LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Man Plans , God Laughs
An Old Yiddish Adage
In the classic novel " A Tale Of Two Cities ," Charles Dickens opens with the often-quoted phrase : “ It was the best of times , it was the worst of times .” What many don ’ t know is that he continued on to say : “ It was the age of wisdom , it was the age of foolishness , it was the epoch of belief , it was the epoch of incredulity .”
What truer words could be said for the times we ’ re living in right now ?
Immediately after the coronavirus spread worldwide , Red Roof hotels started offering cheap day rates as low as $ 29 for hotel rooms turned office suites — complete with fast internet — to remote workers desperate for a quiet place to get work done . Many gyms started livestreaming home workout classes and offering plans , giving them a product that many will continue to offer even after being allowed to open up again . A restaurant owner ( whose name escapes me ) was featured on TV to talk about how he transformed his seafood restaurant to a curbside pickup for fresh seafood , which kept his company-owned fishing boats operating when he could no longer serve meals in his restaurant . He said the service is very lucrative and he plans to continue to offer it after restrictions have been lifted .
As you may be aware , our annual event with 1,200 people was shut down three weeks prior to going live last spring . In a mad rush , we turned it into a virtual event , completely revamping the sessions , speakers , delivery , and content . It was no small feat . We ’ ve since launched Big Red Virtual ( BigRedVirtual . com ), our new virtual event platform and service that we ’ re now selling to various companies trying to do the same . I anticipate it being a $ 6 million division by the end of 2021 , and it wasn ’ t even on our radar early in 2020 .
Here ' s my point : The best-laid plans are often rendered useless , and fast , decisive , and adaptive actions need to be taken . How quickly you can adapt and change course is in direct correlation with your ability to not only survive but also make a LOT of money .
You ’ ve heard the phrase “ survival of the fittest ,” which originated in Darwinian evolutionary theory as a way to describe the process of natural selection and survival . However , the concept of “ fittest ” is inaccurate . It ’ s actually the most adaptive who survive , not necessarily the fastest or strongest . Being big and strong didn ’ t save the dinosaurs , but cockroaches have survived millions of years because of their incredible ability to adjust and persist through the various changes on our planet .
There ARE plenty of opportunities right now for IT companies , but these opportunities may require expansion into new services , new products , and new initiatives . Most MSPs get into a one-track way of doing things and stay there , NOT inventing or disrupting themselves but simply trying to do more of the same . The entrepreneurial MSP has a broader vision and is willing to see and quickly act on new opportunities as they present themselves , or better yet , get out of the cave and LOOK for them .
Over this past year , what have YOU been focused on ? Survival ? Growth ? Or perhaps expansion of your current model through innovation and new
Founder and CEO , Technology Marketing Toolkit , Inc .
opportunities ? It ’ s been nearly a year since all hell broke loose . Maybe treading water for a month was necessary to figure out what the heck was going on and to reassess , but now , if you ’ re NOT innovating , NOT expanding , and NOT growing , you may end up extinct . Money is moving . The question is this : Are you doing everything possible to put yourself in the flow of it , and if not , why ? n
INNOVATE
4 | MSPSUCCESSMAGAZINE . COM • VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1