A Look Back at 2015: Avoid the Friend Zone by Becoming a True Managed Services Provider

A Look Back at 2015: Avoid the Friend Zone by Becoming a True Managed Services Provider

I have been comparing what I thought would happen in 2015 to what actually has happened this year, and have found that many of my predictions have come to fruition. In the area of managed services, I have watched as more and…

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Learn How VARS Prepare for the Digital IT Tsunami

Have you noticed the volume of VAR owners selling their business in the last three years has escalated? Have you ever wondered WHY so many are selling their VAR businesses compared to years past? As I observe this VAR selling stampede, it makes…

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Don’t End up with Skinned Knees: Use DVP to Clear Today’s IT Hurdles 2

Don’t End up with Skinned Knees: Use DVP to Clear Today’s IT Hurdles

I liken the pace of business and change today to that of a world-class hurdler who clears one hurdle just in time to regroup for the next. That runner barely has enough time to get his or her feet grounded before it’s…

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Don’t get left Holding a Paintbrush – It takes Agility and Innovation to make it in IoE World

Don’t get left Holding a Paintbrush – It takes Agility and Innovation to make it in IoE World

This week’s Cisco Partner Summit in Montreal has been not only educational, but incredibly rewarding. Our entire team was highly honored to receive the Cisco Americas Distributor of the Year for our results last year, including four consecutive quarters of more than…

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How to Avoid Putting a Lion in the Desert

How to Avoid Putting a Lion in the Desert

In my previous post, I wrote about how no animal is a “bad” animal unless it is stuck in the wrong environment. Put a lion in a desert, and it won’t thrive. Put a baseball player, complete with bat and spikes, on…

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There is No Such Thing as a “Bad” Lion Unless You Put It in the Desert

There is No Such Thing as a “Bad” Lion Unless You Put It in the Desert

When you think of animals, do you think of them as “bad”? Is a lion a bad animal? Is a camel a bad animal? The answer is no. Animals aren’t “bad,” but they can fail to thrive if you put them in…

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Are You the Business Expert Upon Whom You Should Rely?

Are You the Business Expert Upon Whom You Should Rely?

One of my favorite books in the last decade is “Boyd: The Fighter Pilot who Changed the Art of War,” by Robert Coram. Col. John Boyd, who is recognized as the individual who changed the face of modern warfare, was a U.S.…

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If you Want Skin in the Game, you Have to Wear the Right Uniform

If you Want Skin in the Game, you Have to Wear the Right Uniform

Everybody knows that when an athlete shows up for a game, he or she puts on the uniform. You wouldn’t see Selena Williams trying to play tennis in high-heeled shoes or Colt McCoy showing up for a football game without his pads.…

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Are YOU the Outdated Sales Person You used to Make Fun Of?

Picture a sales person that you think is bad.  Do any of these descriptors strike a chord? Cheesy, crusty, dated, disconnected, clueless, or cringe factor 10 Why do these descriptors come to mind? If you can’t picture a bad /outdated sales person, beware:  Maybe…

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Do These Jeans Make my Butt Look Fat?

Do These Jeans Make my Butt Look Fat?

Answer: “Why it gotta be the jeans fault?” – Comedian D.L. Hughely A curious aspect of the business world is the universal belief that somehow PowerPoint is what makes a presentation bad, and it is known as “Death by PowerPoint.” To paraphrase Hughely’s…

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