#35 - From The Trenches - Lead with Cybersecurity, Build Lean (Douglas Grosfield)

Douglas Grosfield shares his winding path from law enforcement and personal protection to founding Five Nines IT—leading with cybersecurity and a lean, partner-first model. MSP leaders will learn how clear goals, 90-day planning, and right-fit partnerships create profit and lifestyle freedom. ✅ Enjoyed this episode? Like, subscribe, and share your biggest takeaway below. https://beringmckinley.com/bering-mckinley-podcast-blog In this episode, Josh Peterson sits down with Douglas Grosfield, Founder & CEO of Five Nines IT Solutions, to unpack how a security-led, ultra-lean MSP model can scale profitably while giving owners their time back. From bodyguard work to building and exiting a VAR, Doug explains why leading with cybersecurity, setting clear goals, and orchestrating expert partners beats trying to be “all things to all people.” 👉 Why goals matter: defining the “why,” breaking it into 90-day chunks, and measuring progress weekly 👉 The lean MSP playbook: subcontracted help desk, vetted specialist partners, and 98% pro-services revenue driving margin 👉 Security as the front door: layered controls, compliance realities, user training, and risk-based conversations (not “a box from Costco”) 👉 Partnerships that scale: how to vet providers, ensure quality, and “wear your brand” at the customer edge 👉 Buying back time: moving from 80-hour weeks to a lifestyle-aligned business without sacrificing growth Visit https://beringmckinley.com  for more MSP resources. 🔗 Resources & Links • Douglas Grosfield at Five Nines IT Solutions IT:https://www.fiveninesit.ca/ • Bering McKinley MSP Consulting: https://beringmckinley.com ⏱️ Chapters • 00:00 – From RCMP path to tech: Doug’s origin story • 01:09 – Personal protection: lessons in risk and readiness • 03:02 – First MSP: starting “Xylotech,” early business mistakes • 05:40 – Coaching, chambers, and learning the numbers • 09:02 – Defining goals and the 90-day cadence • 14:16 – Why people resist change (and how owners break through) • 30:44 – Starting Five Nines: choosing a security-led model • 33:36 – Ten years in: staying virtual, lean, and profitable • 36:35 – Lead with cybersecurity: layered, compliant, human • 41:00 – Help desk as a service & partner orchestration • 48:00 – Profitability of a low-overhead, pro-services engine • 54:00 – Time leverage, lifestyle, and doing work that excites • 58:00 – How to reach Five Nines IT 🔍 Primary Keywords cybersecurity for msps, lean msp model, msp profitability, managed security services 🔍 Secondary Keywords help desk as a service, msp partnerships, goal setting for business owners, compliance and user training #️⃣ Hashtags #beringmckinley #bmkvisionpodcast #msp #msps #cybersecurity #managedservices #mss #mspprofitability #vciso #itsecurity #compliance #helpdesk #vcio #goalsetting #entrepreneurship #smallbusiness #itconsulting #channelpartners #operations #leadership