🎙️ Before you plan 2027, score 2026. In the first chapter of our 4th Quarter Living series, Paco Lebron welcomes Rick Smith and Nancy Henriquez as co-hosts for the rest of 2026 and into 2027. The three of them take inventory of the year: the wins, the plays they would not run again, how AI changed the way they work, and how each of them plans to unplug before the new year.
Nancy shares what she is learning from her first acquisition, Rick talks about starting a new company from scratch, and Paco opens up about standardizing systems across an MSP roll-up. Real talk for growing MSP owners, under $1M with 10 or fewer techs.
What You'll Learn:
Why spending your first 30, 60, or 90 days on product learning instead of execution can slow you down
How to plan without overplanning, and why perfectionism is a mask for procrastination
Why profit is the heartbeat of your business and how cash flow makes or breaks you
How Rick and Nancy are using AI this year, from research and admin help to an AI digital twin that checks processes against agreements
Why getting more out of your existing client relationships beats always chasing new leads
How to unplug, take time off, and build a business that does not own you
⏱️ Chapters:
00:00 Intro and meet the co-hosts
01:37 Catching up on 2026
04:00 Wins and plays we won't run again
09:29 Plan, pivot, and perfectionism
13:51 Profit is the heartbeat
17:06 How AI changed the way we work
26:55 Getting more from existing clients
28:35 What Paco has been working on
35:32 How we plan to unplug
41:27 If all roads lead to you, and wrap up
Featuring hosts Paco Lebron, Rick Smith, and Nancy Henriquez.
What's one play you ran this year that you won't run again in 2027? Drop it in the comments.
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MSP Unplugged is the weekly podcast for growing MSP owners, under $1M with 10 or fewer techs.
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