Most small-business and MSP owners know hiring is mission-critical, yet still rely on gut feelings, rushed interviews, and contingency recruiters whose incentives don’t align with quality. In this episode, Josh Peterson talks with Fletcher Wimbush, CEO of Discovered, about how to replace guesswork with a proven, science-based hiring process that consistently produces A-players.

Guest Introduction

Fletcher Wimbush is the CEO and founder of Discovered, an AI-enabled performance hiring and applicant tracking system designed to help growing companies build better teams with less risk. Drawing on decades of experience, thousands of interviews, and validated assessment tools, Fletcher has developed FACTS-driven hiring systems that improve candidate quality, reduce turnover, and create high-performing teams across industries.

In this conversation, Josh and Fletcher dig into why traditional recruiting fails, how integrity and attitude must be measured early, and what a modern hiring funnel should really look like for MSPs and other small businesses.

• Exposing the broken incentives in contingency recruiting

• Defining “good” in a role: job analysis and performance-based job descriptions

• Why personality tools like DISC have limited value in hiring decisions

• Using integrity, attitude, and cognitive assessments without bias or shortcuts

• Structured interviews focused on significant accomplishments and hard evidence

• How to run reference checks that actually tell you the truth

• Generational myths vs. real hiring-process problems

• Designing working interviews and job tryouts that de-risk new hires

• Discovered’s flat-fee, de-risked recruiting model for small businesses

• Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fletcher-wimbush

• Company Website: https://www.discoveredats.com/

YouTube (Video Podcast):

https://www.youtube.com/@beringmckinleyvision?sub_confirmation=1

Learn More About the Vision Platform:

https://beringmckinley.com/vision

Apply to Be a Guest:

https://beringmckinley.com/bering-mckinley-podcast-blog

James Sanford, President and founder of Teamspring Technologies in North Georgia, joins Josh Peterson to talk about what the next evolution of MSP work really looks like when automation and AI are at the center. From his beginnings as a software engineer to building a family-run MSP serving Atlanta-area SMBs and nonprofits, James explains how recurring revenue, advisory work, and automation are reshaping his business.

[Guest Introduction]

James Sanford leads Teamspring Technologies, an MSP based in Sugar Hill, Georgia that has been supporting local businesses since 1999 with managed IT, cybersecurity, cloud, and VoIP services. In this conversation, James and Josh explore how MSP owners can turn repetitive work into automation, how AI will change service delivery and staffing, and why owners must decide whether to stay lifestyle-focused or intentionally scale toward generational wealth and leadership impact.

• Tracing James’ journey from software engineer to MSP owner and local IT partner

• Why recurring revenue—and not one-off projects—changed how he built Teamspring

• Real automation examples: CRM data enrichment, prospect research, and scoring

• Streamlining M365 onboarding/offboarding and documentation with forms and scripts

• How AI assistants and tools are already changing Level 1 and Level 2 support

• The emerging role of a dedicated automation engineer inside MSPs

• Choosing between a lifestyle MSP and building a scalable, multi-million-dollar firm

• Generational wealth, working with adult children, and developing leadership skills

• Using books, peer groups, and coaching to fuel the next stage of owner growth

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jksanford

Company Website: https://www.teamspring.us/

YouTube (Video Podcast):

https://www.youtube.com/@beringmckinleyvision?sub_confirmation=1

Learn More About the Vision Platform:

https://beringmckinley.com/vision

Apply to Be a Guest:

https://beringmckinley.com/bering-mckinley-podcast-blog

Host LinkedIn (Josh): https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshdpeterson/

Company LinkedIn (Bering McKinley): https://www.linkedin.com/company/bering-mckinley/

This episode dives deep into one of the most important conversations in the MSP industry today: the decision every owner must make—transform or exit.

Josh Peterson is joined by James Davis, a strategy advisor and fractional CSO helping APAC technology companies modernize their business models and unlock new growth.

James breaks down why MSPs remain stuck at the $1–2M ceiling, how mindset and identity prevent owners from scaling, and why advisory services, automation, and rethinking your value streams represent the biggest Blue Ocean opportunity the industry has ever seen.

• Why most MSPs plateau and how to break free

• The real difference between tactical and strategic MSPs

• Why lifestyle businesses are not a negative—and how to be intentional

• How to uncover an owner’s true motivation and purpose

• Future revenue streams: automation, advisory, and AI

• How to forecast realistically and identify risky revenue

• What Blue Ocean offerings look like for MSPs

• Why now is the most dangerous time to “wait and see”

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesdavis-strategy

Guest Website: (none listed publicly; LinkedIn primary profile)

YouTube (Video Podcast):

https://www.youtube.com/@beringmckinleyvision?sub_confirmation=1

Learn More About the Vision Platform:

https://beringmckinley.com/vision

Apply to Be a Guest:

https://beringmckinley.com/bering-mckinley-podcast-blog