You may not know how to pronounce Dan Tomaszewski’s last name (it’s Tom-uh-chef-ski), but what he’s all about is easy to say: R-O-I.
As executive vice president of channel enablement/MSP enablement for Kaseya, Tomaszewski is passionate about helping MSPs see faster and higher returns on their technology investment. A former award-winning CEO of an MSP, Tomaszewski is recognized as one of the 50 most influential channel chiefs today.
He found his calling—helping MSPs grow their businesses—when he lost a contest.
A Fast Starter
As an MSP, Tomaszewski was chosen as a finalist in TMT’s 2018 Better Your Best annual contest aimed at motivating MSPs to be the best they can be. He had grown his company from zero to $2 million in one and a half years. “That explosive growth came from me being involved in the TMT community as an MSP,” he explains. “I was heavily involved.”
He didn’t win the contest, but the experience awakened something inside him that was better and more exciting than winning. MSPs started asking him to coach them, and Tomaszewski felt energized and excited.
“They weren’t having the same success and wanted to know how I grew my company so fast,” he recalls. “I had so many people reaching out that I knew I needed to go do this for a living. I love talking to people and realized that what I enjoy most is teaching and helping MSPs. I love conversations with MSPs. I feel totally blessed and honored …where I’m at and that I have the trust and the relationship with so many MSPs now. I’m privileged to help them grow their business daily.”
After selling his MSP, Tomaszewski joined ID Agent, a digital risk solutions provider, as vice president of channel. When Kaseya bought ID Agent, he became Kaseya’s executive vice president of channel enablement/MSP enablement. At that time, Fred Voccola, CEO of Kaseya, told him, “We want you to enable our MSPs across all our products. We need you to build a team and grow it.”
Tomaszewski now leads a team and a channel program across all Kaseya’s business lines and 40,000-plus customers. Under his leadership for the past five and a half years, the department has grown from five people to 60.
Teach Them How To Fish
Today, Tomaszewski oversees programs directly impacting MSPs, such as Kaseya’s Powered Services, which helps MSPs go to market. Intimately familiar with the daily struggles of an MSP from his own experience, he wanted to teach MSPs “how to fish.”
“Vendors tell you that you’re going to make all this money when you sign up, which can be true,” he explains. “But the reality is when an MSP signs up, too often they simply have too much to do and don’t know how to put that into play.”
Tomaszewski also runs the Powered Services podcast. “It’s all about the MSPs. It’s all about their brand. And it’s coming from a thought leadership perspective,” Tomaszewski says. “We’ve changed the focus because we know the customers that our MSPs are trying to sell to don’t know the industry.”
Tomaszewski’s role is to ensure Kaseya delivers on its promise so that its customers see success quickly and easily.
“We want to help MSPs put things in place profitably, so they never look back a year later and say, ‘we never did anything with this,’” he says. “We want to teach them how to implement, get prospects, and close them so they can replicate that and be successful.”
In building his team, Tomaszewski brought on former MSP CEOs to work with Kaseya’s MSP clients. He also created a program that helps MSPs with pricing, packaging, and marketing.
“Our program shows them how to do the different daily activities that help them see success early on,” he says. “And because I’ve been in their shoes, it makes it easier to fine-tune programs that will help folks grow their business.”
The IT Complete Vision
In the dynamic environment of IT today, MSPs find themselves wearing many hats—from being tech-savvy problem solvers to strategic consultants for their clients. They are expected to ensure operational efficiency, preemptively mitigate risks, and drive digital transformation.
“When Fred took over, he had this vision of making it easier and more profitable for MSPs by putting everything in one place,” Tomaszewski says. “And that’s the story of IT Complete.”
The IT Complete platform is basically a one-stop shop. It has every tool and solution that an MSP needs all in one place. There is one consolidated bill, which Kaseya attests is 30% lower than buying services individually. And, with just one account manager, they’ve significantly simplified the process so that when an MSP needs support, they only need one place to go.
“If you think about the average MSP, they are working with 17 to 24 vendors,” Tomaszewski explains. “When new features are released every month, every quarter… you’re likely missing things. Then, add billing. You’ve got 24 different account managers and 24 different invoices. I remember those days, and it’s A LOT. Fred spearheaded this vision—to create the one place where MSPs can go and be able to service all the needs of their customers—done affordably, so MSPs are putting more profit back into their bottom line. He’s [continually] delivered this vision every time he took the stage. It’s a big thing, and now it’s become a reality.”
Tomaszewski adds, “If I had IT Complete when I was an MSP, I would have gotten a lot farther, faster, and been a lot more profitable.”
Furthermore, because Kaseya owns the technology, the tools are more deeply integrated. “A lot of folks have API integration where they can transfer a few things. But we can make the products talk to each other in ways you can’t do unless you own it,” he notes.
“It’s driving more efficiency for MSP technicians,” Tomaszewski says. “It’s giving you more workflow that you don’t need a body to do. The platforms just do it for you automatically, which is way more efficient.”
Now that IT Complete is a reality, Kaseya is working to make the platform better and stronger.
“The pedal is down even more to accelerate IT Complete and bring game-changing things to the industry,” Tomaszewski says. “In 2024, we are going to do things the industry hasn’t seen before. I think MSPs are going to be super stoked when they see what we’re working towards.”
Beyond Solutions – Building Strong Relationships
“Thinking about how to build and grow MSPs is something that is a passion of mine,” Tomaszewski says. “Since I came to this side of the channel, I’m helping owners with daily things that I struggled with at one time. And I’m showing them a path that’s clear. Not always easy, but a clear path to success and teaching them along the way.”
Tomaszewski and his team are creative in getting the word out about the free money and resources Kaseya provides to MSPs too.
“We feel that if an MSP is out there marketing and doing things, that’s a win for them. But it’s a win for us as a vendor as well because they’re going to be buying more licenses, so when they win, we win.”
Recognize Trends And Lean into Them
Tomaszewski says Kaseya can help MSPs navigate the complex IT landscape.
“Some trends we see internally through account changes, migrations, and some are through activities we do,” Tomaszewski says. “We were one of the first to really announce the trend of M&A and come out with an event on that topic because we saw those calls coming in from our clients.”
The executive team at Kaseya also conducts meetings with customers, allowing them to understand their needs and challenges and spot trends firsthand.
“Every executive is required to do what we call ‘executive pulse checks’ with customers,” Tomaszewski says. “This is where each executive meets with a customer one to one for 30 minutes.”
Don’t Forget To Have Fun
From a transformative journey that began with a contest loss, Tomaszewski’s relentless commitment to MSP empowerment is inspiring.
At the helm of enablement services, Tomaszewski’s goal is to ensure that MSPs are fortified with the tools, strategies, and insights they need to succeed.
“Kaseya is in it for the long haul with our MSP partners,” he emphasizes.
While on that journey, Tomaszewski says it’s also essential not to take yourself too seriously.
“I’ve learned that you’ve got to have fun,” he concludes. “When you do, prospects and customers get excited and feel your energy.”
