In this Servant Leader’s Library episode, host Nicholas Paulukow interviews Arlin Sorensen, VP of Ecosystem and Evangelism at ConnectWise.
Arlin shares his journey from an Iowa farm to founding HTG peer groups, where business owners support each other in leadership and growth. With decades of experience bridging the gap between agriculture and IT, Arlin offers powerful insights into servant leadership and how it transforms businesses and communities.
Throughout the conversation, Arlin dives into putting others before yourself, investing in people, and building lasting relationships. Whether in IT, business, or leadership, this episode provides valuable lessons on how servant leadership can fuel personal and professional success.
Watch the episode above or listen over at Spotify. Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next great servant leader’s story!
Want to Be the Next Guest?
Episode Transcript
Nicholas Paulukow
All right, all right. Welcome back, everyone, to Servant Leader’s Library, where we dig into the minds of leaders who put service before self and, of course, tech before sleep. I’m your host, Nicholas Paulukow, CEO of ONE 2 ONE Incorporated, the IT firm that keeps your tech running smoother than your morning coffee. Today, we’ve got a guest who’s proof that you can take the boy out of the farm, but you can’t take the farm out of the boy. Our guest is Arlin Sorensen.
He is the VP of Ecosystem and Evangelism at ConnectWise. While most know him as a leadership guru, this simple Iowa farm boy has been bridging the gap between ag tech and IT since the ’90s. From cultivating crops to cultivating businesses, Arlin has grown more than just corn. He’s founded HTG peer groups, helping business owners reap the benefits of learning from each other. Get ready to learn from the best servant leader in the business. We’re here with Arlin. Welcome, Arlin! Thank you for joining us today—really, really excited to have you with us.
Arlin Sorensen
It’s great to be with you, Nick. I’m looking forward to the conversation.
Nicholas Paulukow
Absolutely. I mean, you’re kind of famous in our ecosystem in the MSP space, but could you give the audience a little about yourself personally? What led you to where we are today?
Arlin Sorensen
Yeah. Well, I bought an Apple II Plus back in 1982 and started my technology journey. As I was learning how to run that machine for my farm accounting system, my neighbors wanted to come over and see a computer because I had the only one around.
I spent many evenings showing them how VisiCalc and WordStar could actually make their life better. I’d take them down to the city to help them buy a computer. After a few years of that, I decided I’d start a little business selling computers, and that was the beginning of my IT journey. Along the way, we got into the ag tech business and GPS stuff. But, in 2000, we were struggling.
I had loaded up for Y2K, thinking it was going to be the greatest event in history. But it didn’t come to Iowa at all. I had hired 13 engineers in ’99 and had nothing for them to do. We thought we were just missing something. But one of my leadership team members suggested calling other people to see what was going on, and that’s how HTG was born.
We met with three other companies from Iowa for a day in Des Moines and talked about it. They didn’t have any Y2K business either. So, we realized we had to downsize because we were bleeding cash. That’s when we learned the value of peer groups, and we started building them. It’s been a great ride—we’ve learned an awful lot from our peers.
Nicholas Paulukow
Wow, that’s an amazing story. You mentioned you’re a farm boy from Iowa, but those farms are quite large, right? Your neighbors must not be very close.
Arlin Sorensen
No, they aren’t. Our family operation farms about 3,000 acres. My nephew manages that with my brother. When I started farming back in 1977, I had 300 acres—that was all I could manage. Today, with the technology, it’s about a two-FTE job to farm 3,000 acres because the tech is so advanced. It’s ahead of many other industries. People don’t realize it, but ag tech is a huge benefit to the food production system in this country.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s unbelievable. You have a wonderful property—I had the honor of being there. We saw some of that equipment operating, and I can only imagine how expensive it is. We think about things like Roombas in our homes, and then we’re like, “Wow, they’re doing Roomba on thousands of acres of farm!” That’s unbelievable.
Arlin Sorensen
Yeah, we’re not quite at unattended farming yet, but it’s coming. The big change is that with GPS technology, if my nephew needs to farm after dark, he can work through the night. When I was farming, if the sun went down, we were done because we couldn’t see anymore. But today, he’s able to run 24 hours if he needs to, thanks to the tech.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s unbelievable. Well, you refer to yourself as a simple Iowa farm boy, but can you help us understand the roots of farming? It’s a very commendable and difficult business. Did that develop any of the leadership skills you use today?
Arlin Sorensen
Absolutely. I grew up on the farm, and I live in the house I grew up in. I started farming after college with my dad and brother. My plan was to farm for my career, but I fell in love with technology. So, my brother and I decided I’d take the tech path, and he’d take the farming path. We learned a lot working together with our dad.
Family operations can be a struggle, but what worked for us was going 50-50 on everything. That way, we didn’t micromanage each other. We trusted each other and focused on doing our jobs as effectively as possible. I learned a lot about leadership from my dad. We’re still partners today, 47 years later.
Nicholas Paulukow
Wow, that’s a blessing in itself, right? So many families struggle with that. We’re in a farming community, and there are a lot of family-owned, generational businesses. It brings a special dynamic to the personal relationships and the business as each generation goes by. That’s a very big accomplishment to continue working together. I think that’s amazing.
Arlin Sorensen
Well, both my kids have come back to the IT operation. So, we’ve got multi-generational things going on here, both on the ag and the tech side.
Nicholas Paulukow
Wow. When you compare both of those—IT and ag—and the IT portion of the business that you worked on, what are the similarities you’ve found, especially with leading people and leading innovation? How do they compare?
Arlin Sorensen
People are people no matter what business they’re working in. That’s where the challenges and the real opportunities are—to really build into folks. On the farm, there aren’t as many people involved as there were on the IT side, but those people were doing significant jobs and needed support and training. On the IT side, we grew to seven locations across five states, and we were doing remote work before it was a thing. But you have to invest in your people.
A lot of people see leadership as a triangle with the owner at the top. I’ve always looked at it the other way—as an upside-down triangle, with me holding up the rest of the team, pouring into them, and helping build their skills so I don’t have to make all the decisions.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s well said. That’s a great visual. As a leader, you’re selling the vision and the plan for the future, but you can’t convince people to believe in that. You have to lead them through it. That’s something I’ll remember. Thanks for sharing that.
You mentioned HTG peer groups starting in your community. That’s amazing. How did you find it expanding outside of your local area?
Arlin Sorensen
We created it back in 2000. I never had any intention of growing it beyond one group. My strategy was to find a dozen business owners who would commit to meeting regularly and helping each other. I figured if 12 worked for Jesus, it would work for me. We got to 12 in 2005—it took five years.
In 2006, I went to an event in Redmond, Washington, called SMB Nation, where they asked me to do a presentation on the peer group thing I’d started. I did the presentation, and afterward, a bunch of people came up and said they wanted to join. I told them, “We already have 12,” but I started a waitlist. By the end of the year, we had 36 companies on that list.
We started more groups, and by 2007, I came back from another event with 60 more companies that wanted to be involved. Things exploded. We had challenges—at first, I facilitated one group a month. But as it grew, my leadership team started facilitating. Eventually, we shifted to using members to help facilitate. Today, we serve over 900 people globally, including groups in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and North America. God’s really blessed it. It’s been a great ride to see people rise up and become servant leaders.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s well said. It sounds like you’ve created something with a go-giver mentality—helping others has led to blessings. As a member myself, it’s powerful to see how the group is led with compassion and honesty. You emphasize servant leadership. Have you noticed that some leaders struggle with the concept of servant leadership versus traditional leadership?
Arlin Sorensen
No question about it. Scripture says it’s more blessed to give than to receive, and when you understand that, it motivates you to be a go-giver. Many people are willing to share, but not everyone is willing to receive. We want to be self-sufficient, but we don’t need to figure out everything on our own. The power of peer groups is in learning from others. We don’t all have to make the same mistakes. Listening to others can help us avoid landmines.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s well said. It can be intimidating at first. In one of my meetings, I joined a larger group, and I was smaller compared to others. But I realized I had things to share—things I had screwed up—and as we shared, we all laughed because we were facing the same problems. It’s just that the bigger companies have more at risk.
Arlin Sorensen
I remember early on, our largest member, who was much bigger than everyone else, made a comment after a presentation from a smaller company. That smaller company talked about something they’d done with a single salesperson. The larger company’s sales leader said, “What you shared is a $100,000 idea to me.” We don’t always realize our impact, but we are having one. That’s why servant leadership is so important—it reminds us that what we do and say has an effect on others.
Nicholas Paulukow
You’re absolutely right. I can remember my first meeting—it was intimidating. But once I jumped in, I realized how much I could learn from others. There was a humbling experience, but I was always prepared for every meeting.
Arlin Sorensen
Most of us who run small businesses enjoy the freedom to do what we want, but that lifestyle has a downside. You do what you want to do, not necessarily what you need to do. That’s where a peer group can help—they hold you accountable and make you better.
Nicholas Paulukow
My uncle told me, “If there were no clients or employees, owning a business would be great.” It’s true. You take the people out of the business, and it’s easy—except you don’t have anyone to buy anything!
Arlin Sorensen
Exactly. You can’t take the people out of the business. As for lessons I’ve learned, one of the biggest is that leaders need to listen first. My dad always said it’s better to be quiet and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. As a facilitator, I’ve often wanted to solve the problem right away instead of letting the group work through it.
Servant leaders listen first—they seek to understand before jumping in. It’s something I’ve worked on, but it’s still a challenge. Too often, we’re thinking about how we’re going to respond rather than really listening. I’m still learning that.
Another thing I’ve learned is the value of reflection. Thirteen weeks ago, I tore my quad tendon in my left knee, and I’ve been laid up with no travel for the first time in over 20 years. It’s given me a chance to reflect, and I’ve realized I was moving too fast. I wasn’t thinking about what was happening because I was always focused on the next thing.
We’ve always believed in planning, and the value of plans is they give you a reason to say no. If something isn’t in the plan, the answer is no—unless it’s important enough to adjust the plan. I’ve said no more in the last 13 weeks than I have in the last 13 years. I used to be a people-pleaser, but that’s not the way to live. My wife and I have had a lot of conversations about what we’re going to do moving forward because the tendency will be to fill the calendar again. But that’s not the right thing.
It’s been great to have conversations with people because I’m not on the road, and I’ve been able to speak into a lot of lives as a result.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s a blessing. As leaders, we’re used to solving problems, but we also need to be great at asking questions. What I’m hearing is that sometimes it’s better to leave space for quiet. I go on an annual retreat where it’s completely silent, and it clears my mind. I said to myself, “Why am I not doing this every day?”
Blessings come from listening. The Lord is speaking to us all the time, but we’re not always listening. It reminds me of what a coach once said: “If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anyone else.” Sometimes we forget that helping means being quiet. It sounds like your injury gave you an opportunity for clarity.
Arlin Sorensen
It really has been a blessing, even though it wasn’t in my plan. Solitude is a spiritual discipline I’ve struggled with, but it’s so important. You look at Jesus—he often went off by himself. He didn’t answer all the questions right away; he asked them and let the disciples figure things out. That’s effective leadership, and some of the greatest leadership lessons come from Scripture.
Nicholas Paulukow
You’re absolutely right. Jesus wasn’t liked by everyone, and as leaders, we won’t be either. But if we’re following our mission, we’ll sometimes stand alone. That’s a great point because it teaches us a lot about leadership if we’re willing to listen.
Arlin Sorensen
Exactly. I’ve never been a binge-watcher of TV, but during my recovery, I watched The Chosen series from start to finish. We don’t know if things happened exactly that way, but they captured the essence. Watching how Jesus interacted with people, he didn’t walk around telling people what to do. He would listen and wait before responding. When he needed solitude, he took it. That’s something I’m trying to build into my life—listening to people but also listening to God.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s so true. The Chosen has been a wonderful blessing—it’s very visual, and we’re so visual as people. As leaders, it’s important to learn how Jesus led and how, when we’re most effective, we’ll face the most temptation. Someone once told me, “Those who do good are tempted the most because the devil doesn’t have to worry about those who are doing wrong.” That’s a powerful statement.
As I grew in business, I once told my pastor, “It doesn’t feel right to make money.” He asked me what I was doing with the money. I said, “I’m trying to help others.” He told me, “Making money is the talent the Lord gave you. But hoarding it is not the right thing. Use your ability to share.” That stuck with me because servant leadership isn’t about financial gain—it’s about helping others.
Arlin Sorensen
Absolutely. The ability to generate wealth is one of the spiritual gifts, and ministries need it to be effective. Another thing I learned early in my career is that God’s principles always work. Businesses follow God’s principles without realizing it because they work. If we understand God’s principles and apply them, we’ll be a target for the enemy, but there’s no better foundation to build on.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s so true. Today’s readings were about humility and leading with humility, which brings us closer to the Lord. It’s important to think about something greater than yourself. That really centers you, and it’s a blessing when you can apply that in leadership.
Arlin Sorensen
Well, leadership is all about people. As we grew, we had to be very selective about who we hired. The thing I’m most proud of is the people I surrounded myself with—many of them were smarter and better at leading than I was.
We wrote our Planning for Success manual, which has four key plans: the life plan (how you’ll use your time), the leadership plan (how you’ll grow as a servant leader), the business plan (how you’ll operate your company), and the legacy plan (what your legacy will be). Each quarter, we focus on one of these plans. Those plans give us the right to say no to distractions and help keep us focused on our goals.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s amazing. I had a mentor who once told me to write down exactly what I wanted to do the day I retire, then he’d decide if he wanted to mentor me. It taught me that people may forget about business, but they won’t forget about us. These plans set a strong foundation. I’ve seen entrepreneurs go so hard for so long that they didn’t know what to do when they were done, and they didn’t have great quality of life. Your plans teach us to avoid that.
Arlin Sorensen
We’ve had situations where members have passed away, and because of the plans they left behind, the community was able to help their families. If those plans aren’t in place, there’s a lot of guesswork. One of the things I do now is lead a set of peer groups called Success to Significance for people who have exited their companies. What surprised me is how lost people are after they leave because their identity was tied to their business. They have time, money, and talent but no purpose.
We talk about how to find purpose and identity, and we do it as couples because most male leaders struggle to communicate with their spouses about important things. We help them find a joint purpose. It’s been a real joy to watch that happen.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s such a blessing. One of the exercises I did with my wife was writing a letter to each of our children as if we weren’t there. It’s hard to do, but it made me realize that the stories we leave behind are part of our legacy. Your kids working with you creates wonderful memories—that’s something many people don’t get to experience. At the end of the day, your family will be the ones standing by your side, not your CFO.
Arlin Sorensen
Exactly. I’m building my legacy through the peer groups, pouring into my family, and identifying others to invest in. I’m 68, and I won’t be doing this forever, so I’m pouring into the people who will carry things forward.
Nicholas Paulukow
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?
Arlin Sorensen
In the ’90s, I made the mistake of buying into the idea that you can’t have faith in the marketplace. I was willing to check my faith at the door when I went to work, and after a while, I didn’t pick it back up. I strayed from God. It’s a lie that you can’t have faith and be successful. Jesus spent most of his time in the marketplace. We can blend faith and business, and I believe we’re more successful when we do.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s so true. Don’t hide who you are because the people you want to connect with will accept your beliefs. I’m sorry that was a difficult experience for you, but it sounds like you reconnected with your faith.
Arlin Sorensen
God hit me upside the head with a two-by-four and got my attention. We’ve been walking faithfully with him for the last 25 years.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s wonderful. Any final thoughts you’d like to share with our listeners?
Arlin Sorensen
Be intentional with your time. We’re given 168 hours a week, and too often, we let that time slip away. There’s no rewind button. We make excuses about why we can’t be present for our families, but they are just that—excuses. No business has ever failed because the owner went to the ballgame. Our most precious gift isn’t money, it’s time. We need to focus on how we use it, and that’s why planning is so important.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s well said. I had a peer group look at me once and say, “Nick, go to the baseball games and soccer games. We all regret not doing that.” I made it a point to put my kids first, and then work on growing the business. People may not always understand, but that’s a sacrifice we make.
Arlin Sorensen
Absolutely.
Nicholas Paulukow
Arlin, this has been wonderful. Folks, that’s a wrap on today’s episode of Servant Leader’s Library. We’ve learned that whether you’re on a farm in Iowa or running an IT firm, leadership is about growing more than just crops and companies—it’s about growing people. Huge thanks to Arlin, the man who can wrangle tech and tractors with equal finesse, for joining us today. From founding HTG peer groups to helping business owners harvest the power of community, Arlin’s journey proves that no matter what field you’re in, serving others is always the best way to grow. So, if you’re looking to be a leader, remember—it’s not about how fast your internet is, it’s about how fast you’re helping others succeed. Thanks for tuning in, and until next time, stay tech-savvy, stay humble, and keep serving.
Want to Be the Next Guest?
Complete the sign-up form and share your servant leadership story!