Why Tech Companies Suck at Risk Analysis

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd
Youtube: https://youtu.be/7uIOwxWU_HU

In the tech world, we tend to focus on the tasks that directly correlate to our work. But if we only focus on things like fixing firewalls and cybersecurity without understanding our clients - that is what makes tech companies suck at risk analysis.

That is not to say that what we do is unimportant. Our clients would not have hired us if they did not need our services. What is important is that we understand that to our clients, there is a difference between technical risk and business risk.

It is only natural that tech companies focus on technical risk. It’s what we do! But, you must remember that business risk will always outweigh technical risk to your client. Make it a point to talk to your customers. Understand what they see as risks and threats to their company, and then align your services with their needs. For example, if you have a client that runs a dog kennel, their main concern is the health and safety of the animals. If you only talk to them about everything you have done to improve their cybersecurity, your words will fall on deaf ears. But, if you can explain to them how improvement to their cybersecurity helps oversee all dogs that they are caring for and allows owners to safely access live streams of their pets from work, you have proven how your goals match those of your customers. Now your client has more features to sell to their customers, and you have opened the door for your business to provide additional services to build an ongoing relationship.

Aligning technical risk with business risk benefits you and your customers by providing a clear path to success. It helps your clients prioritize the factors that threaten their business and enables you to understand how your services help them meet their goals. Use this as a foundation to expand your business.

Business Risk x Technical Risk = Opportunity

When your client understands how the risks and threats to their business can be resolved by addressing technical issues, it allows you to cultivate your business relationship and the opportunity to offer additional services. In turn, it is your responsibility to ensure that you understand your customers. Focus on what your clients care about and what is most important to them. Learn how to identify the problems they face and then mitigate them to how IT can help prevent problems from happening. This strengthens the trust your clients have in you, provides direction for you and your client and creates a base on which you can expand your services.

Tech companies don’t have to suck at risk analysis. We just need to listen and understand how our work impacts client businesses and reduces the threats they face. Building client rapport is more than just doing a good job. Remember, we have conversations, not presentations! Take the time to understand what they value. Turn your risk analysis from sucking to spectacular!

MSP Culture

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd
Youtube: https://youtu.be/Mmv2chhxpv0


The role of an MSP has changed a lot over the years. You aren’t just fixing personal computers, you’re strategizing, leading and giving technology advice for businesses of all sizes. Today, we’re talking about how MSPs have evolved and what the real differences are between corporate and MSP culture.

With corporate work, you are doing the same job every day. In the MSP world, you’re fixing something new or solving a different problem every day. That leads to a very different experience for people in those two areas of work. Neither are bad, but the culture is very specific for each.

You definitely still fix stuff in the corporate world, but it’s more stable and less exciting. For MSPs, you have so much experience and you’re constantly learning new things. Most corporate workers will learn one system, use it every day and get really good at it. Nothing new generally comes up because the system runs seamlessly. In a corporate environment, you will learn the most in the first 6-12 months because new tech is rarely introduced. If you’re interested in getting very familiar and deep into one topic instead of spreading out among a wide variety of topics then corporate work is for you.

If that does not sound exciting and you’re driven to learn and understand, then the MSP world is for you. This world is full of new technologies but also rich with various types of companies that you get to work with. Doctor’s offices, schools, ice cream shops—you name it! Everyone needs help understanding how technology could help their business.

The thing about the MSP world is that it can be stressful. Where the corporate world is more stable and comfortable, the MSP world is full of new tech, constantly learning, asking lots of questions and evolving. The culture is fast-paced and MSPs love that! If you want a more relaxed setting, then the corporate world is for you. If you can handle the stress and are not trying to make top dollar, then the MSP world is probably pretty attractive for you.

Another part of culture is employee retention—your employees should be happy with their work! What the corporate world has to keep in mind is replacing people is expensive. Keep your employees around by making sure they have what they need and are giving them new or exciting projects to work on. MSPs have to keep in mind that, when hiring new employees, you can’t hire a unicorn. There is not going to be someone that will exactly fit the role of the previous employee, so don’t judge them based on the past employee’s experience.

It has been cool to watch the MSP culture and role change from simply fixing computers to transitioning into digital advisers and strategists. And for corporate workers, figure out how to keep your employees challenged and growing in the corporate world.

The Importance of Vacations

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd
Youtube: https://youtu.be/YWobWj0OcGU


Every single person is super unique, but we all have one thing in common: a need for rest and recuperation. You may be convinced that you can work and work and work with no breaks. In a world that is so fast-paced, we reward people that are hardcore and refuse to step back or take a deep breath.

Although hard work is great and should be rewarded, it’s also pivotal that you take breaks. You can only work efficiently for so long without resting. The longer you work on something with no break, the more mistakes you will make.

You’ve probably been in a situation where you’ve tried to solve a problem or fix something and the longer you stare at it, the harder it seems to come up with a solution. Contrary to popular belief, that problem will not magically become clear by spending more time staring at it. The best thing to do is put it away and come back to it in a little while. You will most likely find that time away makes the solution easier to figure out—maybe even obvious!

Your brain needs time to work stuff out and process. It is a muscle and should be treated with the same respect and care that you treat the rest of your body. Give it time to relax and put good stuff in so you can get good stuff out. Take working out for example. You can’t do your maximum lifts every single day or you will wear your body out. You have to give your muscles days to do light workouts in order to come back the next day and work hard. You also wouldn’t put the heaviest weights on and expect to be able to lift over and over without feeling completely tired and burnt out. And, after a workout, you have to stretch your muscles to allow the best recovery—basically, you have to take care of yourself.

Even if your company offers unlimited paid time off, it can be hard to take advantage of that. You want to get stuff done and you probably think the harder you work, the more you’ll get done. When you’re tired, your body goes into autopilot and simply plays the part. You may feel like you’re being productive when really, you’re getting as much done as you could.

Your brain needs a change of scenery. That doesn’t mean simply slowing down on work; it means you need to switch up what you’re doing. Find something that you enjoy like reading, playing video games or going for a walk to give your mind a much-needed mini-vacation. When you return to your desk, it will be easier for you to focus on the tasks at hand.

Vacations don’t just mean taking a week off and traveling. Taking 30 minutes or 2 hours every day to focus on something else or rest will help you put your distractions on hold. There is a value in dedicated away time that includes unplugging from your work, your phone and anything that might cause you stress.
You may think that this topic doesn’t pertain to you. But, if you find yourself snapping at people, eating or drinking more or having a hard time sleeping, then you are out of balance and your body is trying to overcompensate for your lack of energy. It’s time to take a vacation, trust us!

You should definitely still take that awesome family vacation in the middle of summer. But, make sure that isn’t your only vacation this year. Take time every single day to do something that will make your brain relaxed and make work more enjoyable. Humans were not created to constantly work. Relax and give your body time to recharge and focus!

Why are you in Tech?

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd
Youtube: https://youtu.be/ArFI83D0yUE

Not only are we talking about the reasons we got into tech, but we’re celebrating 100 episodes of Humanize IT! Our podcast has really evolved from specifically talking about how to have conversations with businesses to focusing on how to build MSP culture and learning what’s going on in this industry.

Thank you for being on this journey with us! We’re excited to see what comes in the future. But for now, let’s talk about why we’re in tech!

Both Skip and I have different stories and reasons why we ended up in IT. I am an analytical person—you might have noticed. I found computers really cool in the 80s and found a love of figuring out how things work and how things are built.

Tech fascinated me, so I got a degree in computer science. When I landed my first job, I realized that the college classes had taught me important information, but I hadn’t learned the things that I actually needed to know. Most of the stuff I know now is from doing hands-on work.

Overtime, I learned that I didn’t like computers as much as I like problem-solving and strategy. I’m happiest when I can lead others and strategize solutions. But, I got here because of the IT industry and working on computers.

Skip’s decision came down to his personality and love of problem solving. In the 90s, if something technical wasn’t working, you just had to figure it out, and that resonated with him. He’s not one for a step-by-step approach. He just wants a starting point and an ability to figure it out in his own way.

Skip got an electronics degree because that was the closest thing they had to anything technical. It wasn’t exactly what he was looking for, but he learned more while working in a computer store.

Overall, Skip loved the newness of technology. It was exciting to work with something brand new and figure out how it works. Eventually, the newness wears off, but that excitement sparked an interest for him.

The thing about tech positions is no one really knows what you do fully—especially back when the tech was new. You have to be able to pat yourself on the back when stuff goes well, because no one else will probably understand the gravity of the work that you are doing.

With that being said, if you own a business, you should let the IT people be the heroes. They never get that kind of attention, and knowing that they are valuable will make their work so much more rewarding!

As an IT person, you might go underappreciated, but we get to solve problems and that is the exiting thing. Look how far technology has come! Look at all the things that we’ve done and built as a tech community. We all have our own parts in this and it’s really cool.

Here’s to 100 episodes, and here’s to the next 100!

Sales vs Engineering

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd

Today, we’re answering the big question: which is more important, sales or engineering?

Now, before we get started, we want to clarify that both sales and engineering are super important. You really shouldn’t have one without the other. Our goal is to figure out where your energy and money should be invested in those two topics.

Multitasking is looked at as a skill that will allow you to accomplish more. When it comes to MSPs, it’s not smart to multitask. You must have a main focus, and you shouldn’t prioritize everything. So, we’re here to help you decide what your main focus should be.

Let’s say you only have money for one new position—either a salesperson or an engineer. What do you think will benefit your team the most? We think it’s a new salesperson. Now, engineers, don’t get upset. Let us explain! You can be the greatest engineer in the world and bring a ton of different skills to the table. If you don’t have any clients to work with, then those skills won’t matter. You must sell your services in order to actually have anyone to work with.

Ultimately, if you don’t sell yourself, no one will know about you. If an organization is not growing, it’s dying. And, in order to grow, you must sell.

Let’s take a lawn mowing business for example. If you are looking to mow lawns, you have to tell your neighbors about what you’re offering. You could be really great at mowing lawns, but without telling anyone, you won’t make any money. If you become even better at mowing and upgrade your lawnmower but don’t sell your services, you would still be in the same place as before: not making money. When you sell your services to your neighbors, then your upgraded mower and enhanced skills will finally be able to pay off. But, it took selling to get you there.

The real superstar in an IT organization is the engineer who can sell. This is the person who understands all the technical work and can talk to clients to figure out what they need. With this type of person at your disposal, your MSP will be unstoppable.

There tends to be a bit of friction between the operation and sales team, but what you have to understand is that you can’t have a successful company without both of these groups. Even though you have to focus on the sales team, the technical team needs to be the ones helping the sales team know what to sell. When you think about it, the sales team is selling the engineers’ skills. If your engineers and sales team work together, you will experience success. Engineers, be friends with the sales team! If you can sell your services to the sales team, then they can sell what you do best to clients. It’s a win, win.

If you take away anything from this blog, let it be this: you must align your sales and engineering team to have the best results. The sales team sells the MSP, and the engineers make it profitable.

You have to work on your business and how things are working together so you know what to sell. Then your sales team can identify appropriate opportunities. Don’t just be more efficient at delivering; be better at selling and everything will resolve itself.

Value of Relationships

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd

People have to realize that relationships matter no matter what industry you’re in. If you can understand that, then you’ll be much more successful. It’s the same for MSPs. Relationships are extremely important for both you and your clients.

MSPs are known for going in and fixing technology while the person isn’t at their desk. But, does the MSP actually know the person or why they need their computer fixed? Do they know what they do at their business? These things are way more important than you may realize.

As you go about your business, you should be deliberate about building relationships with your clients so that you can be the best asset for them and so they trust your advice. It all goes back to strategic engagement — you don’t have to be an expert in your customer’s business, they’re already the expert in that. If you’re only engaging with the end-users when they’re not around and simply fixing the technical issues they are having, then you’re missing out on the opportunity to connect with them. We need to open ourselves up a bit because, when we do that, we begin to foster the business-focused relationships as well.

You may not see the value in these relationships, but trust us — there is extreme value! If you are not choosing to interact with your customers, you may be missing out on opportunities for bigger projects. The information that you learn from conversations can open up the flood gates for future projects and the trust that you have with clients who you have relationships with will help and your clients succeed.

Let’s look at doctors as an example. If you have a regular doctor that you go to a couple times a year for regular checkups and other types of appointments, then you have a relationship with them. They know about your history and they understand what has worked for you in the past, which helps them know what coud work in the future. You are most likely going to feel more comfortable and trusting with this doctor rather than an urgent care doctor that you only go to when you’re not feeling well or something needs checked out. The relationship and understanding that the regular doctor has with you is valuable.

This is not just just something that you have to feel obligated to do. It’s going to pay back by allowing you to accomplish more by knowing the person you’re working with or working for.

Now, there are going to be people that you don’t match with culturally, and that is good to know. You can help those people out by finding an MSP that will match their style of relationship or company better.

Besides the abstract value relationships bring the table, they have very concrete dollar amount attached to them as well. If your client knows you and you have a relationship with them, your suggestions for products and solutions will be more likely to be put in place. Your clients will be more likely to spend the money on something that you believe will help them because they know that you are on their side. This is valuable!

Ultimately, MSPs have to decide what types of relationships you want so you and your clients can get the most value out of them.

Dumb Mistakes

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd

We all make dumb mistakes — it’s just a part of life. Some of these mistakes might stick with you and haunt you to this day. The important thing to pay attention to is how you will respond when you make silly mistakes.

We here at Humanize It have made our share of dumb mistakes. We get it! But, we have learned a lot and grown from those mistakes. The ability to look at those mistakes and celebrate what you got out of them is really important.


As a business owner, if you notice your MSP making little mistakes that should be avoided, you should check in with them. Make sure that they are doing alright. Based on personal experience, sleep deprivation can be a huge cause of making dumb mistakes. Make sure your MSP is not overworking and is getting enough sleep in order to have the right amount of energy for the tasks they have ahead of them. If they are getting enough sleep, look deeper. See what the cause of these mistakes could be and if there is anything you can do about it. If there isn’t anything that can be done specifically, you might just need to express the need to be more careful and mindful with the work they are doing.

The most important aspect of making mistakes is being able to learn from them. And, in order to do that, you have to be open about your mistakes. Engineers, this one is for you. If you are prone to hide your mistakes instead of bringing them into the open, you will not be able to learn and grow from those mistakes. You need to be open about what is happening or the problems you’re experiencing. This will allow other engineers and MSPs to be open as well. People look up to the engineers, and being open and leading by example will only help the team as a whole.

If you’re a business owner, it is critical that you invite mistakes and allow your team to fail in order for them to grow. If you cultivate a culture of fear of failure, people will walk on eggshells when something goes wrong. Investigate the culture of your work place and make sure that you allow people to open up. It is also great for you to lead by example, as well, and share your mistakes and what you have learned from them.

The last thing to know about mistakes is there is a difference between dumb mistakes and incompitancy. If you notice one of your engineers is consistently making the same mistakes over and over again, they might not know what they are doing. Check in with them and see what is going on. If you find out that they don’t know how to do the job fully, it is time to either train them in that area or find someone that knows how to do the job better.

Dumb mistakes happen to everyone. Look at the people making these mistakes and see how they are doing. Are they aware they are making mistakes? How are you dealing with these mistakes? Is your environment conducive to learning and are your employees taken care of? Ultimately, there is an opportunity to let dumb mistakes make you smarter!

Operations Vs. Strategy

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd

If you’re an engineer then you might not like to talk about strategy. We get it! But, strategy is super important in any successful organization. This week, we are going to focus on how strategy is a component that we need to focus on as well as operations.

The simple fact is, strategy is not just simple planning; it’s a larger item that shows where your organization will be going someday. If you’re technical, you might not understand this. You might be someone who hears a bunch of strategic ideas and instantly thinks that none of it can be done. You might be thinking that the ideas are crazy and completely impossible.

The important thing to keep in mind is that none of these strategies and tactics need to be done tomorrow. These are ideas that are going to take time and very small steps forward. Strategy is where your organization is headed. You don’t have to get there by the end of the week!

Where your company is currently and where you will be in the future will look drastically different. You just have to focus on what you’re doing right now and then build to that future company bit by bit.

Look at strategy as the goal that your company is aiming towards, and operations are how you will get there. Strategy should be done in steps and you never have to know what the future step will be. If you’re on step 2, then do what is necessary for step 2 and slowly, step 3 will work its way to your understanding and become clear to your company. Once you’re on step 3, that can be your focus until step 4 begins to form and take place.

Another important thing to keep in mind is, while strategy is important, it’s not everything. Some people get too lost in strategy and nothing ever gets done. Those are the people that engineers hate. Their heads are always in the clouds and nothing ever happens. Operations are the day-to-day tasks that allow strategy to be accomplished. Both strategy and operations must work hand-in-hand.

The frustrating thing about strategy is you most likely will not see the fruits of your labor for months if not years. Results from operations can be seen by the end of the day. This doesn't make one more important than the other — it simply means that you have to be patient and know that both are very critical to your organization no matter the length of time it takes to see results.

In order for both of these to work together, there must be trust. People in strategy need to understand that their engineers will have the ideas and the operations people will be able to accomplish it. The people in operations need to look at the strategic people and know that they have great direction and know where the company is headed. When both work together, that’s when success happens.

In order to understand if your strategy and operations are working together, look back at your company and where you were a couple of years ago. Have you accomplished what your strategists thought would accomplish with the operations help? If not, be honest and make changes based on what you see that is working. Essentially, don’t just take steps to take them. Take steps to get where you’re trying to go.

The moral of the story: strategy is where you are going and operations are how you get there.

How to Hire Great People

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd 

Today, we are tackling the question: how do you hire good engineers and other employees in today’s climate? With remote and hybrid positions vying for most people’s attention, what are some ways that you can entice people to choose your business?

You don’t just want a bunch of people in your office, you want a team. And, how do you build a team? By building relationships! A great way to hire people that will help build the team mentality is by taking referrals from your existing employees. You hired your employees for a reason and you trust them and their judgment. Why not let those trusted people bring your attention to people that they also trust and have existing relationships with. 

You employees might not refer people for free, but offering them a referral bonus would show the value of their opinion and ideas. Overall, bringing in people that your existing employees know is going to put you further doen the road and give you a much greater chance for success. 

Personal touch is also very important when gowing through the hiring process. If you are making your decision on who you want to hire, have the CEO or owner of your MSP company reach out to that person themselves. This will make the person you are hiring feel important, and that’s ultimately going to make them know they are a valuable member of your team. 

Like any job or position, engineers like to be treated well. Make an effort to do and say things that are going to boost their self-esteem and make them aware of their significance. 

It’s also important as a company to find things that set you apart from the competition and boast those aspects during an interview. If you’re a small business owner, talk about being an employee-driven company. Let them know that, by working for your company, they will make a difference, their opinion will be valued, they will get to work on a variety of cool projects and, ultimately, grow with your company. This goes along with engineers wanting to feel special. If you can highlight the special aspects of your business to relate to the interviewee, both your company and the new hire will win. 

If you want people to talk about your business, give interviewees something to talk about. If your company has a really nice espresso machine or a wall full of candy dispensers, let people being interviewed know about those things. Take them to see it on a tour of your office and talk about how much your employees love those things. 

This ties into work culture. People are not just looking for a place to earn money, they are looking for a group of people that they can get along with and feel supported by. Create a culture where people enjoy coming to work and make the workplace more enticing than their home. 

The last aspect that will allow you to find the best people for your business is good branding. We know this is not the first thing that you think about when it comes to your hiring process, but it is super important. It creates awareness and presence without the need to explain what your company is. Being recognizable among your area will bring the right people to you. 

Become an employer of choice by following these tips and you will see your current employees become a lot happier, more people applying for your jobs and a high quality group of people coming in to make your company even better.

How to Fire your client

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd 

Last week, we talked about how to fire an MSP. This week, we are discussing the equally uncomfortable task of firing a client. 

First things first, you want to make sure that firing your client is actually the best solution. It takes about 7 times more resources to obtain new clients than it does to maintain existing clients. You’ve spent a lot of resources and time to obtain this client in the first place. Is it really worth it to cut ties completely? 

The best way to determine if your client needs to go is to list your pain points with them. If there is a solution to one of your problems, then do that instead of firing them and see if the situation improves. If there isn’t a solution, then it is time to fire them. If you found that one of the problems comes from one engineer specifically, try switching their client to another MSP and determine if that solution solves the problem. 

When it comes to actually firing a client, there are two different scenarios that you will fall into. The first is the client is actually a good client, but you cannot service them the way that another MSP could. Say your MSP has developed a niche market for dental offices, but you have one client that does not fall in that category. The best solution is to check what you were supposed to be doing for them, refer a different MSP to take over that has that area of expertise and get everything ready for when that new MSP will take over. This can be a smooth and beneficial transition for both you and your client. 

If you are in a more difficult situation and dealing with a toxic client, the first solution is probably not going to work. If this is where you are at with your difficult client, it is important to be clear but polite. Come up with an exit date, print out everything necessary for them to look at or sign, tell them you are enacting clause 6B and nicely layout the reasons that you are leaving. Again, you want to do this without causing a scene or throwing a fit because that could give them a reason to make you do more work. Make sure you take a deep breath, slow down and be methodical. 

Hanging on to an unhealthy client is not good for your team. If you are needing to fire someone, be intentional and fire them without dragging it out or raising their price in hopes that they will leave on their own. It’s best just to politely rip off the band-aid. 

Before you get to this point, it’s healthy to regularly go through your client list and make sure things are running smoothly. This can be a great way to avoid getting to your breaking point with clients. Along with regularly looking through your client list, it is great to talk to your engineers and account managers and see what they think of each client. Ask them which client they would fire and see what they say. This can give great insight into their experience and give you the information you need to determine if a client needs to go. 

The main thing to keep in mind is to make firing decisions that are in your team’s best interest. Have a transition strategy and plan and be deliberate and straightforward. If you do this, then firing a client will be much easier and your team will thank you.