Jim Smith WINS By Keeping Clients Secure

Send us Fan MailJim Smith from Proper Sky IT WINS by Keeping Clients SecureIn this episode of WIN, host Carrie Richardson sits down with Jim Smith, the founder and CEO of Proper Sky, a managed service provider based in Philadelphia. Episode HighlightsJim's Early Entrepreneurial Ventures: Studying entrepreneurial studies at Drexel University and starting a remote pharmacy concept.Peace Corps Experience: Managing the largest technical college in the South Pacific and developing a knack for solving problems with limited resources.Founding Proper Sky: How a Perl script and Craigslist helped him acquire his first clients, and the growth journey from there.Overcoming Major Setbacks: Losing a major client that accounted for 90% of revenue and the subsequent business challenges.The Importance of Coaching: The role of external advice and programs like Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Small Businesses in shaping his business acumen.Hiring and Building a Team: The significance of his first hires and how they contributed to the company's success.Future of Cybersecurity: Predictions on AI's role in cybersecurity and the importance of being prepared for cyber incidents.Empathy in Business: The human aspect of dealing with cyber incidents and building trust with clients.Memorable QuotesJim Smith on Entrepreneurial Resilience: "The longest, most stressful period of my entire life... there's nothing worse than laying off good people that actually are doing the work."On the Importance of External Help: "It taught me that it is much better to pay for good advice than it is to do it yourself in a lot of circumstances."Future of Cybersecurity: "As AI increases, there's going to be a counterbalance... helping organizations recover and be emotionally ready for the onslaught."Jim SmithRole: Founder and CEO of Proper SkyLocation: PhiladelphiaBackground: Entrepreneurial studies at Drexel University, Peace Corps volunteer, 20+ years in the MSP industry.LinkedIn: Jim Smith LinkedInLinks and Resources MentionedProper Sky: WebsiteGoldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program: WebsiteAdam Grant: WebsiteEvolve Group: Website Carrie Richardson and Ian Richardson host the WIN Podcast - What's Important Now?They are the co-founders of Fox & Crow Group, a software development company building growth platforms for MSP and IT channel businesses.Learn more at:Fox & Crow Group - the MSP Sales Process platform and all-in-one CRM solution Fox & Crow Instinct - the MSP Decision Intelligence Platform for IT Channel VendorsFox & Crow Jackdaw - Competitive Intelligence Reports on Demand for MSP businesses Book time with Carrie here!Be a guest on WIN!  We host MSP channel founders, executives and sales and marketing leaders who are willing to share advice with other IT channel firms on how to build, grow or sell a business using examples from their own experience.