Now That's IT: Stories of MSP Success

Unlocking Growth: The Real IT Care Transformation

• N-able • Season 2 • Episode 21

Share episode

In this episode of Now That's IT: Stories of MSP Success, we dive deep into the remarkable growth story of Real IT Care, a thriving MSP based in Pennsylvania. Co-owners Zane Patalive and Kenny Steinbacher share how they transformed a nonprofit IT initiative into a flourishing business, navigating partner changes, adopting the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), and embracing new strategies for growth.

Listen as Zane and Kenny discuss the pivotal moment when one of their founding partners retired, accelerating their decision-making and unlocking a 40% growth surge. Discover how EOS helped them streamline operations, build a stronger culture, and create a clear path forward for Real IT Care.

This episode is packed with valuable insights for MSP owners, executives, or anyone aspiring to build a successful MSP. You’ll learn:

  • The critical role that EOS can play in scaling your business.
  • How to maintain strong client relationships while navigating leadership changes.
  • Strategies to foster a winning culture that retains top talent and drives growth.

Whether you're facing similar challenges or looking for a roadmap to take your MSP to the next level, this episode will leave you inspired and equipped with actionable takeaways.

Hosted by industry veterans, this podcast delves deep into the findings of the MSP Horizons Report, providing actionable insights to transform your IT business. Each episode features in-depth discussions with experts, thought leaders, and successful MSPs who share their experiences and strategies for navigating the ever-evolving landscape of managed services. Listen & Subscribe Wherever You Get Your Podcasts.

'Now that's it: Stories of MSP Success,' dives into the journeys of some of the trailblazers in our industry to find out how they used their passion for technology to help turn Managed Services into the thriving sector it is today.

Every episode is packed with the valuable insights, practical strategies, and inspiring anecdotes that lead our guests to the transformative moment when they knew….. Now, that's it.

This podcast provides educational information about issues that may be relevant to information technology service providers.

Nothing in the podcast should be construed as any recommendation or endorsement by N-able, or as legal or any other advice.

The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the podcast does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.

Views and opinions expressed by N-able employees are those of the employees and do not necessarily reflect the view of N-able or its officers and directors.

The podcast may also contain forward-looking statements regarding future product plans, functionality, or development efforts that should not be interpreted as a commitment from N-able related to any deliverables or timeframe.

All content is based on information available at the time of recording, and N-able has no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Speaker 1:

One, two, three, four. Everybody knew within the organization there were going to be reductions, just nobody knew who. So when it became us, it became real and there was quite a lot of stress around that I didn't apply anywhere else.

Speaker 2:

I probably made my decision in about a day.

Speaker 3:

Really.

Speaker 2:

That I'm just going to continue working with these customers. I really was the one going out at that point in front of the clientele on a regular basis, so I felt like I had those relationships and that people appreciated the work that I was doing.

Speaker 3:

Welcome to Now that's it Stories of MSP Success, where we dive into the journeys of some of the trailblazers in our industry to find out how they used their passion for technology to help turn managed services into the thriving sector it is today. Our guests this week are co-owners of Real IT Care, a service provider in Williamsport, pennsylvania, focused on providing excellent customer service, rapid response and professional, courteous, experienced and knowledgeable staff focused on maintaining the health and security of their client's IT system. Zane Padalev and Kenny Steinbecker welcome to the Now that's it podcast. Thank you, chris. You're very welcome. You guys are our first multi-guest pod, you're adjusting well, this may be the first of many.

Speaker 1:

I hope so.

Speaker 3:

All right, so let's talk about the beginnings. Zane, so you're the first to enter the IT world manufacturing assistance center. What did you see in the manufacturing sector that made you think we can do this better?

Speaker 1:

So I actually started out of college with a computer science degree, working for Bethlehem Steel for a number of years and then got into the nonprofit industrial modernization center. At that point They've rebranded, but so it was a nonprofit that was focused on delivering any services needed to the manufacturing community within central Pennsylvania as part of the economic development initiative of the state and the Fed. So while we were there, pretty quickly it became evident and this is back in 94, probably 95, so it goes back a little ways, 94, probably 95. So it goes back a little ways that there weren't many good IT providers in our area servicing these small, generally small manufacturers. So it was within the shell of that nonprofit organization that we crafted a IT practice in a for-profit model, which created some stress with us and with the leadership of the nonprofit. But we were very successful and did that for many years.

Speaker 3:

Was there a specific client or interaction that maybe inspired you to do something new?

Speaker 1:

You know, one of the stories I remember and this is again. You know the internet was a thing and a reasonable size manufacturer in our community that we still serve. I remember placing their very first PC within the organization and the owner of the company paused for a while not knowing where to put it. So there's a typewriter on the secretary's desk and behind her was the credenza. So he was really having a problem. So he put it on the credenza and I'm like all right, all right, we'll see. And we went back to visit a couple of weeks later and they had switched. So that's when I knew this. May you know, this IT thing may actually catch on.

Speaker 3:

That's fun. I actually am not as young as I may look. I remember those days when it was like typewriter or computer that you plug the modem, the phone, into the modem and yeah, those were good days right.

Speaker 3:

They were days, service providers weren't really a thing, but you saw an opportunity even early on as to be a service provider. That's great. So, kenny, you joined Zane and Steve as an intern while you were still in college. That's right. What drew you to this team and what was it like to go from intern to eventual co-founder?

Speaker 2:

That's a funny story actually. So Zane and Steve serviced business that my dad worked at and I was attending a different college at the time, and so I had wanted to get into the IT space. I felt like I wanted to go that direction and my dad said well, why don't you just talk to this guy that does our computer work and my dad's gone, he's going to change his mind, he's going to stay at this other college. So I called Zane no clue who he was. I think we talked for about an hour on the phone Before I got the phone. Zane basically ended it with yeah, no, I think you're making the right decision to switch to IT. And so I got off the phone and I let my dad know. So I transferred college to a technical institution and I forget how much longer it was, maybe another year after that either reached out to Zane or something happened there and I came into chat with these two guys and it was just like I'm wanting to learn more. So that's that's how that began.

Speaker 1:

There's a little more on the backside of that story. Kenny's father was concerned because I think he had a full ride at the college or a lot of scholarship money that would go away if he was to change colleges. Kenny's a brainiac Also, chris, we should say we've mentioned Steve's name a couple of times. When we started Real IT Care, we started with three partners. Steve was the third, just for context.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, that's great. So, Kenny, did you ever imagine that you'd eventually be a co -owner and be running the shop?

Speaker 2:

It never occurred to me. I mean, I didn't imagine that I'd be there through an internship. You know, at the end of the internship I figured I'd be done and it just never, never ended.

Speaker 3:

Internship that never ended. Yeah, so do you still call yourself the intern?

Speaker 2:

I don't call myself an intern anymore. No, I dropped that title a number of years ago.

Speaker 3:

I didn't see it on your LinkedIn page but, I just was wondering if it was.

Speaker 1:

We had a couple of other interns, but Kenny just became the high watermark. How did he compare to Kenny Horley, was the response. So we were lucky to get a great individual.

Speaker 3:

I had a couple of those. Early I hired interns in and knew immediately they were going to eventually be something. I think it was my first two. I had a male and a female and they were both running service departments and you know, go-to-market departments and things like that, and so it's interesting, when you find the right one, you obviously want them to be successful and do everything you can. Yeah, certainly. So it worked out. Great that you stayed around.

Speaker 1:

Certainly worked out well, I call it providence, but go ahead.

Speaker 3:

Excellent. So this is a question for both of you. What was the conversation like when the nonprofit lost funding and you guys had to decide and go out on your own?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we probably have two different stories because of our age difference. Yeah, we probably have two different stories because of our age difference. So with the nonprofit, as Chris said, losing funding, somebody was going to be let go and everybody knew within the organization there were going to be reductions, Just nobody knew who. So when it became us, it became real and there was quite a lot of stress around that. At that time we were actually employees of the university as opposed to the nonprofit, and they had a significant discount for Penn State tuition where my son had just enrolled as a freshman. So that made college like affordable and we got the word of our dismissal, if you would, or layoff about two months before his freshman semester started. So there is quite a bit of angst in my household relative to the changing situation that we knew was impending. So for me there's a ton of anxiety relative to what this shift was going to be.

Speaker 2:

And remind me you were at IMC for about 17 years. For me. I had never actually officially become a permanent full-time employee. I was temporary full-time for nine months. I had graduated college about three months before we were let go. So to me, I didn't have a family, I didn't have a house payment to make. I wasn't really worried. So it was a very different situation between Zane and myself in that.

Speaker 3:

Were you considering just going back to school? I just finished school, so I didn't want to go back to school, I just figured.

Speaker 2:

This is when everybody else is applying for jobs. Anyway, it's not going to be a big deal. But what it came down to, what are we going to do? But what are our customers going?

Speaker 3:

to do.

Speaker 2:

We had a clientele already and all of a sudden their IT department's gone, so that was a huge driving factor in making that decision to move forward with the business.

Speaker 3:

So you guys decided to go out on your own, start your own business. At that point, was there any doubts, or do you feel like this was the natural next step in moving it forward?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, again, probably our perspectives were quite different. So for me it was either pursue the self-employment gig, which I was always attracted to, business, and read a whole bunch of business books because I was just very interested in it, and then, on the other side, is it's really nice to get a paycheck.

Speaker 1:

You don't have to worry about sending an invoice. So it was some soul searching on my part. The comfort, if you would, is that we had good clients, client base, we had product. As far as starting a business, we were non-profit. To turn that into a profitable venture that three families could eat off of immediately, that was a little daunting. But so when we came to terms with the pros and cons and I had quite a few conversations with other individuals just to help process through that decision-making yeah, we made the decision and just said we got to make it work. So there really wasn't a plan B in this scenario. It was it's either working or it's not going to work.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, there could have been a plan B for you, right, Kenny? I mean, you could have gone and found employment somewhere else.

Speaker 2:

but you stuck around. I didn't apply anywhere else. I probably made my decision in about a day that this is I'm just going to continue working with these customers. I had been with them I really was the one going out at that point in front of the clientele on a regular basis. So I felt like I had those relationships and that people appreciated the work that I was doing.

Speaker 3:

What was it about those customers? Because I've heard that a couple of times. I mean, it seems like you made the decision because of the customers, right? I mean, of course you need a paycheck and you need to make a living, but the right decision was to help these customers?

Speaker 2:

What was it about these customers? So we started recently doing EOS this year and had to define our core values. So never really thought about it before until we put these words on a piece of paper. But our top core value is relationship first, and we explain that to our staff as like take time to be human with people. Don't just walk in to fix their IT problem, right? We're not. What was the guy off SNL, rick Burns McMove? Right? We're not that person. We want to ask them how their day is, and so we'd gotten to know these people, and even the short time that I was working there it was only three years that I worked at this location and in that amount of time, just building those relationships was huge, so I didn't want to see them have to.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and just dovetailing on that, that relationships really were. It wasn't the business that we're working for per se, it was those people that we're supporting individually. At that time, all of our support was on site.

Speaker 1:

There were no remote options, at least not that we had available. As we're going back through the history of how we got to where we are relationship first, customer committed, client committed we spent quite a bit of time, probably as counselors, more than just IT folks. You know you're sitting there waiting for a patch to install, for instance, and talking about someone's day and someone's challenges and to this day I don't get to see a lot of clients in my where we are right now. But when I go visit some of our older clients I'm always getting hugs from the people, which I enjoy just because of the relationship side, and especially after COVID.

Speaker 3:

It's taboo right, it's good you guys are bringing me back. I remember those days there was the holidays come around and they're sending you fruit cakes and the holiday cards and things like that and it's like, wow, these people are paying us, but they also care about, you know, our families and things like that.

Speaker 1:

It's like you built this real connection with your partners, yeah, and I think it becomes part of our culture that we're looking for clients that really value IT, that value our clients morals or convictions, because we're really we're building together. So we're good at tech, most MSPs are good at tech and everybody says relationship, but it is relationship and people like doing business with people they like to be with and that's really a goal of ours, a commitment of ours.

Speaker 3:

Well, you definitely this must've started a really positive culture, a unique culture that you guys have continued. But the early days were tough, right. I mean you guys were wearing multiple hats and you know there was tension, right.

Speaker 1:

How'd you manage the tension between sort of wanting to grow the business and then limitations, with it being a small team yeah Tension is a kind word, I think, for having three partners that in the early days before we had employees my sustenance rested on Kenny and Steve's production as much as my own production, so there was zero tolerance for slacking. I think in a high tension time, now and again, relationships can flare. Tension time, now and again Relationships can flare. So it was kind of a joke now but we got to a point that we actually went for marriage counseling for the three of us to be able to communicate better, because it was getting difficult to go day by day and it just helped rally us around a common vision, common goal and how to communicate a little bit better together.

Speaker 3:

Zane, what was the most challenging part of sort of transitioning from that non-profit mindset to a for-profit?

Speaker 1:

business. For me it's the same challenge, I think, that most IT technical people face, of monetizing my value, that I'm producing a product that I can feel good about charging for. That's why I think technical people are pretty bad salespeople, me being one of them. We want to, especially when it comes to relationship, do everything for free. I mean that would be the best, but obviously that doesn't work in a trying to put food on the table. So for us, or for me, really getting a commitment that the quality of our products are worth the value that we're charging and then expressing that value properly to the client. So from a mindset standpoint and then really from a product standpoint, where we really needed to crank up revenue, it was volume of more work, but also charging more market rate, I would say.

Speaker 3:

Very good. Kenny Real IT Care has a core value of all for one, one for all. How did the three of you navigate disagreements or different visions for the company?

Speaker 2:

Well, zane and I have been very closely aligned, I think, in our visions for real IT care largely from the start, so that was always pretty easy between he and I. Today we're bringing in some more people into the leadership team, so learning what their goals are, where they're trying to take the company and some of that differing opinion from what Zane and I feel is we're finally reaching a point of needing to deal with that. So it's been interesting, to say the least. But knowing that everybody is for real IT care and just trying to set the best direction for us is reassuring. Even today at a seminar we're at, you know, talking about conflict and the example was given, a lot of people think of conflict as looking at one another, when that conflict really to point towards where you're trying to get, to talk through it. So it feels like that with the all for one, one for all mentality.

Speaker 3:

Yeah yeah, that's a great one. So Zane talked a little bit about the marriage counseling. Was there ever a point when you considered, kenny, that we're not going to make it through?

Speaker 2:

this. When you considered, kenny, that we're not going to make it through this. There were a number of points that that came to my mind. Marriage counseling was huge, and I don't remember how long we did that. It was a number of months, every week, and it got us to talk through things you say about being on the same page, setting the same goals, working towards a common goal Zane mentioned that and we never really set those goals or wrote those goals down on paper, though it was still kind of perception that we were going the right direction. So there were a number of nights. I'm sure that my wife would just rather hear me stop talking about what's going on at work because of the level of frustration that came up at times. It was a unique situation with three partners, three equal partners, all wanting to do their own thing.

Speaker 1:

A number of years ago, to kind of encapsulate my level of frustration, I actually got to a point that I started applying for jobs, didn't tell my partners because it was just I'm going to kill somebody and if I don't leave I don't want it to be me, and that was sobering. When I actually shared that with Stephen Kenney, I think it was a significant awakening for the three of us together and I would say through that, double down a bit on commitment towards one another.

Speaker 3:

You guys aren't alone. I mean there's there's obviously a lot of MSPs out there, multiple owners. I actually come from one that had six owners. There were four that actually worked and there were two silent investors, silent owners and so I remember very vividly not being one of the owners watching the turmoil, so I can only imagine what you guys were going through, being those that were dealing with it, but then can you imagine, obviously, how your employees are dealing with it as well.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, and I think a lot of our comments right now are probably reflecting on some of the critical yeah, no, no, but I do want to just espouse that having a partner that you align with is tremendously powerful. Right and Kenny and I connect really well. We make decisions very quickly just because we discern simultaneously really, and maintaining relationship is so important that if we have conflict, we're going to talk through it, and so there's a commitment there. But having a partner that is 100% committed to my success, me to his success, allows us, I think, to pick up really traction where we wouldn't otherwise.

Speaker 3:

That's good. Thanks for sharing that. Let's change topics here a bit. You've told us in the past that using unemployment assistance really helped you get started. You talk a little bit about the value of that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I would love for this to be a PSA for. Pennsylvania where we live that at the time when we were jettisoned from our previous employer, pennsylvania had a program in place that would allow us to collect unemployment for six months six months without having to file every. Well, we did file, but it wasn't a we didn't have to apply for other jobs, yeah, yeah, so it kind of protected us from that. Plus, they had mandatory business classes that we had to drive to Harrisburg to get weekly that were excellent.

Speaker 1:

They were provided by small businesses and then at the end of the program they actually had some seed money available that I think we used to develop our first website and the program was fantastic. But without that program I'm not sure if we would have been able to get so. Unemployment allowed us to keep food on the table while we're, you know, scrounging together some finances as a company and yeah, yeah, that it probably wouldn't have worked for us and we, yeah, I could say we have been debt free from day one as a company. We did get one business loan once actually to buy, enable and Central, I think, wasn't it?

Speaker 2:

It was actually just to build credit. Our third business partner said we need to build credit as a company, so we're just going to do a business loan. I think the SEA program that SEA program that we had unemployment assistance with allowed us to buy, Enable and Central licenses.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, right, right. So as far as like starting a business, we have clients, we have a product and, you know, have some financial assistance. There couldn't have been a better scenario to start a business than what we fortunately came into.

Speaker 3:

That's great. I'm glad that worked out for you for sure. So as you grew and this will be for Kenny as you grew you moved from a reactive break-fix work to more proactive managed services. What was the biggest challenge in making that shift professionally?

Speaker 2:

Getting the tools set up the way we wanted them to work. So, when we were at the previous employment.

Speaker 2:

I mean we had no tools there was no PSA, there was no RMM solution for us. We had certainly looked into an RMM before solution for us. We had certainly looked into an RMM before. But you know so. You know, two months into Real IT Care's existence is when we pulled the trigger on the PSA, pulled the trigger on Ncentral, so it was. It was getting this stuff established and as we worked through all of the potential configurations because there's no, there's no runbook back in that time for us that we were aware of. Anyway, we worked through it, spent long hours getting things configured the way we thought were appropriate and once we got to that point, it made it easier to handle those customer calls when they came in. You know, less onsites were necessary and we weren't walking around every single PC anymore for running patches. So there was some huge benefits that we saw in that. But yeah, configuration changes or configurations of those two products were just Sure Zane, you mentioned the move into cybersecurity was somewhat accidental.

Speaker 3:

Can you share how that transition happened and what taught you about being prepared to sort of pivot in the business?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so fortunately, when we were let go from the previous employer, we held in those begrudged feelings and maintained a relationship with them instead of burning that bridge. So after a few years they really engaged us pretty heavily as their IT consultants, to help both themselves and also the manufacturing community. So back in 2016, it came up at that time of the DFARS for what now is CMMC. But you know, back then was just the federal acquisition regulation for the Department of Defense companies that need to put in cybersecurity protections to maintain their contracts. So that was becoming effective in December 20. And nobody knew anything about it.

Speaker 1:

So the pursuit alongside the other company really was figuring out what this thing is, how does it translate, and it was an eye-opener for me, for us, and it led the path to us today providing these services for a number of companies throughout the country, supporting their technical side and then helping to translate the policy procedure side. So, yeah, it was a bit accidental. They invited me for lack of another resource on their staff. They invited me to participate on the national NIST panel as the country was working through all the MEP centers throughout the country figuring out what this NIST 800-171 thing is and how we implement it, how we get the word out, for since 2017, everybody's been waiting for the phone to ring off the hook, with people needing help, which hasn't happened yet, and now, with the CMMC finally being very close to being a thing that may happen.

Speaker 3:

Zane, you've seen even stronger growth recently. What do you attribute that to?

Speaker 1:

Yeah this year has been significant. We started the year off in the first quarter about a 40% increase quarter over quarter, which right now we've slowed down a little bit over the summer, but we're still, you know, close to 30% for the year. One of the big things I think was just moving into EOS which certainly Kenny was instrumental with moving us in that direction.

Speaker 1:

And then, secondly, our third partner, steve, had retired at the end of last year, leaving just Kenny and me. When you have two people making decisions versus three people making decisions, it's, I think, exponentially faster, not just a little bit faster. So we had a slew of changes starting January that have really translated into a better culture, stronger culture, more efficiency and, you know, more profit.

Speaker 3:

So you just you just mentioned culture and you built this culture that is focused on internal and client relationships. How do you cultivate that culture this is for both of you and what role do you think relationships play in the success today?

Speaker 2:

We always said from the start of this business this is we want to build something that we would want to work at right, if I were to come as an employee today, would I want to stick around here, would I enjoy my job? So we really focused on that right Just pretty relaxed environment, great benefits, just getting the right people on the team. So we really focused on that from day one.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, and I think you're right. As we moved to EOS, defining our core values was one of the first homework assignments and it took us a little time to put pencil to paper, but it was who we were that we just reflected on, like how do we get to where we are today? Then that translated into you know, I guess, solidified or codified who we are, and then it's really powerful to communicate that to the team clearly. So instead of, you know, picking it up in pieces, seeing it and then reaffirming that, for me, relationship is 100% of who we are as a company, individually working. If we get along, if we enjoy one another, we enjoy coming to work as a staff, we're going to accomplish more than we would as individuals.

Speaker 1:

You know the synergy our clients are benefiting. We're providing better product faster. It's just a win everywhere. And you know, trust is the foundation of all of that trust of one another, trust of our clients to us and that kind of the fabric of where we want to be. And we're committed to doing right by the person, right by the company first, and I'm sure it's common with a lot of MSPs. But we have to protect that relationship.

Speaker 2:

That's great and, Chris, if I can carry on there a little bit, so just as an example of how we keep that culture alive, you know we had an employee come back from vacation the other day and he's out for a week, week and a half, whatever it was and I walked in early in the morning and he's the only one there and you know, rather than be like, hey, you know, how much did you actually miss in that last week, how far behind are an hour 45 minutes to you know, tell me about your trip. What'd you do? You know, give me, give me, give me the rundown.

Speaker 3:

So yeah, so, kenny, you guys have both talked a little bit about how you've implemented the entrepreneurial operating system to help manage growth, how's that transformed how you run the company and what's the most challenging part about getting one everyone on board with that new structure.

Speaker 2:

This has been a long time coming for us trying to put some actual operating system onto real IT care. We really ran from the gut for a long time.

Speaker 2:

So, EOS has been huge for us. We've been self-implementing and it's been a slow rollout. So the rest of our team underneath of the leadership team just found out about EOS a few months ago and we're just slowly trickling out some of the details of what's going to be involved in that. So you know, we're still developing scorecards for the teams, but we've gone through people analyzers with them. So it's been instrumental in moving us forward, giving us some clear direction in moving us forward, giving us some clear direction. I think after we presented it to the staff there were some comments like wow, I know where Real IT Care is going now. It wasn't just come to work, punch the clock. There was an actual purpose behind what we were doing. At least the techs could finally see that. Anyway, zane and I may have known that from the start.

Speaker 1:

But I think one of the challenges probably is doing what you say you're doing so you know EOS is accountability, transparency.

Speaker 1:

We hate accountability and transparency. So, as a leadership team, to demonstrate this to the staff has been, it's been good, but it it it's constant work Right, and it's been good, but it's constant work right. So we need to remain focused on that. But for EOS, for me, one of the other large huge benefits has just been to define our vision. So values, yeah, we have that and that's really great. But as a company, where are we going? How are we going to get there? Just to know where that is has been freeing for when we think about adding staff or adding products, and it's keeping the staff focused on the same goal, and that's what I'm excited about and see how that goes, you know, the next year or two.

Speaker 3:

I'm excited to see how you guys progress through that. We've shared that. You know I've seen a lot of MSPs really adopt that in the last couple of years. Obviously, this I think this is one of the Enable events is where you were introduced to it right, and I see a bunch of the folks here this week that just can't stop raving about the success. We've talked about Ori and Jimmy and some of those guys and they're fanatical about what they're getting from it. So I'm excited to see the results from the work you guys are putting in Us too yeah.

Speaker 3:

You've had really low employee turnover, which is very rare in this industry, I can tell you. So how'd you create an environment where people want to stay?

Speaker 1:

And kind of coming back to Kenny's comment about we wanted to create an organization that we would be content working in and that's from expectations job role. You know all of that. So I think that probably is evidenced a bit in having low turnover. We lost sight a bit during COVID on salaries and so we had two people leave on money, which was a real eye-opener to us. So since that time we've dramatically increased salaries just to want to make sure that we are providing the best that we can for our employees.

Speaker 1:

So you know it's an environment that we purposefully want to be enjoyable to work at. You know, I wish it was as beautiful as the Enable offices one day maybe would be a goal for that, and we treat people well. Offices one day maybe would be a goal for that and we treat people well. So in our industry again, oftentimes it's a sweatshop mentality for the level one, level two techs of just squeeze every dime out of them, every ounce of blood, and we don't want that. So from the utilization perspective we have thresholds that we understand. You know we need a certain amount just to pay the bills but we're not squeezing the blood out of everybody. So it's a bit of a balance right.

Speaker 3:

Speaking of balance, that's a good intro into our last section here. So both of you you guys talked about this sort of work-life balance and the importance of that, and so how do you maintain that balance as an owner, and especially as a company grows and your time demands increase?

Speaker 2:

I'm in a bit of a unique situation actually with that one. Just recently, I mean this year, my wife came on staff part time doing inside sales and a month ago she has started full time. So we have a tendency to take those conversations home with us. I bet you do, and it's it's a challenge to take those conversations home with us. I bet you do, and it's a challenge, to say the least. So I mean, there have been some evenings where it's like, dear, I just don't want to talk about real IT care anymore. As much as you love it, I'm done with it for tonight. But there's certainly a slew of other things that keep us busy to young kids, so soccer and dance, and you're forced into the work-life balance a little bit with that.

Speaker 1:

You know, family first certainly is a motto for all of our staff, us included. If you lose at home, you lose in life. So you absolutely have to make sure family stays strong. As an entrepreneur owner, there is no off the clock, it's just you're always available in one manner or another to the client. So we have a number of clients that have our cell phones. We stopped giving those out some years ago but some of our longer term clients.

Speaker 1:

It's just the nature of the bee. So you know my wife has come to the understanding of what IT time is. If I say it, you know it's going to be 10 minutes. That really is an hour. You know it's going to be a little while, it's probably two hours, and so it came to peace. But when the kids were young that was difficult to maintain. But now that you know they're off on their own, we just play a lot of golf.

Speaker 3:

Good, good for you both. So, as you both look ahead, what excites you the most about the future of Real IT Care?

Speaker 2:

I mean it's cliche to say it's the land of opportunity. I mean we're still making so many changes at Real IT Care. We're still making so many changes at Real IT Care. We're coming up on 15 years in business and it's amazing to see how much still needs tweaked or how many product lines we need to start considering from a compliance standpoint. On the security side is just one area. Getting into phone systems this year was another area that we jumped into. So it's just amazing to see where we could take this company.

Speaker 2:

And I keep coming back to EOS. You know, really setting that to the VTO from that, where do we want to be in a year? What are we going to be in three years? What do we want to be in 10 years? And having some clear goals in mind of what we're working towards just really excites me. We have a purpose for how we're making those decisions. Is this decision going to get me there? Is it going to get set me up to get me where I want to be in the future after that as well? So it's. I can't speak enough about EOS.

Speaker 1:

That's great, yeah, yeah, and I agree with you, kenny, and I think of the change of discipline that you and I have with responsibilities. So, as we're growing, we're at a size now that we have stability that if Kenny and I leave, you know, the company keeps running well and I just look forward to continuing in that so we can really focus just on the management and growth of the company, get away from a lot of the tedious day-to-day activities. But, yeah, land of opportunity. It's been fun this year and I'm excited about the next few.

Speaker 3:

I'm excited to hear about the growth, excited to hear about the future, excited to hear about EOS. This is really, really exciting for both of you. So the last question is one that we like to ask all of our guests, and it's for both of you when did you guys know?

Speaker 2:

now, that's it. I'll start with that one. So we already talked about this a little bit earlier on here. So it was about a day after I was relieved of duty from the previous location and, you know, talking with my wife, it's like I'm moving forward. I'm going to do this, whether or not Zane and Steve want to come along or not. I'd love them to help, and I'm glad they did, because three heads didn't need to learn as much individually. Right, I didn't have to learn all the things. I could lean on the other two. So so that was my, that was my it moment.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and, as we talked about, mine's probably a little bit more complicated, but, as we talked about how we started, the genesis of the company, the stress, anxiety relative to where we were as a family, as me, as an individual, as I'm talking to people along the way, they keep coming up with, well, aren't you glad you got fired or laid off? And to me I'm thinking I'm not sure if I can say yes to that, and it honestly wasn't until this year where I could honestly say I'm really glad for how life got me to where we are right now. So my this is it moment probably was the launch of EOS and really taking control of something that probably was controlling me for a number of years.

Speaker 3:

That's great. I am so honored to get to know both of you. Over the last couple of years we have stayed in touch. You've come to a number of the programs that I've put on. I really I thank you both for being part of the pod this week and I wish you both, and all the Real IT employees, the best of luck in the future.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, chris. It's been a pleasure meeting you. Knowing you Enable's been phenomenal and I don't say that just you know PSA, but they really have been a fantastic vendor to work with.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, second to all of that, it's been a fun ride with Enable and I look forward to coming to more events that you're going to throw for us in the future, Chris.

Speaker 3:

Can't wait to have you, beau. Thank you, thank you.