#46 – From the Trenches: From Venezuela to a Profitable MSP (Alexis & Mariana – My PC Friends)

In this episode of From the Trenches on the BMK Vision Podcast, Josh Peterson sits down with Alexis and Mariana of My PC Friends for a conversation that captures something many MSP owners feel but rarely articulate: the difference between “working hard” and “building a business.” Their story is not simply a startup narrative—it is a case study in what happens when constraints force clarity. Immigration timelines, language barriers, banking friction, and early-market mismatch created pressure most MSP owners never face, yet that pressure exposed the same core truth that applies to every MSP: if you don’t intentionally package, price, sell, and review your services, you can stay busy forever without ever becoming stable.

What makes this episode valuable is the leadership pivot hiding inside the origin story. Alexis and Mariana didn’t win by finding a perfect tool, hiring a single superstar, or stumbling into a magical vertical. They won by shifting models: from break-fix survival to recurring-revenue execution, from “whoever needs help” to “the clients we are built to serve,” and from informal effort to intentional sales and account management. Along the way, they reframed what they once viewed as disadvantages—accent, language, outsider status—into differentiation, using bilingual trust and cultural fluency to serve business owners who often lacked foundational IT and cybersecurity discipline. If you want a practical lens on moving from survival to scale, this aligns directly with BMK’s guidance on building a structured client engagement strategy from onboarding to QBRs and strengthening decision-making through MSP financial visibility and financial consulting discipline. For MSPs that want those disciplines operationalized inside one system, explore Vision.

From break-fix hustle to recurring-revenue discipline

Most MSPs do not fail because they lack technical ability. They stall because they keep operating like a break-fix business while trying to charge like a managed service provider. Alexis and Mariana describe that early pain clearly: the first idea (serving retirees with break-fix support) was not merely “a tough market”—it was the wrong economic model. Break-fix makes you chase work. Managed services lets you design work.

The inflection point in their story happened at an event where the MSP model was explained as a complete business system: pricing, packaging, marketing, and financing. In other words, they didn’t discover a better way to do IT—they discovered a better way to run a company. That shift is the beginning of every scalable MSP: you stop selling hours and start selling outcomes, standards, and trust.

• Break-fix rewards urgency; managed services rewards structure
• Recurring revenue creates stability only when the service is standardized
• Pricing clarity is a leadership decision before it is a sales decision

The MSP problem this episode solves

There is a stage where an MSP becomes “real” but still feels fragile: a small team, a growing base of recurring clients, and enough revenue to breathe—but not enough operating rigor to feel in control. Alexis and Mariana are right on that line: approaching the $500K mark, profitable, and proving the business can run even when life demands a pause.

This episode addresses three common MSP challenges:

• Being busy without having consistent control over growth, margin, and focus
• Relying on referrals for the first phase of growth, then plateauing
• Knowing you need QBRs, prospecting, and financial targets—yet not having a cadence

What’s refreshing is that the solution is not presented as a “complex framework.” It is presented as a maturity process: clarify who you serve, build repeatable client communication, and choose to sell on purpose—especially when you don’t feel ready.

Differentiation isn’t branding—it’s trust and translation

A crowded MSP market tempts owners to chase generic positioning: “we do IT,” “we do cybersecurity,” “we respond fast.” Alexis and Mariana did something smarter. They leaned into a form of differentiation many MSPs overlook: trust. Their bilingual, bicultural advantage wasn’t just language—it was the ability to explain complex technical, financial, and contractual decisions in a way clients fully understood.

That created a wedge: Latin American-owned businesses often lacked foundational IT infrastructure and cybersecurity discipline, not because they were careless, but because they came from environments where regulation, audit pressure, and formalized standards function differently. My PC Friends didn’t just provide support—they provided interpretation, education, and confidence. That is advisory work, even before a formal vCIO title exists.

The next ceiling: intentional sales and real account management

Josh makes a point every mature MSP owner eventually has to confront: the first million can come from referrals and reputation, but the second phase requires deliberate outreach—meeting strangers and converting them into clients. That is not a “marketing tactic.” It is a leadership threshold. If you avoid selling, you eventually cap your business—no matter how strong your service delivery is.

At the same time, Josh draws a clean distinction many MSPs blur:

• Selling to strangers: prospecting, outreach, and presence in the market
• Selling to existing clients: account management that protects retention and expands value

Alexis and Mariana are already doing the most important early version of account management: showing up, building relationship equity, and staying visible even when “everything works.” The next step is formalizing that cadence—not to produce prettier reports, but to create predictable leadership touchpoints that keep the relationship proactive.

Financial maturity: revenue is not the finish line

One of the most practical moments in the episode is also one of the most overlooked in MSP growth: Mariana describes success as being able to step away when family demanded it—and the company kept running. That is operational leverage, not just revenue. But Josh rightly pushes the next maturity layer: don’t just chase the $1M number—define the net profit target that proves the business is healthy.

If an MSP can say, “We’re at $1M and we’re at 17%–20% net profit,” that means the business is pricing properly, managing delivery, and creating room for reinvestment. Revenue without margin is noise. Margin is clarity.

Episode highlights

• 00:00:11 – Overcoming initial doubts about accents and language by reframing them as strengths for serving their community.
• 00:03:51 – The MSP event that opened their eyes to recurring revenue and changed the trajectory of My PC Friends.
• 00:08:22 – Navigating immigration, licensing, and business setup in the U.S. with the help of mentors and local community.
• 00:15:09 – Identifying major gaps in IT infrastructure and cybersecurity among Latin American-owned businesses.
• 00:18:00 – Using bilingual communication to ensure clients fully understand technical, financial, and contractual details.
• 00:31:08 – Hitting profitability and approaching the $500K revenue mark with a small but growing team.
• 00:36:07 – Embracing intentional sales and prospecting as the engine to move from early success toward seven figures.

About the guests: Alexis & Mariana

Alexis and Mariana are the co-founders of My PC Friends, a Central Florida managed service provider that grew out of their shared journey from Venezuela to the United States. What began as a break-fix computer support venture serving local residents has evolved into a profitable MSP focused on helping small and midsize businesses modernize their IT, close cybersecurity gaps, and build more reliable technology foundations. As immigrants, they learned U.S. business rules, regulations, and financial systems from the ground up, relying on community, mentorship, and a commitment to continuous education.

Their bilingual, bicultural background has become a core differentiator: My PC Friends serves a growing base of Latin American-owned businesses while expanding into broader English-speaking markets. Alexis drives technical strategy and outward-facing sales, while Mariana leads finance, vendor management, and operations. Together, they are working toward the $1M revenue milestone with a focus on intentional prospecting, repeatable processes, and community-building.

🌐 Visit My PC Friends online →

🌐 Connect with Alexis on LinkedIn →
🌐 Connect with Mariana on LinkedIn →

About the host

Josh Peterson is the CEO of Bering McKinley and host of the BMK Vision Podcast. Through the From the Trenches series, Josh highlights MSP leaders who redefine growth through creativity, resilience, and genuine client connection.

🌐 Connect with Josh on LinkedIn →

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Frequently asked questions

How do I move from break-fix to a true MSP model?
By shifting from selling hours to selling a standardized service with clear packaging, recurring pricing, and a delivery cadence that doesn’t rely on emergencies.

What’s the fastest way to stall MSP growth after early success?
Relying entirely on referrals and avoiding intentional prospecting. The next stage requires meeting strangers and converting them into clients.

Do QBRs need to be formal reports to work?
No. The most effective QBRs are often conversational and outcome-focused—what’s changing in the business, what risks are rising, and what needs to be planned next.

How can a small MSP differentiate in a crowded market?
Through trust, clarity, and advisory communication—especially when you can translate technical decisions into business understanding clients actually act on.

What should MSP owners track beyond revenue?
Net profit targets and cash discipline. Revenue without margin creates false confidence; margin creates real capacity to hire, market, and scale.

Want to continue the conversation?

If you’re building an MSP that’s ready to move from survival to intentional scale—and you want help creating clarity, discipline, and execution—explore Vision or apply to be a guest on the podcast.

👉 Apply to be on the BMK Vision Podcast
👉 Learn more about Vision