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[00:00:07] Welcome to the All Things MSP Podcast, New Year's Eve edition. Normally Justin hosts the podcast, but he's taking some well-deserved time off for the holidays. Speaking of Justin, make sure you stay tuned for Justin's special MSP version of the Dreidel song to celebrate Hanukkah.
[00:00:25] I thought that today, in the spirit of New Year's and new beginnings, I would talk about two things. First, the goals and aspirations of All Things MSP in 2025,
[00:00:34] and then some helpful tips about creating processes instead of just goals to make sure your 2025 is as successful as possible, whatever that looks like for you.
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[00:02:08] In 2025, it will be the goal of all things MSP to bring value, to bring more value than ever.
[00:02:16] More podcasts, live streams, and videos to help build your business and meet the challenges of serving and securing technology for the SMB business in our communities.
[00:02:27] I do need your help, though. I need your questions. I need to know the topics that interest you and that we can discuss in the groups and on our media channels.
[00:02:36] At the end of the day, I do this for the MSP community, and I want to do what the community needs.
[00:02:43] Thank you in advance, and I look forward to getting your questions answered by the many experts who make all things MSP one of their many stops on the information superhighway.
[00:02:55] Too cheesy? Sorry. I couldn't help it.
[00:03:00] When it comes to goal setting, we all fail if we don't back it up with a way to get there.
[00:03:06] My favorite way to set up goals, as you probably know, is to use the SMART framework.
[00:03:11] Goals should be defined, not just ideas, and the way that we think about this is the SMART acronym.
[00:03:18] So S is for specific, meaning clear and well-defined.
[00:03:21] Would a fifth grader understand it?
[00:03:24] It should be measurable. M is for measurable.
[00:03:27] Can you measure progress and attainment of the goal when you get there?
[00:03:30] How do you know you've made it?
[00:03:32] Is it achievable? It has to be realistic.
[00:03:35] Now, there's nothing wrong with having BHAG goals, big, hairy, audacious goals,
[00:03:39] but for these goals, they need to be realistic.
[00:03:42] And relevant. R is for relevant.
[00:03:45] Does it align to your larger life and business objectives?
[00:03:48] And then T is for time bound.
[00:03:50] It has to have a deadline.
[00:03:52] Otherwise, it will drag on to fill the time you allow it.
[00:03:56] Now, once you have that information in place, it's time to set up a process.
[00:04:00] A process has three parts.
[00:04:02] The start, what is the current state?
[00:04:05] The steps, or what actions do you need to take to get from the start to finally your goal?
[00:04:11] And that's the last piece is the goal.
[00:04:12] It's the final state defined by your SMART goal.
[00:04:16] Now, the start is pretty easy.
[00:04:18] It's the current state of the SMART elements.
[00:04:20] For example, if your current monthly MRR is, or if your goal is to increase your monthly MRR,
[00:04:27] then you need to know what your current monthly MRR is.
[00:04:31] There are two types of steps.
[00:04:33] Okay, so now we're getting into steps.
[00:04:35] There are milestones and habits.
[00:04:38] Milestones are larger tasks within the process that have to be completed to get to the next step.
[00:04:44] Habits, on the other hand, are the things that you do over and over to get to the result.
[00:04:49] For example, if you want to raise revenue from $500,000 to $1 million in 2025,
[00:04:56] you'll need a marketing plan, and then you'll need to execute on that marketing plan every week,
[00:05:01] measuring the results and adjusting in order to get to your goal.
[00:05:06] So it starts with a goal and a starting place.
[00:05:08] Then you add the appropriate milestones and habits that are going to get you there.
[00:05:13] While you go through the process, though, you're going to find things that work and things that don't.
[00:05:19] Make sure that you double down on the things that work and get rid of the things that don't.
[00:05:25] I hope this helps you in preparation for 2025.
[00:05:28] And if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me.
[00:05:32] And now, what I know you guys have been waiting for, Justin's MSP version of the Dreidel song.
[00:05:39] I have a little firewall.
[00:05:41] I made it out of code.
[00:05:42] And when I chest its strength, oh, it blocks the hacker's load.
[00:05:45] Oh, firewall, firewall, firewall.
[00:05:46] It keeps our data safe.
[00:05:48] Firewall, firewall, firewall.
[00:05:50] No breaches will take place.
[00:05:51] I have a strong backup plan.
[00:05:53] It saves my files every day.
[00:05:54] And when I need recovery, I'm never in dismay.
[00:05:57] Oh, backup, backup, backup.
[00:05:59] It keeps my business whole.
[00:06:00] Oh, backup, backup, backup.
[00:06:01] Restoring makes me whole.
[00:06:03] I run a phishing test to keep my users wise.
[00:06:06] They never click on shady links.
[00:06:07] No hackers in disguise.
[00:06:08] Oh, phishing, phishing, phishing.
[00:06:10] It keeps our team secure.
[00:06:11] Oh, phishing, phishing, phishing.
[00:06:12] No scans will they endure.
[00:06:14] I have a malware blocker.
[00:06:15] It scans all night and day.
[00:06:17] And every sneaky virus found, it sends them far away.
[00:06:20] Oh, malware, malware, malware.
[00:06:22] You'll never breach my team.
[00:06:24] Malware, malware, malware.
[00:06:25] You're a hacker's dream.
[00:06:27] Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel.
[00:06:28] MSPs keep us strong with updates, scan, and training.
[00:06:32] They've kept us safe all along.
[00:06:35] Happy MSP Hanukkah, everybody.
[00:06:39] I think Justin has a future in singing.
[00:06:41] Maybe we should add a new segment to the show.
[00:06:44] Let me know your thoughts.
[00:06:45] Join us next week when we get back to our normal podcast format and Justin as the host.
[00:06:50] We have Andrew Hartman from Time Boss for a very enlightening episode on managing your time.
[00:06:56] Thank you so much for listening.
[00:06:58] And please join the discussion on this and many other topics regarding the non-technical side of the MSP industry.
[00:07:05] Let's all have a phenomenal 2025 together.