Beyond Service: AI's Role in Business Efficiency - ERP137
Evolved Radio
on Fixing Broken MSP Financial Plumbing with AI Todd interviews Victor Lopez, a former attorney and private credit professional at Blue Owl Capital who co-founded Flexpoint after seeing how clunky MSP financial tools were. Victor traces his “aha” back to Blue Owl financing Thoma Bravo’s 2018 acquisition of ConnectWise, which led him to question why PSAs mix ticketing/project work with invoicing while still requiring separate accounting software. They discuss how most AI talk in the MSP industry centers on service delivery, but Victor argues owners should also apply AI to operations like...
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Selling your MSP - ERP136
Evolved Radio
Preparing to Sell Your MSP: Emotions, Valuation, Deal Structure, and Exit Planning with Amy Babinchak Today on the Evolved Radio podcast, I welcome , a 22-time Microsoft MVP and author of “,” about planning an MSP sale years in advance. Babinchak describes the emotional impact of selling—often resembling grief—and stresses having a purpose and plan for life after the exit. They discuss avoiding pressure to “time the market,” noting there is always demand for a well-run profitable business, and the need to prepare both operations and personal finances with a CPA, tax lawyer,...
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ERP135 - AI Assisted Coding
Evolved Radio
on Lovable, Local-First AI Apps, and Safe Agent Workflows for MSPs The host interviews Ashley Cooper (COO at Cyber Drain, VP of Community at Rewst) about her use of Lovable and other AI coding tools to build small, local-first, deterministic apps and learn through prompting. Ashley describes receiving a Lovable contributor gift after ranking in the top 0.01% of users, her early failed attempt to rebuild community software, and her shift to rapid, browser-based prototypes like JSON-to-CSV converters, receipt/expense and food trackers, and a webhook-driven PSA time-entry timer. She explains her...
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ERP134 - Navigating Rapid Change in the MSP Channel
Evolved Radio
Ever wonder what really happens behind the scenes when a rocket-ship MSP vendor goes from scrappy startup to multi-billion dollar public company? Today, I’m talking with , former Datto general counsel and now CEO at Slide. Michael’s seen the vendor/MSP relationship from every angle—legal, operational, and now as a co-founder, building Slide for the MSP channel. If you want a brutally honest look at what hypergrowth actually looks like from the inside, why most MSPs never get past “just technical,” and how to avoid being the cobbler with ragged shoes, this episode is for you. You’ll...
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ERP133 - AI-Driven MSPs: Integrating Technology for Better Service
Evolved Radio
Today, we have a unique perspective on AI, courtesy of our guest, with Treeline.ai. In this episode, we’re exploring what it truly means to be "AI-first" in the MSP space—not just adding AI as a feature, but building it into every layer of the operation for a fundamentally different approach to service delivery. If you’ve been following the rapid changes in software, automation, and managed services, you won’t want to miss this episode. We’re getting into operational strategy, technology adoption, and the future of MSPs in the age of AI. This episode is brought to you by . A place...
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ERP132 - VibeOps
Evolved Radio
In today’s episode, I’m joined by to talk about what John calls "VibeOps." If you've ever wondered where network automation and AI intersect—or how the next evolution of IT operations could look almost like managing a team of digital coworkers, you’re going to love this one. Hear how John went from working in an aluminum factory to managing the network for the Canadian House of Parliament. John explains VibeOps and J shares practical advice for MSPs, how to get started with agentic tools safely, and where he thinks the whole industry is headed. If you’re curious about building your...
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ERP131 - Health and Wellness in IT
Evolved Radio
Today’s topic is close to my heart and, honestly, one that doesn’t get enough airtime in the IT industry: health and wellness. Joining me for this conversation is my , CEO of VXIT, a return guest you might remember from a . We’re talking about what it takes to prioritize our physical and mental health—while juggling the endless demands of business ownership, parenthood, and life in the tech world. Paul unpacks his personal journey: from the challenges of work-life balance and struggles with unhealthy habits, to discovering the power of change through things like the 75 Hard challenge,...
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ERP130 - Project Delays and Failures, Breaking the Cycle
Evolved Radio
Today I’m speaking to , CEO of , once again. If you missed our previous episode together, Advanced Project Management——I highly recommend checking it out for some great insights. Today, we’re diving into a topic that’s been top of mind for me and, honestly, I believe not enough people in the MSP industry are paying close attention to it: project management and profitability. We’ll break down some eye-opening stats about how 25% of the MSP channel is either breaking even or losing money—and how poor project management is often the hidden culprit, even when service delivery is...
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ERP129 - Less Admin, More Impact: AI for MSPs
Evolved Radio
Today I’m joined by , CEO of . We’ll explore how Matt’s background as a software engineer and MSP operator led him to develop Mizo, an AI-powered help desk automation platform. We discuss the realities of AI adoption in the MSP industry, why AI agents can sometimes outperform humans in quality and consistency, and why Canadian companies have such an outsized impact in the global MSP software ecosystem. We’re talking MSP innovation, Canadian tech pride, and the real-world impact of agentic AI in service operations. Let’s get started! This episode is brought to you by . A...
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ERP128 - Critical Thinking, Career Change, and Identity
Evolved Radio
Today, my guest is , whose journey took him from planning a career in medicine, to becoming a Mandarin-speaking intelligence analyst with the FBI for 15 years, covering everything from cyber issues to counterintelligence and even terrorism. In this episode, we dig into what led Adam to the FBI, the unexpected turns in his career, and how pivotal moments—both personal and professional—prompted deeper reflection on identity, growth, and purpose. We discuss how he’s translated those experiences into his new chapter as a business owner, and talk about the importance of intuition, critical...
info_outlineJoining me today on the MSP insights series is Paul Vedder with VXIT.
Paul talks about the division of responsibilities running his MSP with a partner. How to handle the conflict created by winning a new client away from a competitor. We also chat about one of VXIT's superpowers, which is brand sophistication. Paul is also one of the co-founders of the MSP community IT Pool Party, so we chat a bit about community building.
It was great to connect with Paul for a very friendly and open conversation, like catching up over a beer. So please enjoy the discussion and lessons learned.