Episode 22

The MSP Playbook: Building a Business with Brian Kane

00:00:00
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01:07:27

September 19th, 2025

1 hr 7 mins 27 secs

Season 2

Your Hosts

About this Episode

Welcome to the Scinary Information Nexus! This week, we have a very special guest in the studio: Brian Kane, the Vice President of Global MSP Channels at Threatdown/Malwarebytes.

Join us for an insider's look into the trenches of the Managed Service Provider (MSP) world. Brian pulls back the curtain on his 20-year journey, from the scrappy beginnings of building an MSP to advising a global cybersecurity leader. We discuss hilarious war stories about ancient technology, the critical importance of building trust, and why the infamous "Seagull Method" of consulting is so destructive. This episode is a masterclass for anyone looking to start their own IT business or for organizations seeking to find a true technology partner.

In this episode, we discuss:

00:00 - Introducing Brian Kane from Threatdown/Malwarebytes
02:35 - The Journey of Starting Your Own MSP
07:03 - Inventing "SHAPE": The Precursor to Modern Managed Services
13:13 - War Story: The $3 Million Machine Running on Windows XP
16:21 - The "Seagull Method" of I.T. Consulting
29:34 - The Hard Truth About an MSP's First Three Years (MRR)
31:23 - The "Dentist Strategy" for Getting Your First Clients
39:28 - Where MSPs REALLY Make Money (Hint: It's Efficiency)
43:03 - When is it Time to FIRE a Client?
48:33 - The Dangerous Gap Between Client Perception and Reality
55:43 - "The Cloud is Just a Computer Somewhere Else": The Shared Responsibility Model

If you've ever wondered what it takes to survive and thrive in the I.T. services industry, this is the episode for you. Let's discuss.


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