#27 - From The Trenches - Pick a Lane - Account Management & MSP Focus (John Snyder)

In this From The Trenches episode, John Snyder, CEO of Net Friends, joins Josh Peterson to share how he earned ownership as a non-founder and why every MSP must pick a lane. John unpacks the dangers of trying to be a services firm, VAR, and software shop all at once—and how focusing on MSP infrastructure services clarified margins, delivery, and brand.

We explore a practical redesign of account management (moving beyond the single-AM bottleneck to a distributed, trackable model), where roles for sales, relationships, and operational improvement are separated. John also digs into customer-facing automation—especially HR onboarding/offboarding workflows—and makes the case for treating marketing as a growth engine, recommending ~8% of revenue to attract talent and customers.

For deeper dives on focus, AM, and automation, see these related guides: Account Management & QBRs, MSP Growth Tactics, and Automation that Clients Feel.

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Episode Highlights

• 00:00:00 – From science burnout to MSP leadership via Duke University IT support.
• 00:03:01 – Non-founder to owner: earning equity through agency and vision.
• 00:16:38 – Pick a lane: abandoning “be everything” for MSP infrastructure focus.
• 00:31:20 – Customer-facing automation: start with HR onboarding/offboarding.
• 00:42:09 – Account Management 2.0: replace single-AM bottlenecks with a distributed model.
• 00:50:57 – Three AM roles: sales, relationship, and operational improvement.
• 01:01:34 – Marketing matters: aim ~8% of revenue for growth and recruiting.

About the Guest

John Snyder is the CEO of Net Friends. His path from technician to owner (without founding the company) highlights how influence, clarity, and sustained execution can earn equity—and shape a focused, modern MSP.

🌐 Connect with John on LinkedIn →

About the Host

Josh Peterson is the CEO of Bering McKinley and host of the BMK Vision Podcast. Through From The Trenches, Josh surfaces honest, tactical stories from MSP leaders building resilient, profitable firms.

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