TubbTalk: The Podcast for Managed Service Providers

Richard Tubb
TubbTalk: The Podcast for Managed Service Providers

Richard Tubb has been a leader and keynote speaker in the MSP community for the last two decades. At the helm of media company and MSP advisory business Tubblog, Richard loves to showcase tech companies disrupting the industry, as well as shining a light on new tools you might not be aware of. His long-running and successful interview-style show, TubbTalk, features fireside style chats with the CEOs and CTOs of these businesses, to dig deep into how they got started in the industry, what inspired them to start something new and what their advice would be to anyone who wants to do the same. But it's not all tech focused! As a former MSP owner himself, Richard knows that there are many facets to being a business owner, which is why his guests reflect that too. Previous topics include mental health, sales, marketing, business growth, productivity, customer service and more. Wondering why you should listen? Well, as one fan put it: "It's like eavesdropping on a conversation between two friends, who are sharing their knowledge and wisdom with each other. You learn while you're being entertained."

  1. [Travelogue]: Pax8 Beyond EMEA 2024: Growing Community Beyond the Cloud

    16 OCT

    [Travelogue]: Pax8 Beyond EMEA 2024: Growing Community Beyond the Cloud

    Time for another Team Tubb Travelogue! This time, Gudrun Lauret catches up with Richard Tubb and Lenka Koppova, who are in Berlin for Pax8 Beyond EMEA 24. Grab a cup of your favourite tea or coffee, relax and join them for a fun conversation about the highlights from this big event. Richard shares how the community rallied around when he lost his luggage. Lenka talks about how fantastic the event organisation was, from hotel check-in to the closing remarks. Plus, they tell Gudrun how blown away everyone was with the special guest at the after-party! Other Highlights Women in Tech get-togetherTalks on AI, mental health and Pax8 partnershipsNetworking with new MSPsA busy vendor hallGreat food and drinkExciting updates from Pax8 and partners - plus the announcement of Pax8 Beyond EMEA 2025! Plus… the Team Tubb Travelogue Quiz is back! Can Richard and Lenka  answer Gudrun’s questions about Berlin? What are TubbTalk Travleogues? These are ad-hoc, bonus episodes of our regular TubbTalk podcast, recorded live at an event. A member of TeamTubb calls Richard and/or Lenka for an on-the-ground update on what they’ve learned and their highlights from the day. What to Know About Pax8 Beyond EMEA Pax8 Beyond EMEA was the first time Pax8 brought their popular 'Beyond' event to Europe. Pax8 are a cloud marketplace, with a focus on building strong relationships with their MSP partners. The conference focused on three core themes: community, education and innovation. So speakers, vendors and exhibitors were specially chosen to share their expertise and really give value to attendees.

    33 min
  2. [166] Need More Free Time? Call Answering Services are a Game-Changer for MSPs

    6 OCT

    [166] Need More Free Time? Call Answering Services are a Game-Changer for MSPs

    In this interview, Richard speaks to Leigh Smith, Director of Growth and Happiness at AnswerConnect, a 24/7, live call-answering solution founded in 2002. The service enables MSPs to streamline issue resolution, manage tickets more efficiently, and maintain their SLA compliance. And they offer support with capturing and qualifying leads. Leigh explains why AnswerConnect specialise in working with MSPs, why it’s important to have a human on the other end of the phone and why using AI for call answering isn’t ideal. Richard asks Leigh to share some specifics around the types of tools AnswerConnect integrate with, their pricing model and why you should trust them to answer calls on your behalf. They also look at the service options: how to pick up your messages, how they deal with unsolicited calls and how they help clients hit their SLAs. Leigh also explains how they handle calls from prospects and the process for identifying and patching through urgent calls.  Richard also asks Leigh about the company culture, how her experiences in HR help her in her current role, and how to recruit and retain staff. She also explains how she got her distinctive job title. AnswerConnect are still quite new in the UK, so Leigh shares her experiences of attending MSP events, how she stays up to date with the latest changes and trends in business, and her current recommended books. Mentioned in This Episode PSA tool: AutoTaskIT software solution: ConnectWisePSA/RMM tool: SuperOpsWorkflow automation tool: ZapierPodcast: How I Built ThisPodcast: Business BreakdownsBook: Atomic Habits by James ClearBook: Unstoppable by Dave Anderson

    51 min
  3. [165] The 20-Year Overnight MSP Success Story You Need To Hear

    29 SEPT

    [165] The 20-Year Overnight MSP Success Story You Need To Hear

    In this interview, Richard Tubb speaks to Daniel Shone and Chris Gorman of Apex Computing: Daniel is the Managing Director and Chris is the CEO. Based in the North West, they support their clients with cybersecurity, hardware and software procurement, BDR and consultancy. They talk about how Apex got started, what it’s like running a business with a co-founder, and how they share the different roles and responsibilities between them. They also share their current tech stack. Richard asks Chris and Daniel why they think strategic relationships with vendors are essential, and to talk specifically about their relationships with Huntress and Pax8, as well as the solutions each provides to Apex. Daniel and Chris give examples of how network monitoring has saved their clients from cybersecurity incidents, and why most of the businesses they work with don’t mind that they outsource some of their services. Richard digs into the company culture at Apex, how they maintain it while building their business and how it also helps them to weed out bad-fit clients. Daniel and Chris share how they involve their team in decisions on clients, and why they encourage them to make candid social media videos. They both talk about the positive experiences of networking and being part of peer groups, why they recommend business mentoring for growth, and why all MSPs should be utilising AI. Mentioned in This Episode IT conference: DattoconPodcast interview with DanielScale your business: MSP Growth HubIT and MSP Business Growth Expert: Ian LuckettHelping Ambitious MSPs to Scale to £1m: Stuart WarwickCloud marketplace: Pax8Cybersecurity stack: Apex Security SphereEmail security: SendmarcCybersecurity platform: Sonic WallIT and security platform: KaseyaCybersecurity solutions: BrigantiaCybersecurity and data protection: AcronisEnterprise cybersecurity solutions: Threat LockerCybersecurity platform: HuntressIT distributor: TD SYNNEXMicrosoft Gold Partner programmeMicrosoft Azure ladder programmeMicrosoft Azure infrastructure...

    57 min
  4. [164] Top Lessons from 25 Years Building a Successful MSP

    22 SEPT

    [164] Top Lessons from 25 Years Building a Successful MSP

    In this episode, Richard Tubb speaks to David Brereton. David founded Myson Pages 25 years ago, while most of his peers were operating on a break/fix model. Today, he has 15 employees and supports SMEs with a range of IT requirements. David talks openly about how early challenges helped Myson become the company it is today and why they do managed services differently. He also shares the company culture and how they nurture talent. He explains how to support employees with personal challenges, and why he has a philosophy of ‘never recruit, always retain’.  Richard asks David why peer groups are so important to him, why he’s started using the EOS methodology and why the ‘Traction’ model works for MSPs as well as more traditional businesses.  David tells Richard what he’s learned from colleagues at Zen Internet, who his mentors and inspirations have been, his legacy plans for Myson Pages and the charitable contributions the business makes. Mentioned in This Episode Myson PagesBroadband provider: Zen Internet Documentation solution: IT GlueTraction by Gino WickmanPeer group: SBSC North West and co-lead Robert GibbonsTubbTalk podcast: Why Personal Branding is Important for Standing out in the MSP CommunityTubbTalk podcast: Looking into the Mindset of a Successful, Modern MSPIT solutions provider: Aabyss Cloud marketplace: Pax8Mark Williams at Pensar (IT support)Tech apprentices supplier: Baltic ApprenticeshipsIT solutions provider: EnableCybersecurity distributor: BrigantiaDan Sullivan at Strategic CoachNeil GreatorexPeer group: CompTIA

    1h 14m

Trailers

About

Richard Tubb has been a leader and keynote speaker in the MSP community for the last two decades. At the helm of media company and MSP advisory business Tubblog, Richard loves to showcase tech companies disrupting the industry, as well as shining a light on new tools you might not be aware of. His long-running and successful interview-style show, TubbTalk, features fireside style chats with the CEOs and CTOs of these businesses, to dig deep into how they got started in the industry, what inspired them to start something new and what their advice would be to anyone who wants to do the same. But it's not all tech focused! As a former MSP owner himself, Richard knows that there are many facets to being a business owner, which is why his guests reflect that too. Previous topics include mental health, sales, marketing, business growth, productivity, customer service and more. Wondering why you should listen? Well, as one fan put it: "It's like eavesdropping on a conversation between two friends, who are sharing their knowledge and wisdom with each other. You learn while you're being entertained."

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