The MSP channel speaks its own language. I’ve spent years learning its dialect, not from the outside, but from deep inside the ecosystem where SaaS founders either earn trust or get ignored.

I’ve watched exceptional products stall in the MSP space for one reason. Not because they didn’t work, but because they weren’t understood. MSPs don’t buy vision decks or clever positioning. They buy solutions to real operational problems, clearly articulated, in language that respects their reality.

Today, I operate at the intersection of systems and story.

I serve as Chief of Staff at Cyft, where we’re building Sam, an AI teammate that remembers service calls so technicians don’t have to. Documentation just happens. She remembers what humans shouldn’t have to carry. My role focuses on building the operational backbone that allows that promise to scale with integrity. Structure, decision clarity, and the quiet infrastructure that makes products usable in the real world.

Alongside that work, I’m a co-founder of CMND Media, where I help MSP-focused SaaS founders translate their expertise into messaging that actually moves sales conversations forward. No jargon. No buzzwords. Just clear narratives built for a channel that values practicality over hype.

I specialize in three things that matter most to MSP-aligned startups:
	•	Channel-aware go-to-market strategy that respects how MSPs buy
	•	Growth planning that accounts for partner complexity, not just theory
	•	Messaging that resonates with owners juggling fifty priorities, not marketing trends

My simple offer has not changed.
If MSPs don’t understand why your solution matters, I can help fix that.

No filler. No noise. Just clarity that converts.

Katie Vreeland

Experienced IT Operations/Service Manager and Operations Process Designer/Implementer. 
Armchair MSP Revenue Booster expert 💰
Service GM% Advocate
Profitability Percentage PITA Person 😤
Occasional Speaker and Frequent Presenter
MSP Reddit Frequent Poster 🔥
Professional annoyer of MSP CEO's
Continued Client Success Survivor
6x Gold Medal 🥇 Winning Vendor Aggravator of the Year

Dean Trempelas

Sitting in an airport right now, listening to a mom confidently explain to her teenage daughter that her airpod charger is “definitely not USB.”

The daughter calmly keeps trying to explain that it is USB-C, and that she already has the cable.

Five uninterrupted minutes later, USB has been fully redefined, incorrectly, with absolute confidence.

That’s the help desk experience in a nutshell:
someone asking for help while explaining the problem wrong, loudly, and with conviction.





Update: the headphones remain uncharged.

Slide prep for yesterday's Managing Up turned into an unexpected side quest.

I grabbed a few of my favorite photos from past MSPGeek, Inc. GeekCon's years and ran them through AI to see what they’d look like in a Saved by the Bell–ish late 80s/early 90s universe.

The result: “What if MSPGeekCon was a early 90's-era conference?”

I kept the originals mostly intact… though the AI did what AI does and invented a few bonus humans in a couple shots. So if you don’t remember that person, it’s not you, it’s the robots. 🤣

If you spot yourself: say hi.
If you want the originals: tell me which photo and I’ll share it.
Which one is your favorite?

#FriendshipFriday
I work remotely at Empath, which means it’s rare that I get to see the entire ELT in the same place at the same time.

Every once in a while, though, I get to break into the Empath zoo and hang out with my fellow Elephants in person. 

Annuals do that, they turn Slack avatars and Teams tiles back into actual humans with personalities, energy, ideas, and quirks that don’t fully translate through a webcam.

I genuinely like remote work and I’m comfortable alone; I’m productive that way.
But this week was a good reminder that even the most remote-friendly among us still need real, in-person connection now and then. Seeing people laugh, argue, brainstorm, and exist in the same physical space hits differently.

So here’s your gentle nudge:
If you can, make time this year to go see your humans.
Break into the zoo. Hang out with your people.

#FriendshipFriday
A lot is happening right now; Pick the scale, headline, or geography.
It’s hard to find anyone who’s having a great time with it.

Most of us want to do something when things feel like this, something big, and meaningful that 𝒇𝒊𝒙𝒆𝒔 things. Realistically, that moment probably isn’t coming for most of us, and that’s not for a lack of trying; it’s just statistically unlikely. (𝘐 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘟 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘸)

𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮:
Do one small, kind thing today that you wouldn’t normally do. 

For someone else, for yourself, for the space you’re in...something quiet. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒅.

That’s how the net amount of good actually increases; not through grand gestures, but through consistent, ordinary ones.

We won’t fix everything, but we can make things a little better than they were a few minutes ago.

Thank you, all of you, for your consistent acts of kindness 🥰

Tara Wes Mary 💟 Will Meg Cassie Kass Alex Hunter Jonathan Kyle Ashley {{Kevin Dustin Steve Dustin Kelvin Kate Mendy Erik [Amanda Princess Mark David Anna Alexandria Matthew Tatum Keith Christopher Heather Katie Violet Jessica Ben Tim

It used to be My Computer, and now it’s This PC, “mine” turned into “ours” pretty fast.
So who exactly is “this” now, me, Microsoft, my MDM, or my AI copilot?







Somewhere between telemetry, policies, and assistants, I stopped being the owner and became the operator. 😡

Way back in engineering school, I had a class on communication that first put the idea in my head that even though we were to be engineers and were therefore objectively correct, not everyone would want to roll over that easy 🤣

Later on when I entered the IT space, books like "Surrounded by Idiots" and the amazing Don Crawly's "Dealing with Difficult End Users" really cemented the idea in my head that it was incumbent on me to figure out how to change my communication style when working with "jerks". 

11 years later, 2 attempts at "Emotional Intelligence 2.0", and repeated reading of Kim Scott's "Radical Candor" and I can finally say, that I sort of maybe have a plan for what to do when you're an engineer and you want to choke your end-user with a USB cable because they are being so difficult. 
🤬🙏😌

If you haven't picked up on it yet, the "Jerks" is you AND the user 🤣

Ever notice how “just be nice” stops working when a client is heated, a system is down, and everyone wants answers now?

Most MSP pros are taught to soften everything. 
Apologize more. Pad the message. Keep it friendly.

That works… until it doesn’t. 
Especially in urgent, tense, or uncooperative situations.

In Dean Trempelas' newest course inside Empath, "Soft Skills for Jerks" he'll help guide you in building a second communication gear for those moments when clarity and authority matter more than pleasantries.

What you’ll walk away with:
🔷 How to communicate under pressure without sounding aggressive
🔷 Practical ways to use clear, declarative language that reduces pushback
🔷 How to show empathy without over-apologizing or weakening your position
🔷 Knowing when to stay soft and when to switch to direct, based on the situation

Explore the course here exclusively on Empath:
👉 https://hubs.la/Q03-qxQJ0

We recently wrapped our Empath 2026 leadership on-site in Tampa, which, as everyone knows, is the 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗲𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆 where SaaS roadmaps can be responsibly synergized into paradigm-roadmaps.

The week was highly productive, thoughtfully structured, and grounded in a strong commitment to alignment, clarity, and functional-forward momentum. W.A.K. did an excellent job creating space for strategic discussion, cross-functional calibration, and meaningful reflection on where Empath is headed next.

As expected, we covered a lot of ground, pressure-tested assumptions, identified key themes, and translated dialogue into actionable next steps that will guide execution over the coming quarters. A deliberate focus this year was operating with increased rigor and discipline as Empath continues to mature and position itself for its next phase of growth.

As usual, I grabbed a few photos throughout the week to capture some of the working sessions and moments in between, sharing a small sample here.

𝑨𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅. ▶️

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