#13. Ole Gjerde, CEO of TruNorth Dynamics, Ole built a custom software business, before running a managed services business, before running a business applications business so he’s seen run the full gamut of business models.

Ole shared lessons from years of building, merging, and separating MSPs, and why focus and clear division of teams are crucial for success.

We discussed when it’s smart to outsource your own internal technology support for any Microsoft partner, and if you’re going to launch an application support practice or MSP business, how to structure pricing for real client value, and why it’s more important than ever to prioritise transparency and partnership.

KEY LESSONS

1. Focus is everything: Ole stressed the importance of keeping business lines like managed IT services and business app development truly separate—unless you’re large enough to support dedicated teams and leadership. Otherwise, you risk operational headaches and stunted growth.
2. Onboarding customers (and their baggage) is tough: Inheriting support for systems built by someone else is inherently challenging. A strong onboarding process is a must to manage the friction and uncover those “skeletons in the closet”.
3. Designing win-win support models matters: There’s no universal delivery or pricing model. Empower your customers with options, but be wary of making your operations too complex in the process. Striking the right balance can help foster healthier, longer-term partnerships.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Security concerns of a fully remote business

00:29 Neil Benson introduces Practice Leading and today’s themes

02:32 Ole Gjerde’s journey from IT services through MSPs to business applications

04:18 Is it a bad idea to combine managed services and a business apps practice?

06:20 Deciding what should be covered by your MSP offering

09:56 Signals that it’s time to outsource your internal technology support

13:08 How to choose the right MSP partner for your organization

15:49 Security, compliance, and working in a remote or hostile environment

17:43 Aligning your MSP’s compliance to your client’s industry standards

20:17 Key considerations when adding managed services to a business apps practice

26:35 Pricing models and structuring value for managed application support

33:08 Balancing resource allocation between support, consulting, and product teams

36:07 Handling customer requests for 24/7 support with a smaller team

39:46 Final advice, summary, and episode wrap-up

RESOURCES

• TruNorth Dynamics website
• TruNorth Dynamics on LinkedIn
• Ole Gjerde on LinkedIn

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#12. We just wrapped up our latest round of strategic planning at Superware—and it was a game-changer using the approach outlined in Richard Rumelt’s Good Strategy, Bad Strategy.

Here’s what stood out from our process and why it made such a difference for us. After landing a major consulting win, we still hadn’t cracked product market fit for our industry apps. Instead of more generic goals and vision statements, we dove into Rumelt’s practical framework and it completely reset how we tackled strategy as a team.

KEY LESSONS

1. Diagnose, don’t guess. We spent time individually reflecting and then collectively diagnosing our core business challenge—rather than just listing random goals, we drilled down to the one issue holding us back.
2. A strategy is a hypothesis. We treated our strategy as an experiment instead of a guarantee. This mindset (so familiar to us coming from agile software backgrounds!) lets us iterate, learn, and adapt much faster.
3. Coherent actions aligned around guiding policy. Instead of a to-do list, we identified focused, coherent actions that all support our guiding policy—making it clear what to prioritize and what to (confidently) leave out.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Learn how Superware used Good Strategy/Bad Strategy to reset direction

00:25 Introduction to Practice Leading and Neil Benson

01:12 Kicking off a new financial year with strategic planning

02:00 Major consulting win versus lack of product market fit

02:51 Discovering Richard Rumelt’s Good Strategy/Bad Strategy framework

03:31 Defining bad strategy and pitfalls to avoid

04:21 Key elements of good strategy: Diagnosis, guiding policy, coherent actions

05:03 Tangible example of guiding policy: The local grocery store

06:00 Diagnosing Superwire’s biggest challenge using design thinking

06:57 Dot voting and achieving team alignment on strategy

07:50 Addressing industry focus concerns and building a strategic hypothesis

08:49 Aligning team around coherent actions and a six-month strategy horizon

09:28 Treating strategy as a living hypothesis, not a fixed plan

10:12 Inviting listeners to share their strategy approaches and engage with Practice Leading

RESOURCES

• Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters, Richard Rumelt

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#11. Lucy Bourne is the cofounder and director of Oaka Studio in the UK. Oaka Studio, which just celebrated its second birthday, helps Microsoft partners level up their Microsoft alliance in their marketing, sales, their Microsoft alliance and in the operation of their Microsoft practice.

Lucy is a former partner development manager from Microsoft, and she dives deep into what it takes to thrive in your alliance with Microsoft. As you’ll hear in this episode, this is an area where I’m still struggling: wrestling with Partner Center, figuring out whether a solution designation is worthwhile or missing out on recognition in deals where we weren’t the invoicing CSP.

Lucy cuts through all that and helps us focus on what matters most in our Microsoft alliance and the steps we need to take to succeed.

KEY LESSONS

🔑 1. Alliance management needs two distinct skill sets. Don’t expect a single person to handle both the operational, programmatic tasks in Partner Center and the relationship-building with Microsoft sellers. Lucy recommends splitting these responsibilities: methodical, detail-oriented team members for the admin side, and storytellers/networkers for the relationship side.

🔑 2. Focus, focus, focus. To get noticed by Microsoft and the market, don’t try to be everything to everyone. Specialise—pick an industry or two, and build a crystal-clear narrative for your expertise. You can still deliver broadly, but your outward marketing should be laser-focused for maximum impact.

🔑 3. Recognition for implementation partners. Business apps partners can now claim recognition for workloads they’ve implemented—even if they weren’t the ones transacting the licenses. This “dual partner recognition” can accelerate your journey toward solution designation and unlock more opportunities and funding from Microsoft.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Lucy Bourne explains the value of vendor focus for large partners

00:40 Neil Benson opens the episode and introduces Lucy Bourne and Oka Studio

03:18 Lucy shares her career background and Oka Studio’s mission

05:24 Discussion of partner types Oka works with and the evolving Microsoft partner landscape

06:11 Is it harder now to become a successful Microsoft partner?

08:16 Do partners need a dedicated alliance manager? Where do you find one?

09:36 The two key roles in alliance management—operational and relational

12:54 The most important thing successful partners do: focus, focus, focus

14:17 How to balance specialization in marketing with versatility in delivery

16:08 Common mistakes partners make—neglecting alliance program management

17:30 Can partners succeed with multiple vendor relationships?

22:07 Discrete investments partners can make—case studies, awards, and social proof

28:21 Microsoft’s new dual partner recognition and what it means for partners

RESOURCES

• Lucy Bourne on LinkedIn
• Oaka Studio on LinkedIn
• Dual revenue recognition for Microsoft business applications partners (Oaka Studio webinar recording)
• Dual recognition for Microsoft business applications partners (Microsoft blog)

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