Tales From the Trenches: Wisdom from the Frontlines of Managed Services

Adam Hannemann
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The Managed Services space can be a challenging place to build a business. Tune in to hear industry experts talk about topics that are on the minds of MSPs in the Peer Groups. Our hosts come from working in the trenches at Managed Service Providers, and are active MSP Peer Group facilitators that have conversations with dozens of MSPs each month. Topics we will cover will include finance, pricing, sales, marketing, running the business, legal, and pretty much anything MSPs are talking about.

  1. JAN 22

    MSP Account Management 101

    Account management is a key process and role in your MSP. In this episode Natalie and I talk about all things Account Management. Interested in the Pax8 Peer Groups? You can find out more info here: https://www.pax8.com/en-us/academy/groups/ We even have an Account Manager Peer Group. Interested in the Pax8 Instructor Led Training? You can find out more info here: http://pax8.com/en-us/academy/training/ 👇 Like what you see? Don’t forget to: 📧 Join the MSP newsletter for tools, tips, and templates → https://adamhannemann.com/newsletter 🔔 Subscribe for weekly MSP insights → https://youtube.com/@Adam-Rambles 🌐 Learn more or connect with me at https://adamhannemann.com   Looking for a Bookkeeper for your MSP? Check out https://nordicsky.us

    30 min

  2. 11/10/2025

    Let's Talk About Lead Generation and Finance

    Join my newsletter here: https://adamhannemann.com/newsletter Over the past week I've talked to a bunch of MSPs about Lead Generation and Finance. These topics come up a lot in my travels in the MSP Peer Groups. These two things are topics that few MSPs didn't get in the business to learn. Most MSPs start as techs that start a business didn't plan on becoming a sales person, a marketing person, and a financial wizard. The reality is that you need to get good enough at these things. This is what I'm talking about in today's Tales from the Trenches. Natalie is on PTO so I'm flying solo. This week's Tales from the Trenches is all about finance and lead generation. Here is my playlist on Lead Generation and Sales: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4Oa0PmgihVt9vZaDAcDQkxxNKNvFdjDl Here is my playlist on MSP Finance: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4Oa0PmgihVuDYdh5K84EHtJrj8ZlSjA3 Interested in the Pax8 Peer Groups? You can find out more info here: https://www.pax8.com/en-us/academy/groups/ Interested in the Pax8 Instructor Led Training? You can find out more info here: http://pax8.com/en-us/academy/training/ 👇 Like what you see? Don’t forget to: 📧 Join the MSP newsletter for tools, tips, and templates → https://adamhannemann.com/newsletter 🔔 Subscribe for weekly MSP insights → https://youtube.com/@Adam-Rambles 🌐 Learn more or connect with me at https://adamhannemann.com 🌐 Connect with Adam on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ahannemann 🌐 Connect with Natalie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-hell/

    19 min

  3. 11/07/2025

    It's Time to Raise Your MSP Rates

    Join my newsletter here: https://adamhannemann.com/newsletter Let’s be honest... raising prices is scary. Most MSPs avoid it because they don’t want to lose clients or rock the boat. But here’s the truth: nothing in your business is getting cheaper, and avoiding that hard conversation will quietly eat away at your margins. In this Tales from the Trenches episode, Natalie and I share how MSPs can raise prices the right way — from timing and communication to dealing with client pushback. We’ll talk about how to identify which clients are profitable, which ones aren’t, and why an annual price review should be part of your growth strategy. If you’ve ever wondered how to raise rates without losing your mind (or your clients), this one’s for you. Interested in the Pax8 Peer Groups? You can find out more info here: https://www.pax8.com/en-us/academy/groups/ Interested in the Pax8 Instructor Led Training? You can find out more info here: http://pax8.com/en-us/academy/training/ 👇 Like what you see? Don’t forget to: 📧 Join the MSP newsletter for tools, tips, and templates → https://adamhannemann.com/newsletter 🔔 Subscribe for weekly MSP insights → https://youtube.com/@Adam-Rambles 🌐 Learn more or connect with me at https://adamhannemann.com 🌐 Connect with Adam on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ahannemann 🌐 Connect with Natalie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-hell/

    31 min

  4. 10/21/2025

    Top 5 Processes to Make Projects Profitable

    Join my newsletter: https://adamhannemann.com/newsletter In this episode of Tales from the Trenches, Natalie Hell and I dig into one of the most overlooked (and under-profitable) parts of running an MSP: Projects. From scoping to pricing to client communication, projects can make or break your margins, and too often, they end up being loss leaders instead of profit drivers. We’ve both been deep in the trenches running project teams, and we’ve got some stories — and lessons — that every MSP owner or project manager should hear. We walk through the five biggest things we’d focus on if we were running an MSP project team today. Many of these lessons we learned the hard way in our former MSPs. We talk about what goes wrong when your scope isn’t tight, what happens when communication slips, and how your Statement of Work (SOW) can either protect your profitability or completely sink it. If you’ve ever wondered why your MSP projects aren’t hitting the margins you expect — or why clients get cranky halfway through a rollout — this is a conversation you’ll want to listen to all the way through. Because sometimes the difference between a successful project and a financial mess isn’t the tech… it’s the process. Interested in the Pax8 Peer Groups? You can find out more info here: https://www.pax8.com/en-us/academy/groups/ Interested in the Pax8 Instructor Led Training? You can find out more info here: http://pax8.com/en-us/academy/training/ 🌐 Connect with Adam on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ahannemann 🌐 Connect with Natalie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-hell/

    33 min

  5. 09/30/2025

    If You Step Away, Does Your MSP Survive?

    In this episode, we're diving into a side of business continuity that often gets overlooked in the MSP space: What happens to your business if you, the owner, can’t be there. This isn’t about data backups or disaster recovery tools. Instead, it’s about building a plan so your MSP can keep running if you need to step away for a vacation, face an unexpected illness, or even in the worst-case scenario, if you’re no longer around to lead.   Interested in the Pax8 Peer Groups? You can find out more info here: https://www.pax8.com/en-us/academy/groups/   Interested in the Pax8 Instructor Led Training? You can find out more info here: http://pax8.com/en-us/academy/training/   👇 Like what you see? Don’t forget to: 📧 Join the MSP newsletter for tools, tips, and templates → https://adamhannemann.com/newsletter 🔔 Subscribe for weekly MSP insights → https://youtube.com/@Adam-Rambles 🌐 Learn more or connect with me at https://adamhannemann.com 🌐 Connect with Adam on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ahannemann 🌐 Connect with Natalie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-hell/

    29 min

  6. 09/22/2025

    Lessons from Losing MSP Clients

    Every lost client is a lesson to be learned in your MSP. In this episode, Natalie and I talk about things we've learned along the way from the clients that got away. Interested in the Pax8 Peer Groups? You can find out more info here: https://www.pax8.com/en-us/academy/groups/ Interested in the Pax8 Instructor Led Training? You can find out more info here: http://pax8.com/en-us/academy/training/ 👇 Like what you see? Don’t forget to: 📧 Join the MSP newsletter for tools, tips, and templates → https://adamhannemann.com/newsletter 🔔 Subscribe for weekly MSP insights → https://youtube.com/@Adam-Rambles 🌐 Learn more or connect with me at https://adamhannemann.com 🌐 Connect with Adam on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ahannemann 🌐 Connect with Natalie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-hell/

    35 min

  7. 08/06/2025

    Key Processes for EVERY MSP

    As we talk to MSPs each week we find ourselves talking about several processes on a regular basis. Natalie and I took a little bit to come up with our top 5 processes that all Managed Service Providers should have in their business. We had a little bit of overlap so our top 5 processes each turned into a total of top 8 processes. Our top processes are (in no real particular order are): 1. Invoicing and Accounts Receivable 2. Backup and Disaster Recovery 3. Lead Generation https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4Oa0PmgihVt9vZaDAcDQkxxNKNvFdjDl 4. Incident Response 5. Documentation and an SOP for your SOPs https://youtu.be/YIyfIl-eNB4 6. Triage and Dispatch https://youtu.be/dTebauCEi3o & https://youtu.be/zmr0SQ5AG7o 7. Account Management https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4Oa0PmgihVt9vZaDAcDQkxxNKNvFdjDl 8. Client Onboarding https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4Oa0PmgihVtIrvJ5frGEafvWErKj48iu&si=IQ5xCtZHBobcOwIO We've put out some videos about several of these topics so those links are above as well. Interested in the Pax8 Peer Groups? You can find out more info here: https://www.pax8.com/en-us/academy/groups/ Interested in the Pax8 Instructor Led Training? You can find out more info here: http://pax8.com/en-us/academy/training/

    28 min

  8. 07/31/2025

    All Things Triage and Dispatch for your MSP

    Join my newsletter here: https://adamhannemann.com/newsletter Your Triage and Dispatch process is vital for your MSP. This process (and the people that perform the process) setup the tickets coming into your MSP for success. This sets a number of other pieces in motion. If you set the ticket up for success, you set the tech up for success, and ultimately this helps set the client up for a great experience with your service. You MUST have a Triage and Dispatch process, and someone needs to own this process. Natalie and I walk through this process and concept in this week's Tales From the Trenches.

    36 min
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About

The Managed Services space can be a challenging place to build a business. Tune in to hear industry experts talk about topics that are on the minds of MSPs in the Peer Groups. Our hosts come from working in the trenches at Managed Service Providers, and are active MSP Peer Group facilitators that have conversations with dozens of MSPs each month. Topics we will cover will include finance, pricing, sales, marketing, running the business, legal, and pretty much anything MSPs are talking about.

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