Rob Rae is the Corporate Vice President of Community and Ecosystems for Pax8. They’re a cloud marketplace for future-focused managed service providers (MSP). After 20 years in the channel, Rob has a lot of advice on how to build better MSP ecosystems.
An Interview With Rob Rae
Watch the Video Interview With Rob Rae
Rob’s Role at Pax8
Prior to joining the Pax8 team, Rob worked at Datto for several years. He really enjoyed his job, but he wanted to make an impact at another company. And as he says, what he liked about Pax8 was what he liked about Datto – innovative vendors.
organization.
“The channel is innovating all the time. Things don’t stay the same. And I was excited about what Pax8 were doing – they’re really creating something new. And they’re putting the MSP at the centre of it,” says Rob.
The Culture at Pax8
Again, Rob draws parallels between Datto and Pax8: “Like many large organisations, we’ve been through a journey together and hit a level of maturity. So that makes us like a family. But of course, that’s not sustainable, because sometimes you have to lay people off.
“The culture starts out as ‘we’re all working together’ but you have to plan for the future, too. So both companies have built a place where people want to come in and work. The staff enjoy being there, and they know they’re supported.
“But you have to work at that, and pay attention to the little things. Because happy employees means happy customers. That has to be your starting point. We have three pillars for every single interaction – people, product, profit. If people are happy – internally and externally – then the other two will follow on.”
The Day to Day Tasks to Help Partners Grow MSP Ecosystems
Rob says that his role has two main elements: the community and the MSP ecosystem. He explains: “The events that I organise are important, but they’re just a mechanism to engage with people.
“So we work hard on the message we want to share with people, and how we communicate that. We do that through our own content and by appearing on podcasts like this one. And for me, I want to be a good member of the community.
“I watch forums and chat boards to keep an eye on what’s happening from an MSP perspective. Are they unhappy about things that vendors are doing? How can we help with that? Because we don’t want to become a huge, faceless company. We want partners and MSPs to know that we care about them.”
How Community Grows MSP Ecosystems
The managed services community is unique, Rob believes, and very different to that of other industries. “And there are a couple of reasons for that which can be hard to explain: “Especially as we’re getting people coming into the industry from other places.
“Firstly, we work together, including competitors. And we share information and advice – on a global basis. The community does well together, because we’re all committed to helping each other.
“And from a vendor point of view, especially at Pax8, we lean into this. So we ask ‘how can we help our partners grow’? What can we do to help them, and in turn help the rest of the community too? It’s all about growth for us. And being truly helpful.”
A Key Learning From Rob’s Time in the Industry
Even with rapid developments in technology, building new solutions takes time. Rob gives an example from early on in his career: “I was part of a company that was an RMM (remote monitoring and management) platform. It took a long time to build it.
“And we had to sell it early on, so we could improve it. So we’d have a release and people would complain for six months because there were bugs. Then we’d fix it and it would be great for another six months, until we came out with the next version.
“But even though customers weren’t always happy, we cared. We had honest, transparent conversations with them so they knew what was going on. I learned a lot from that on how to work in the channel. And the community as a whole wants to make sure nobody fails. So even if they’re annoyed, they’ll support you.”
How to be a Better Leader
Rob has two examples that he shares: Firstly, he says, if you’re going to be a leader, then making no decision is worse than making a bad decision. “If someone asks for help, give them a straight answer. Procrastinating won’t make them go away.
“Second, think about how you portray yourself to your staff. For me, I want to be friendly and approachable. Ask them about their lives, so they know you care. And respect their boundaries – don’t contact them at weekends or late at night.”
How to Connect With Rob Rae
- Pax8
- Follow Pax8 on Twitter
- Like Pax8 on Facebook
- Follow Pax8 on LinkedIn
- Email Rob
- Connect with Rob on Facebook
- Connect with Rob on LinkedIn
How to Connect With Me
- Subscribe to TubbTalk RSS feed
- Subscribe, rate and review TubbTalk on iTunes
- Subscribe and rate TubbTalk on Spotify
- Follow TubbTalk on iHeartRadio
- Follow @tubblog on Twitter
Mentioned in This Episode
- Cybersecurity and backup: Datto
- MSP Technology and IT Management: ConnectWise
- IT & security management: Kaseya
- Podcast: Rob Rae bonusode
- Dan Wensley, Operating Advisor, Top Down Ventures; Strategic Advisor, ScalePad
- Cybersecurity and data protection tool: Acronis
- IT certifications and training: CompTIA
- MSP peer group: The Tech Tribe
- Austin McChord, Chief Executive Officer at Casana
- Charlie Tomeo from Rewst
- Paul Redding at CyberQP
- Scott Barlow, Sophos NextGen Cybersecurity Channel Sales Leader
- Jason Magee
- Nadia Karatsoreos, Channel Sales and Marketing Specialist, n-Able
- Christine Gassman, VP of Community at Mailprotector
- Pax8 Beyond 2025
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Richard Tubb is one of the best-known experts within the global IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) community. He launched and sold his own MSP business before creating a leading MSP media and consultancy practice. Richard helps IT business owner’s take back control by freeing up their time and building a business that can run without them. He’s the author of the book “The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide” and writer of the award-winning blog www.tubblog.co.uk
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