Commercial Integrator + Security Sales - January/February 2025 - 10

THE SERVICE DESK
Frameworks for Running Your Business
Members of The ASCII Group share their thoughts on operating a business according to a
framework, avoiding ad-hoc decision-making and embracing process-driven approaches.
By Dan Ferrisi
PART 1
ONCE AGAIN, CI+SSI has gathered a group of members of
The ASCII Group for a roundtable discussion on business
best practices and operational effi ciency. The ASCII Group,
founded in 1984, is, of course, the original IT community of the
channel, uniting managed service providers (MSPs) across
North America.
This time, we focus on frameworks for running a business,
such as the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). We ask
this group of MSPs whether they follow EOS (or any other
framework), what processes they've put in place within their
own organization and how, if at all, their process-driven
approach has enriched their client relationships and bolstered
their profi tability.
Here, in Part 1 of a two-part series, we off er thoughts from the
following members of The ASCII Group: Tim Singleton, president,
Strive Technology Consulting; Mat Kordell, co-founder and
COO, CyberStreams; Christopher Barber, chief nerd, Cheaper
Than a Geek; and Dawn Sizer, CEO, 3rd Element Consulting.
Commercial Integrator: What kind of framework, if any,
do you run your business in accordance with? Do you
leverage the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) or
any other defi ned system to be sure your company has a
strong internal foundation?
Tim Singleton: We use the " Scaling Up " methodology, created
by Verne Harnish (formerly called " Rockefeller Habits " ). We are
also part of a coaching program and accountability group specifically
designed to train and guide business owners of world-class
IT companies.
Mat Kordell: We do use EOS within our business. We're not
purists to the program, but we fi nd the books and language make
it easy to get people onboard and up to speed and keep us on the
same page as we operate, so that we don't have to spend time
clarifying semantics. We utilize the Traction and What the Heck Is
EOS? books most (for existing and new employees, respectively),
referencing them regularly. And we utilize Rocket Fuel, Get a Grip
and How to Be a Great Boss, within their specifi c use cases, to
continue to drive the business and its leadership to new levels.
There's no magic here, though. Don't expect to get anything
from these that you didn't learn on some level in your MBA
program. These resources really just provide the context from
which to teach our management style, without having to create
the standards and trainings ourselves from scratch. And there is
plenty of content and in-person training opportunity for employees
who need to go deeper on a concept.
Christopher Barber: At Cheaper Than a Geek, we utilize a
Embracing a process-driven approach can help improve an
MSP's (or an integrator's) chances of success, while driving
greater profi ts and strengthening client relationships.
customized blend of frameworks tailored to our specifi c needs
as an MSP. While we've incorporated elements of EOS to streamline
leadership alignment and goal setting, we've also always
been huge fans of Standard Operating Procedure documents to
maintain high standards in service delivery. This hybrid approach
ensures that we have a strong operational foundation, fostering
both business growth and exceptional customer service.
Dawn Sizer: 3rd Element has been using EOS, or Traction,
for a number of years. It took us about two years to really get it
implemented completely through the business and have everyone
onboard with it. What we found was that certain functions were
easy to implement, whereas others were more diffi cult. Adding in
Strety to be able to track progress and have all employees able to
access the soſt ware made it easier for everyone to adopt.
CI: Describe some of the processes that you've put into
place in your business to be sure your decision-making is
not ad-hoc. What accountability structures do you have in
place to be sure those processes are followed?
Singleton: First is mission and core values. All business decisions
should be aligned with those. Second is annual and quarterly
business planning. This keeps us on track - not pulled away by
10 Commercial Integrator+Security Sales & Integration | January/February 2025
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Commercial Integrator + Security Sales - January/February 2025

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