384: Interview With Jon Brown, founder & CEO of Grove Technologies

Topics:

• This week we welcome Jon Brown of Grove Technologies and VIP sponsor of Command Control Power!

• Jon takes us through his path of leaving a 9-to-5 job and starting a consultancy to fill a visible void.

• Grove Technologies started by focusing on organizations that had internal IT and could use supplemental support.

• Joe knows the feeling of not being able to take time off when you are a team of one.

• Grove Technologies is currently a team of 3 full time people and additional 1099 contractors.

• A problem we know all too well - customers reaching out to Jon personally. He turned to Apple Business Chat.

• Joe & Jon swap stories about taking over another consultancy’s business/client list.

• Their sweet spot of size of client is between 5 and 25 users.

• When transitioning a new client away from a PC MSP, it started them down a path of a partnership acquisition opportunity.

• Jon is very forthcoming about the talks about selling his company.

• He also reelizes his bookkeeping practices and business hygiene wasn’t where he wanted them to be.

• Once presented with a business valuation, he ultimately decided to continue building his business. He also learned a few key things that they were looking for.

• We learn about the EBITDA method of a business valuation.

• We discuss the race to the bottom that seems to be the model of PC MSPs.

• Jon talks about needing to contribute to the community in order to be able to reap the benefits of that community.

• Part of a value of a company is how much clients rely on the actual person selling.

• Jon also discusses an opportunity to join forces with fellow Apple consultancies.

• After the acquisition didn’t move forward, Jon was approached about an “acqui-hire”.

• Sam proposes joining forces in CT and become Command Control Power Consulting.