have — over 2,000 — at least one time each month , just to check in on them . We ’ d ask , “ Are you doing okay ? Is there anything we can do for you ?” We invited them to watch our video blogs and made several free offerings to our customers . With everybody rapidly going to work from home , there were a lot of companies that weren ' t prepared . They didn ' t have security in place , and I knew it was going to be a hacker ' s playground out there , so we offered free , secure , remote access . We gave access to the tools that we use to support our customers . We normally charge for this service , but we wiped out the charges and offered it to everyone for free because I knew it was going to be the quickest , easiest way to help them safely work from home . The next month , we offered free VoIP service . Because of our size and the leverage , I was able to get my partners to offer a free service so we could help the customers who needed it . This allowed them to run operations close to the way they did when they were in the office , but do it remotely . This built tremendous loyalty and generated new project work , equipment sales , and VoIP contracts . We then took the same things that we were doing for our customers and offered it to the community , customer or not . We wanted to give back and help the community survive . If all local businesses didn ' t make it through this , we wouldn ’ t have customers to serve . That ended up accounting for 80 %– 90 % of our growth in 2020 .
What Would You Say Is The Biggest Challenge You Had To Overcome This Past Year Related To Either Reaching That Growth Or As A Result Of That Growth ?
That growth was a huge challenge . You know , you ' re in the middle of a pandemic , as is your customer base . Again , I won ' t say we were lucky . We were fortunate because we did have foresight in being diversified with our customer base and not heavily weighted in industries that were cyclical , like hospitality , so our customers never shut down . We have local governments , we have CPA firms , and we have health care . They were all front line , critical workers through the pandemic . I had to figure out how to serve them and how to keep my employees safe while doing it . We all faced issues with employees getting infected and being sick . How do you handle that ? We were fortunate that we never had any mass infections . We were able to put protocols in place . We could get our hands on personal protective equipment ( PPE ) at a time when it was extremely tough to find . And we were able to do the right things to keep moving when a lot of other MSPs just simply said , " We can ' t serve you . Sorry ."
Who Would You Say Is The Most Impactful Business Leader Whose Techniques Or Leadership Style You Try To Emulate Or Are Influenced By And Why ?
My dad , Jimmy Glover . He was a serial entrepreneur — always has been . I watched him try and fail and try and fail . Then , later in life , I watched him succeed beyond his wildest imagination . He grew Utilicon Services from zero to a $ 10-million construction company . That was amazing . I learned perseverance through that , but he taught me so much more . I learned how to be a good person . I learned how to be a leader , not in the sense of being a boss , but in the sense of doing the right things to make people want to follow you . I think that ' s the one skill that has made me the most successful in life . He showed me , and still shows me , how to be a part of your community personally and in business and the value that brings back to the business long term . He showed me how to not be afraid of hard work , and when you look at everything we do and what it takes to be successful at the end of the day , 80 % of it is simply hard work .
If You Were Going To Recommend A Book To Other MSPs Or SMBs Trying To Grow Their Business , What Would You Say They Should Read ?
I read a lot . It depends on where they are in their journey . I love helping entrepreneurs get to the next level . So , if I look at the ones that I like to work with when I ’ m coaching and the one that kick-started it for me , I ’ d say “ Traction ” by Gino Wickman . It gives you a foundation . It gives you a way of looking at how to run a business and to position the business for growth . If you go out and just sell a bunch and load the wagon , but you don ' t have anything to pull the wagon , then you ' re going to fail . For me , that was one of the foundational books that gave me the tool set I needed to build the company . Wickman breaks down the habits you need into a simple level an SMB can easily digest .
What Words Of Wisdom Would You Give To Other MSPs That Are Either Looking To Grow Their Business Or Build A Successful Exit For Their Business ?
There is no big , red , easy button . We get asked the question , “ What ' s the one campaign ?” It ' s part of the quick hit mentality , the instant gratification society that we live in . Look at things from a long-term , sustained growth perspective . What are the systems ? What are the things you need to put in place ? And start with a vision . Don ’ t say , “ To make a lot of money ” because that ' s not a vision . If you don ' t have a vision , there ' s no path and no destination . Create a strategy that ’ s going to get you there . And then beyond that , it ' s about execution . It ' s about being consistent and sticking to your plan . It ' s a lot of hard work , but the more you do it , the more consistent you are with it , the more momentum you build , and the faster you start to see results down the road . n
14 | MSPSuccessMagazine . com • VOLUME 2 ISSUE 4