge to recurring revenue 00:22:37 – Tooling on a budget: lean PSA/RMM strategy 00:25:43 – Being truly proactive: cadence, checklists, automation 00:28:59 – MSP role in client automation and AI enablement 00:33:11 – Check-in plan and big goal: Florida’s largest MSP 00:34:03 – Markets served and where to connect

🔍 Primary Keywords starting an msp, msp sales strategy, recurring revenue msp, cold email for msp, msp proposal process, network assessment msp, sd-wan for smb, msp go to market

🔍 Secondary Keywords irongate msp, orlando msp, celebration fl it support, msp tool stack, psa rmm selection, ai workflow automation, zapier make integrations, windows 10 eol outreach

#️⃣ Hashtags #beringmckinley #bmkvisionpodcast #msp #mspowner #mspsales #recurringrevenue #psa #rmm #smbit #automation #ai #zapier #makecom #outbound #coldemail #discoverycall #proposal #sdwan #orlando #florida