Articles By Jim Roddy

  1. The Next Generation Of Point Of Sale VARs 10/11/2016

    LavuCon 2016, the annual partner conference for iPad POS vendor Lavu, included a few surprises for me. Most notably, of the several dozen VARs who attended, about half were under 40 years of age – a much younger group than the typical point of sale show. Vendors such as Lavu have attracted a younger, iEverything generation to our channel.

  2. Pre-INSPIRE Homework Shortcut: "Roadside MBA" Book Review 9/30/2016

    The Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA) INSPIRE Conference 2017 will feature the three authors of the business book Roadside MBA. Whether you’re attending or not, you’ll want to read the book in advance of the event.

  3. Rapidly Shifting Channel On Display At VARTECH 2016 9/15/2016

    It’s easy to focus on the fun aspects of VARTECH 2016, BlueStar’s annual conference for its partners, held Sept. 12-13 at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. For example, I bet that just now the word in the previous sentence that jumped out to you was either “Bahamas” or “Resort,” right?

  4. 11 Fast Thoughts From RetailNOW 2016 8/8/2016

    I spent nearly six full days in Dallas attending RetailNOW 2016, but it went by like a blur. Let me try to share with you some highlights from what I saw and heard July 29-Aug. 3.

  5. Secrets To A Candid Work Culture Revealed At RetailNOW 8/1/2016

    Do you really know each of your employees' greatest needs? Their biggest frustrations? What would cause them to leave? What would increase their engagement at work?

  6. Epson, BlueStar Execs Analyze The Channel's “Mobility Metamorphosis” 6/14/2016

    The “Mobility Metamorphosis” breakout session May 18 at the Retail IT VAR Of The Future Conference in Chicago featured insights from two veteranl channel executives: Luis Artiz, Group Product Manager, Epson America Inc. and Jason R. Firment, Director of POS and VARCOM,  BlueStar.

  7. Growing MSPs Share Advantages Of ASCII Membership 6/6/2016

    Three successful managed services providers (MSPs) detailed how The ASCII Group has benefitted their businesses during a lively panel discussion at Business Solutions’ Channel Transitions Conference June 2 in Philadelphia.

  8. E-Myth Author Gerber Sounds Wake-Up Call For VAR, MSP Owners 5/10/2016

    In addition to being recognized worldwide as a small business guru, Michael Gerber is known for his straight talk. And he’s eager for solution provider owners to be candid with themselves and embrace their reality as well. In a recent interview with Business Solutions President Jim Roddy, Gerber said, “Until the straight talk happens, until somebody pulls the chain, until somebody says something that strikes (VARs and MSPs) so deeply that they can't avoid it or ignore it any longer, nothing's going to change for them.

  9. From ASCII Milwaukee: Build A Better Brand Through SOPs 4/28/2016

    I can’t keep up with Karl Palachuk. Recognized in our channel as a managed services pioneer and the owner of solution provider advisor Small Biz Thoughts, Palachuk dispensed an avalanche of wisdom today at the ASCII Success Summit in Milwaukee, so much that I couldn’t capture it all.

  10. VAR Lesson From ASCII Milwaukee: Laser Focus On A Market 4/28/2016

    At the ASCII Success Summit in Milwaukee today, C.J. Ezell, CEO of managed services provider PointClear Networks, gave an encore performance of his 2015 ASCII presentation titled “Adding Dental Integration To Your Managed Services Practice.”