In Episode 135 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks leadership with two startup founders/CEOs: Philip Wegner of TechGrid and Shawn Harris of Coworked. Among the topics discussed are the differences between leading at an established company vs. a startup, how to navigate early-stage turbulence, and how to establish and maintain a “demo…

In Episode 134 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks with Jim Hilton, Director of Networks and Connectivity at distributor BlueStar. Among the topics discussed are networking and connectivity opportunities for retail and hospitality VARs, what VARs need internally to seize these opportunities, how these technologies generate recurring …

In Episode 133 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy shares his insights on Critical Thinking, both as an important leadership concept as well as the six-step Critical Thinking execution process. Critical Thinking is the process of determining what you want to accomplish (the outcomes), evaluating what you know, and determining what actions …

In Episode 132 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks with RSPA General Counsel Atty. Jill Miller about the latest developments related to the Corporate Transparency Act. “The Trusted Advisor,” powered by the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), is an award-winning content series designed specifically for retail IT VARs and so…

In Episode 131 of “The Trusted Advisor,” POS Nation VP of Customer Experience Will Atkinson, BlueStar VP of Marketing Dean Reverman, and RSPA CEO Jim Roddy analyze the 2025 RSPA Retail IT Channel KPI Study. Atkinson, Reverman, and Roddy discuss better-than-expected 2024 revenue numbers, VAR and ISV optimism for 2025, strong profit margins for solut…

In Episode 130 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks leadership with Steve Martorelli, the Founder and CEO of VAR/ISO Turnkey Processing. Among the topics discussed are how the guiding principle of “Remarkablism” shapes Steve’s leadership approach and the organization, how to integrate your core values into day-to-day operations, and t…

In Episode 129 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy shares insights on the important but often overlooked leadership trait of prudence. Prudence: Don’t make reckless choices. Use good judgement. Analyze, compare, calculate, and project. Accurate critical thinking (what’s true, what’s false, what’s relevant). Open-minded. Flexible. Lack of p…

In Episode 128 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks about the overlooked leadership skill of public speaking with John Vautier, a 15-year communications coach and the Vice President of Business Development for Vautier Communications. Among the topics discussed are how strong speaking skills greatly enhance a leader’s perceived compete…

In Episode 127 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks leadership with channel expert Janet Schijns, the CEO and co-founder of JSG and an RSPA Board Advisor. Among the topics discussed are leading through change, key differences between risk taking at a large company vs. a small company, the state of women in the IT channel, and why VAR …

In Episode 126 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks leadership with COCARD’s Dan Brattland. Among the topics discussed are the importance of being true to your distinct leadership style, the Three C’s of Leadership (staying cool, calm, and collected), how to delegate effectively, and what to do when delegation to an employee doesn’t w…

In Episode 125 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks ethical capitalism and leadership with Bob Chapman, the Chairman and CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, a $3.6-billion global capital equipment and engineering solutions company. Among Chapman’s accolades are being named the CEO of the Year by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), t…

In Episode 124 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks leadership with two Heartland executives: Andre Nataf, Sr. Vice President of POS Distribution, and Maddie Stockwell, Sr. Director of the Heartland POS Dealer Channel. Among the topics discussed are how to navigate shared leadership responsibilities, tactics to bridge generational div…

In Episode 123 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy sits down with John Giles, the President of ISV Round 2 POS, to talk strategy and leadership. Among the topics discussed are choosing a strategy designed to be radically different from your competition, how to implement your strategy, and the importance of frequently running tests to ensur…

In Episode 122 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy sits down with Mike DeGuibert, North America Sales Manager for Epson, about his leadership journey and lessons learned. Among the topics discussed are filling the shoes of industry legend Linda Sudderth, best practices for leading a remote team, how taking notes makes you a more effective …

Episode 121 of “The Trusted Advisor” features a conversation between two high-energy RSPA members: Tyler Young, the CEO/Founder of Tonic POS, and Jeremy Julian, the CRO at Custom Business Solutions. Originally aired on The Restaurant Technology Guys podcast (www.restauranttechnologyguys.com), Young and Julian reveal what drives them to lead others.…

In Episode 120 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy sits down with Brett Bennett, Co-Founder and President of retail VAR POSitive Technology and ISV OpSuite, and Jeff Riley, CEO of ISV Retail Management Hero, about best practices for handing off leadership responsibilities. The conversation is a behind-the-scenes look at how they transition…

In Episode 119 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy catches up with Blake Gillum, President of VAR/MSP/ISV Data Cash Register (DCR), and Thomas Greenman, President and Co-Owner of VAR Skurla’s POS Solutions. Gillum and Greeman were Trusted Advisor guests back in 2020 (Episode 12: VAR Leadership Transitions) to discuss their transition into …

In Episode 118 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks with RSPA General Counsel Atty. Jill Miller about the latest on cash discounting and surcharging sparked by her RetailNOW 2024 presentation “Legally Speaking: Cash Discounting and Surcharging.” RetailNOW, the retail IT channel’s #1 trade show, education conference, and networking eve…

In Episode 117 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy delivers the 2024 RSPA State of the Industry Report. The report features eight retail IT channel macro trends and our industry’s top two competitive advantages over non-channel organizations. The State of the Industry Report was first delivered July 29 on the main stage at RetailNOW 2024 i…

In Episode 116 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks with Heather Philpott, the Director of Supplier Services at ScanSource, about her leadership journey and her upcoming RetailNOW 2024 panel “Elevate & Innovate: Essential Tools for Empowering Your Retail Technology Solution Business.” Philpott details VAR and ISV best practices for te…

In Episode 115 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy sits down with Kevin Spencer, President of VAR Rod Plus Solutions, to discuss his leadership journey and his upcoming RetailNOW 2024 presentation “Dynamic Leadership: Igniting Growth, Navigating Change & Empowering Teams.” Spencer shares how embracing visionary leadership has impacted his …

In Episode 114 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy draws business leadership lessons from the world of college athletics through an interview with Brian Streeter, the Director of Athletics for 27 years at Penn State-Behrend, and Dave Niland, Behrend’s head men’s basketball coach for 29 years. Streeter and Niland share the keys to their lon…

In Episode 113 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks with Michel Sirois, President of BlueStar Canada and Past Board Chair of the RSPA, about his leadership journey and his upcoming RetailNOW 2024 panel “Unlocking the Secrets of Selling to a New Generation of Customer.” Sirois shares one of his sales secrets, how he developed his leade…

In Episode 112 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks with the co-founders of VersiTech, the parent company of Tonic POS and BOLD Integrated Payments, CEO Tyler Young and Chief Revenue Officer Gary Liu. Young, Liu, and Roddy discuss how to successfully integrate three companies into one culture, how to effectively hire and onboard new e…

In Episode 111 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks leadership with Stephen Enfield, the CEO of POS Supply Solutions. Enfield and Roddy discuss how to integrate company values throughout an organization, how to successfully onboard new hires and newly acquired companies, how successful leaders embrace “emotional agility,” and more. “T…

In Episode 110 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks leadership with brothers Brad Lucas and Owen Lucas of VAR Lucas Systems, named one of the Best Places to Work in South Carolina. Brad, the company President, and Owen, Vice President of Operations, discuss what drives them to improve their family business, what activities have expand…

In Episode 109 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks with RSPA General Counsel Atty. Jill Miller about VAR and ISV best practices related to document retention. Additionally, Miller, one of the retail IT channel’s top experts in payments, provides an update on surcharging and cash discounting. “The Trusted Advisor,” powered by the Reta…

In Episode 108 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks with Truman Meecham, President at hospitality POS solution provider Alpha, and Bobby Bauer, President & CEO at VAR Business Machines Company (BMC), about their leadership journeys. Meecham and Bauer discuss the nuances of leading your family business, the experiences that shaped them…

In Episode 107 of “The Trusted Advisor,” POS Nation VP of Customer Experience Will Atkinson, BlueStar VP of Marketing Dean Reverman, and RSPA CEO Jim Roddy analyze the 2024 RSPA Retail IT Channel KPI Study. Atkinson, Reverman, and Roddy discuss how niche strategies are boosting VAR and ISV profits, the continued expansion of the as-a-Service recurr…

In Episode 106 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy sits down with Ryan Girvin, CEO of value-added distributor BlueStar, to discuss his leadership journey. Girvin details how he was mentored by the late Steve Cuntz, the challenge of following in the footsteps of an industry legend, actions he’s taking to ensure a smooth leadership transitio…

In Episode 105 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks with Savneet Singh, CEO of billion-dollar RSPA member PAR, about his unique leadership journey. Much of the discussion focuses on the importance of creating a culture of candor – and the challenge of maintaining one long-term. Singh also talks about identifying and testing your next …

In Episode 104 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy sits down with Jon Decker, CEO of BlockChyp, and Tom Bronson, President of Mastery Partners, to kick off a series of interviews focusing on leadership. Decker and Bronson discuss their time together at ISV Granbury Solutions, which key trait all future leaders must possess, their most impa…

In Episode 103 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy shares his 2024 outlook for the retail IT channel based on a recent RSPA Focus Group discussion and the association’s annual review of member company profiles. “The Trusted Advisor,” powered by the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), is an award-winning content series designed s…

In Episode 102 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy sits down with Wendy Thacker, the Vice President of North American Channel Marketing for ScanSource, to discuss how trusted advisors embrace content marketing. Thacker, who has over 27 years of channel marketing experience, shares how VARs can launch an ongoing content marketing program, h…

In Episode 101 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA General Counsel Jill Miller sits down with RSPA CEO Jim Roddy to discuss transitioning your business through either an outside sale or handing it off to a family member or employee. Miller discusses due diligence, non-compete agreements, the importance of having a written plan, the role of your CPA, and…

In Episode 100 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks with Rob Dorsey, the Vice President of Sales for BlueStar, about building relationships and making sales in the retail IT channel. Dorsey, who has worked in channel sales for over 25 years, shares his insights on the importance of passion, sincerity, and mindset to build long-term re…

In Episode 99 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks technology trends in label printing with Jon Levin, Director of Product Management at Star Micronics, and Kate Orara, Star’s Partner Development Manager. Levin and Orara share how VARs and ISVs can take advantage of new delivery avenues requiring new labeling solutions, increased cons…

In Episode 98 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks with Chris Allen, the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Heartland, about SMB marketing best practices for VARs and ISVs. Allen shares his secrets to developing core messages, utilizing a B2B website to generate leads, executing effective email campaigns, and engaging on social med…

In Episode 97 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks with Dan Brattland, the President and Chair of COCARD Marketing Group, about sales messaging best practices for VARs and ISVs. Brattland shares how you can create presentations that best capture your value proposition, how to tailor that narrative to specific audiences or specific nee…

In Episode 96 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks with Tom Byrnes, Senior Vice President of Global Payments Marketing at PayIQ, about his company’s study “How ISVs are Staying Competitive in an Evolving Market.” The report addresses ISV business model changes, integration challenges, payments strategies, the shift to the cloud, and m…

In Episode 95 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA General Counsel Jill Miller sits down with RSPA CEO Jim Roddy to discuss VAR and ISV best practices related to privacy policies. Miller also recaps her RetailNOW 2023 surcharging and cash discounting panel and shares what issues she heard about most at the show. “The Trusted Advisor,” powered by the Reta…

In Episode 94 of “The Trusted Advisor,” James Frank, an Innovations Consultant at Toshiba, previews his RetailNOW 2023 education session “Future Trends in Retail & Hospitality.” Frank and the RSPA’s Jim Roddy discuss the challenges and opportunities personalization presents, innovation best practices VARs need to know, and how retail will change to…

In Episode 93 of “The Trusted Advisor,” Blake Rouse, the Sr. Director of Business Development at payments provider Cardknox, previews his RetailNOW 2023 education session “Why PayFac-as-a-Service? Benefits of the PFaaS Model for ISVs & VARs.” Rouse and the RSPA’s Jim Roddy discuss the challenges, risks, and benefits of the payment facilitator (PayF…

In Episode 92 of “The Trusted Advisor,” Tom Bronson, the Founder and President of consulting firm Mastery Partners, previews his RetailNOW 2023 education session “Using KPIs to Drive Results in Your Business.” Bronson and the RSPA’s Jim Roddy discuss how KPIs keep your business on course, why VARs need to track their recurring revenue, and what’s t…

In Episode 91 of “The Trusted Advisor,” Rick Feuling, the CEO of VAR/ISV RITE Enterprises and Cloud Retailer, previews his RetailNOW 2023 education session “Five Cheat Codes on How to Lead: From One VAR/ISV CEO to Another.” Feuling and the RSPA’s Jim Roddy discuss the ethics of persuasion, how to talk pay changes with your employees, and how to tra…

In Episode 90 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy talks with longtime industry executive Joe Finizio about two topics: sales pipeline management best practices for VARs and ISVs and the progress of the retail IT industry as the RSPA celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2023. Finizio led sales and marketing teams with Data Terminal Systems, M…

In Episode 89 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA General Counsel Jill Miller sits down with RSPA CEO Jim Roddy to discuss what VARs and ISVs need to know about surcharging and cash discounting. Miller shares her insights on updated mandates, which land mines solution providers need to be aware of, and consequences of ignoring guidelines and best practi…

Episode 88 of “The Trusted Advisor” features a discussion between retail strategists Carl Boutet and Michael LeBlanc conducted live on stage during the RSPA Canadian Community Networking Event April 11 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Boutet is a Montreal-based business strategist and executive advisor with over 25 years of operational, marke…

n Episode 87 of “The Trusted Advisor,” the RSPA marketing team of Chris Arnold (Director of Marketing & Strategic Partnerships), Ayana Scriven (Marketing Communications Manager), and Jim Roddy (President & CEO) discuss marketing myths, mistakes, and mastery. “The Trusted Advisor,” powered by the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), is an …

In Episode 86 of “The Trusted Advisor,” Cervion Systems founder Hunter Allen, BlueStar VP of Marketing Dean Reverman, and RSPA CEO Jim Roddy analyze the 2023 RSPA Retail IT Channel KPI Study. Allen, Reverman, and Roddy discuss how VARs and ISVs have successfully converted disruption into opportunity, solution provider progress with the as-a-Service…