All Things MSP

Most MSP owners are brilliant at solving technical nightmares, but when it comes to getting new clients or getting paid on time, it’s a total free-for-all. You're grinding away fixing networks and putting out fires, yet you're leaving thousands of dollars on the table because sales feels uncomfortable and billing is a monthly chore. Why are we still running critical business operations without the same discipline, processes, and automation we demand for our clients' IT infrastructures? In this episode, Justin and Eric break down two major pain points every MSP faces: getting customers and getting paid. Featuring insights straight from Pax8 Beyond, Justin sits down with Baxter Lanius (CEO of Alternative Payments) to discuss automating accounts receivable, eliminating credit card processing fees, and making cash flow predictable. Then, Christopher Smith (Founder of Empellor CRM) jumps in to tackle the fear behind MSP sales, why CRMs usually suck, and how building a repeatable revenue process removes the discomfort of lead generation. Eric wraps it up with a hard-hitting operational challenge to help you stop chasing invoices and start scaling like a real business. Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:Blumira: https://www.blumira.comChoice Cyber Solutions: https://www.choicecybersolutions.comCompliance Scorecard: https://compliancescorecard.comEasyDMARC: https://easydmarc.comGozynta: https://www.gozynta.comMaterial Security: https://material.securityOITVoIP: https://oit.coSCOUTz: https://scoutzsecurity.io Connect with Our Guests:Baxter Lanius (Alternative Payments): https://www.linkedin.com/in/baxterlaniusiv/Christopher Smith (Emplellor CRM): https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophersmith-crm-expert/ Connect with the Hosts:Justin Esgar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesgar/Eric Anthony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esanthony/Follow All Things MSP:Website: https://allthingsmsp.comFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/allthingsmspLinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allthingsmsp/YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsMSP

Running an MSP is ridiculous, especially when everyone is screaming that AI will make you a millionaire overnight while nobody shows you how to actually bill for it. In this episode, Justin Esgar and Eric Anthony sit down with industry analyst Dave Sobel (Business of Tech) to cut through the hype, vendor webinars, and sunshine-and-rainbows marketing around AI.  They dive deep into recent research revealing that a staggering 68% of MSP websites don't mention AI at all, effectively opting themselves out of future AI agent discovery and buyer searches. Dave breaks down why MSPs are getting stuck on individual productivity instead of re-engineering client workflows, how to capture high-margin consulting dollars instead of chasing basic MRR, and why human legal liability remains the ultimate guardrail regardless of what tool your team uses. Plus, they explore Carl Pultscik and Dave Sobel's new 68-point assessment checklist to help you evaluate client AI and compliance readiness without sounding like the "Department of No."  Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: Blumira: https://www.blumira.com   Choice Cyber Solutions: https://www.choicecybersolutions.com   Compliance Scorecard: https://compliancescorecard.com   EasyDMARC: https://easydmarc.com   Gozynta: https://www.gozynta.com   Material Security: https://material.security   OITVoIP: https://oit.co   SCOUTz: https://scoutzecurity.ioFind all our sponsors at: https://allthingsmsp.com/sponsorsGuest Links: Dave Sobel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davesobel/ Business of Tech Podcast: https://businessof.tech  Free 68-Point MSP Checklist: https://freemspchecklist.comHost Links: Justin Esgar LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesgar/ Eric Anthony LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esanthony/All Things MSP Pages: Website: https://allthingsmsp.com Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/allthingsmsp LinkedIn Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allthingsmsp/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsMSP

Most MSP owners talk a big game about cybersecurity and compliance, yet operate their own businesses with zero formal governance. You try selling $10k/month agreements or pitching enterprise-level clients, but as soon as an RFP asks for a SOC 2 report, you’re instantly disqualified. Running an MSP while pretending governance doesn't apply to you is ridiculous. In this episode, Justin and Eric break down Justin’s actual $17,000 journey through SOC 2 compliance for Virtua Computers. They bypass the corporate marketing fluff to analyze the harsh financial realities, real-world ROI, and practical operational headaches of getting audited. Justin reveals how GRC software caught hidden personal email setups, Cloudflare domain errors, and untracked devices. The guys discuss using Dungeons & Dragons style tabletop exercises for incident response testing, handling exceptions during audits, and why passing the SOC 2 requirement immediately unlocks higher-margin, $100k+ enterprise contracts. If you’re trying to move up-market or sell compliance without eating your own dog food, this episode is a mandatory reality check. Sponsors: https://allthingsmsp.com/sponsorsBlumira Choice Cyber Solutions Compliance Scorecard EasyDMARC Gozynta Material Security Sync365 OIT VoIPHosts & Show Resources:Justin Esgar (Host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesgar/Eric Anthony (Founder & Producer): https://www.linkedin.com/in/esanthony/All Things MSP Website: https://allthingsmsp.comAll Things MSP Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/allthingsmspAll Things MSP LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allthingsmsp/All Things MSP YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsMSP

Everyone is trying to sell AI solutions to MSPs promising faster ticket resolution and automated triage, but nobody is talking about the hidden financial trap underneath: token economics. In this episode, Eric and Justin pull back the curtain on how AI tokenization actually works, why "cheap" AI models can end up costing you significantly more, and how variable consumption costs threaten to blow up the predictable flat-rate pricing models MSPs have built their businesses on. Justin and Eric break down what a token actually represents in plain English (and why submitting your entire ticketing history for a simple printer issue is a massive waste of money). They dive into the reality of AI hallucinations—where you end up paying for the AI's mistakes, the corrections, and the final answer—and explore why local hardware solutions like Apple's M-series chips are pushing back against cloud consumption models. Whether you're trying to figure out how to manage token usage internally across your help desk or trying to prevent your clients from burning $50,000 a month asking ChatGPT for its "vibe score," this conversation offers an honest, operator-focused look at navigating the AI bubble without watching your margins shrink. Sponsors:Thank you to our sponsors for supporting the show! Learn more about them at https://allthingsmsp.com/sponsorsBlumiraChoice Cyber SolutionsCompliance ScorecardEasyDMARCGozyntaMaterial SecuritySync365Hosts:Justin Esgar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesgar/Eric Anthony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esanthony/ All Things/MSP Community:Website: https://allthingsmsp.comFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/allthingsmspLinkedIn Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allthingsmsp/YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsMSP 

SaaS vendors are aggressively raising prices, cutting reseller margins, and squeezing MSP profit margins to satisfy investor expectations. Between forced AI additions, changing reseller tiers, and minimal advance notice, running a profitable MSP feels like a constant battle against your own stack. In this episode, Eric and Justin dive straight into the absurdity of current vendor behavior, exploring whether it still makes sense to front licensing costs for clients or if MSPs should push clients to pay vendors directly. They break down the real-world operational risks of handling client billing, discuss the growing temptation to vibe code lightweight SaaS replacements, and map out practical strategies for passing costs down to clients before margins disappear completely.Thank you to our premier sponsors:BlumiraChoice Cyber SolutionsCompliance ScorecardEasyDMARCGozyntaMaterial SecuritySync365Sponsor Links Here: https://allthingsmsp.com/sponsorsFind out more about our hosts and join the community:Justin Esgar LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesgar/Eric Anthony LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esanthony/All Things MSP Website: https://allthingsmsp.comFacebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/allthingsmspLinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allthingsmsp/YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsMSP