Episode 22: The MSP Playbook: Building a Business with Brian Kane

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. Connect with Scinary Cybersecurity: https://www.scinary.com https://x.com/scinarycyber https://www.linkedin.com/company/scinarycyber/ MSP #ManagedServiceProvider #Cybersecurity #ITBusiness #SmallBusinessIT #Threatdown #Malwarebytes #TechPodcast #CybersecurityPodcast #Entrepreneurship