Trading the Warmth of Bali for the Warmth of Community
Why 30 years in business taught me that nothing replaces a shared coffee. Packing a suitcase always feels slightly strange when you live in Bali. Pulling long pants and proper jackets out of the back of the wardrobe is practically an archaeological dig. Jeni and I are boarding a flight back to Australia for the next three weeks. Between client workshops, EOS sessions, and catching up with lifelong friends across the MSP community, it is set to be a full schedule.
Nick Clift
8/17/20261 min read
Packing a suitcase always feels slightly strange when you live in Bali. Pulling long pants and proper jackets out of the back of the wardrobe is practically an archaeological dig.
Jeni and I are boarding a flight back to Australia for the next three weeks. Between client workshops, EOS sessions, and catching up with lifelong friends across the MSP community, it is set to be a full schedule.
Am I looking forward to the cold weather down south? Absolutely not.
Growing up in tech and spending three decades around MSPs, it is easy to default to the efficiency of screens. We have built entire ecosystems around remote management, video calls, and seamless dashboards. Most days, running operations and coaching from a quiet desk with a tropical breeze works brilliantly.
Yet, every time I pack for one of these trips, I am reminded of something simple: the most important work we do still happens across a physical table.
There is a subtle nuance you miss on a webcam. You miss the spontaneous five-minute chat while waiting for the kettle to boil, the unfiltered sigh after a tough quarter, or the genuine laugh that comes when two old mates reminisce about the wild early days of IT support.
Business, at its core, is not about tickets, metrics, or seamless tech stacks. It is about human beings navigating messy challenges together. Efficiency gets the job done, but shared time builds the trust that holds everything up when things go sideways.
So while I might grumble a bit about trading boardshorts for jumpers, the trade-off is worth every chilly morning.
If we are crossing paths over the next three weeks in Australia, let us make time for a proper flat white and a quiet chat.
And if you have been relying a little too much on email to connect with your own team or clients lately, maybe take this as a gentle nudge to get a real coffee on the calendar.