Josh Hobein, manager of cybersecurity and automation at Centrex IT, discusses how MSPs can be run like five-star restaurants by prioritizing service, empathy, and experience over mere SLA “checkbox” performance.
Drawing on his background in restaurant management, he explains how hospitality skills translate to tier-one helpdesk and why culture is defined by what leaders tolerate, requiring top-down standards, accountability, recognition, and sometimes letting misaligned people go; Centrex’s ESOP model also supports ownership and buy-in.
On security, he describes a simplified five-stage maturity model built from cyber insurance requirements and CIS controls (favoring CIS for its programmatic implementation groups) to help non-technical owners understand progress via a roadmap.
He cautions against fear-only security selling, advocating education-based conversations, and emphasizes business-decision-focused tabletop exercises (including IRGame.ai) plus the importance of cyber insurance and minimum security baselines.
Check out a scene from The Bear that demonstartes what choosing excellence looks like.
This episode is brought to you by Opsleader Pro. A place for MSP owners and managers to get the systems and tools they need to build a stable and growing MSP. Part group coaching, part peer group, everything you need to run a successful MSP.
- (00:00) – Meet Josh Hobein
- (00:41) – Michelin Star MSP Mindset
- (02:25) – Hospitality to Helpdesk
- (04:39) – Service That Wins Loyalty
- (06:56) – Beyond SLAs With XLAs
- (09:36) – Leading Culture and Standards
- (13:06) – From IT to Restaurants Back
- (19:13) – Frameworks Without Jargon
- (22:11) – Five Stage Security Maturity
- (23:28) – Maturity Model Roadmap
- (24:57) – Fear vs Education Sales
- (26:00) – Dark Web Scan Reality
- (29:02) – Trust Through Assessments
- (30:17) – Cyber Insurance Minimums
- (32:26) – Walking Away From Risk
- (33:04) – Waivers and Enforceability
- (34:41) – Minimum Standards and Compromises
- (36:28) – Tabletops for Executives
- (39:13) – Roleplay High Stakes Decisions
- (41:15) – Practice Like a Restaurant Rush
- (42:16) – Next Monday Action Steps
- (43:39) – Closing and Resources
