Profitable Small MSP Growth with Tom Bull (EP 1079)

Tom Bull of Two River Computer joins me for a practical conversation about building an MSP around trust, community, and the work clients actually need. Tom shares how his business grew from computer repair and consulting into managed IT, residential technology, Wi-Fi, smart-home projects, and cybersecurity, all while serving smaller businesses that larger MSPs often overlook. We talk about referral relationships, local visibility, Google reviews, and why listening to the customer can matter more than following every piece of conventional channel advice.

We also get into the realities of controlled growth and modern security. Tom explains why he paused new-client onboarding when his team hit capacity, how he thinks about profit over revenue, and why he is careful about taking on work he cannot support well. We cover AI use policies, Microsoft 365 protection, SentinelOne Vigilance, Petra, ThreatLocker, Ubiquiti, SonicWall, backups, identity security, and the layered approach MSPs need to keep clients protected without overcomplicating the stack.

=== Chapters

01:52 Meet Tom Bull of Two River Computer04:22 Tom Bull’s Tech Career and MSP Origin Story10:01 Building a Community-Driven Local IT Business13:17 Growing an MSP by Giving Clients What They Want17:42 Small-Business MSP Niches, Pricing, and Referral Partnerships22:15 AI Policies, Shadow AI, and MSP Liability Concerns30:04 Building a Layered Security Stack With SentinelOne and Petra32:46 ThreatLocker, AutoElevate, and Application Control38:38 TechCon Unplugged, 1Stream, and TruGrid Sponsor Message41:09 Working on the Business and Finding MSP Profitability49:11 Local SEO, Google Reviews, and Profitable Hardware Sales53:10 Ubiquiti, Managed Switches, and Network Visibility56:49 SonicWall vs. Ubiquiti Gateway Security01:08:53 Developing Future Leaders at Two River Computer=== Guest: Tom Bull, Two River Computer

Website: https://www.tworivercomputer.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tworivercomputer=== Events

TechCon Unplugged: https://techconunplugged.com/Discount Code: TCUMarvin=== Companies / Vendors / Products / Books

Synchro: https://syncrosecure.com/SentinelOne Vigilance: https://www.sentinelone.com/services/vigilance/Petra Security: https://www.petrasecurity.com/Huntress: https://www.huntress.com/ThreatLocker: https://www.threatlocker.com/AutoElevate: https://www.cyberfox.com/platforms/autoelevate-by-cyberfox/SonicWall: https://www.sonicwall.com/Ubiquiti: https://ui.com/Proofpoint: https://www.p