How did Lisa transition from break-fix to managed services?

Lisa discovered managed services while searching for automation solutions online. After unsuccessful attempts with Dell and other platforms, she connected with N-able and worked closely with Stephanie Hammond, who mentored her through the recurring revenue model. The transition required building trust with early clients in rural Ohio, where personal relationships and community connections were essential. She emphasizes that having industry information but not proof made trust critical in those early conversions.

What marketing strategies does Lisa recommend for MSPs?

Lisa advocates for a data-driven, numbers-based approach to marketing. She works backward from client acquisition goals (e.g., three new clients per month) to determine required qualified leads, appointments, and database size. She emphasizes consistency and measurement, insisting that marketing partners must demonstrate clear ROI. She also recommends networking across diverse industries—not just IT conferences—to gather ideas and insights that can be applied to MSP growth.

What qualities does Lisa look for when hiring technicians?

Lisa prioritizes personality and cultural fit over pure technical credentials. She looks for technicians who are geeky, love camaraderie, and can build genuine client relationships. She discovered that technicians who game together tend to work well in her office environment. For professional services roles, she seeks 'chameleon' personalities who can adapt to different client environments. She emphasizes that finding the right cultural fit took time and several hiring iterations to refine.

From Corporate IT to MSP Owner: Lisa Niekamp-Urwin's Journey

Name: From Corporate IT to MSP Owner: Lisa Niekamp-Urwin's Journey
Uploaded: 2026-05-11T18:06:07-04:00
Duration: 24 min 8 s
Description: Lisa Niekamp-Urwin, the founder, president, and CEO of Tomorrow's Technology Today, a full-service IT support company based in St. Henry, Ohio, shares her inspiring journey from climbing the corporate ladder to becoming a successful MSP (Managed Servi...

N-able

05/11/2026

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TL;DR

Lisa Niekamp-Urwin founded Tomorrow's Technology Today after corporate layoffs and glass ceilings, securing her first client by proposing to start her business while continuing to serve her employer—a manufacturing company she still supports today.
Her transition to managed services came through N-able and mentorship from Stephanie Hammond, who helped her understand the recurring revenue model and build trust with early clients in rural Ohio's manufacturing sector.
Lisa emphasizes that marketing success requires consistency, data-driven decision-making, and clear ROI measurement—she invested heavily in marketing starting in 2010-2011 and treats it as a numbers game working backward from client acquisition goals.
Her hiring philosophy prioritizes cultural fit and personality over pure technical credentials, seeking geeky, collaborative technicians who can build genuine client relationships—an approach that has retained her founding employee to this day.
Looking forward, Lisa is exploring MSP collaboration opportunities to build shared platforms, recognizing that growth is essential in an industry facing client consolidation and emphasizing that discomfort and risk-taking are necessary for business evolution.

From Corporate Programming to MSP Entrepreneurship

Lisa Niekamp-Urwin's journey into MSP ownership began with a career in Oracle database administration and project management, where she earned a master's degree in project management while climbing the corporate ladder. After experiencing layoffs during the 2001 construction industry downturn and hitting glass ceilings in corporate environments, she found herself working in quality control at a manufacturing company—a role that didn't align with her IT expertise. With encouragement from her supportive husband, she made the leap to entrepreneurship by approaching her employer with a proposition: she would start her own IT business with them as her first client. This strategic move gave her immediate revenue and a foundation to build Tomorrow's Technology Today, a full-service IT support company based in St. Henry, Ohio.

Building a Managed Services Practice

Lisa's transition from break-fix to managed services came through persistent exploration and mentorship from N-able's Stephanie Hammond, who guided her through the recurring revenue model. After false starts with Dell and other platforms, she found success with N-able's managed services framework. The shift required building trust with early clients in rural Ohio, where personal relationships and community connections proved essential. Lisa focused heavily on the manufacturing sector, finding alignment between her team's personalities and the passionate, hands-on culture of manufacturing clients. Her approach to hiring emphasized cultural fit and personality—particularly seeking technicians who were geeky, collaborative, and could build genuine relationships with clients.

Marketing, Growth, and Future Collaboration

Lisa recognized early (2010-2011) that marketing required dedicated investment and a data-driven approach. She emphasizes that successful marketing is fundamentally about numbers—working backward from desired client acquisition goals to determine required database size, qualified leads, and activities. Her philosophy centers on consistency and measurement, insisting that any marketing partner must demonstrate clear ROI. Looking ahead, Lisa is exploring collaboration opportunities with other MSPs to build a shared platform, recognizing that growth is essential in an industry facing client consolidation and M&A activity. She remains energized by networking at industry conferences, drawing insights from diverse sources including her husband's commercial roofing industry, and maintains her founding employee—a testament to her commitment to creating a workplace culture focused on giving her team a great life.

Chapters

0:00 - Introduction and Background
1:48 - Early Career in IT
3:57 - Starting Tomorrow's Technology Today
6:39 - Company Name Origin
9:27 - Transition to Managed Services
13:02 - Building Team and Culture
16:43 - Marketing Strategies for MSPs
19:36 - Conference Networking and Learning
22:01 - Future Plans and Collaboration

Key Quotes

5:06 "My husband, he is so supportive. He said, Lisa, you've always wanted your own business. You've always wanted your own corner office. Why don't you make your own? ..."
5:19 "I went to the owner, and I said, hey, I'd love to start a business. I'd love to have you as my first client, and I promise, the rest of my life, I will take the best care of you I've ever, and I still do."
11:41 "That reoccurring revenue, that's okay. I think as an owner, it's okay to want money, and then I can do with it what I want."
17:11 "You gotta do it. There's so many that they start into the marketing, and it's hard work, you know, it's hard work just like tech is, and you gotta love it, you gotta find somebody that's passionate about it, and you just gotta do it."
18:56 "Whoever you partner with to do any of your marketing, if they tell you they can't give you an ROI, run fast, because marketing is all about ROI."
24:26 "Take a risk, take a risk. You know, if you're uncomfortable, if you're not uncomfortable, you're not growing and it's okay to take a risk. It's okay to fail, but you gotta learn from that failure."

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