About From Startup To Sale | A Podcast For MSP's By MSP's
Welcome to “From Startup to Sale – A Podcast by MSPs for MSPs,” hosted by Jeff Greenspan, an MSP who sold his business and now provides M&A and advisory services to other IT company owners. Jeff was a full-on techie: he graduated with an engineering degree from The Johns Hopkins University in 1985 and started his business in 1986 providing custom software design and development services. That business morphed over 27 years until he sold it as a Managed Services practice in 2013. Since then he’s gotten an MS in Finance from the Warrington School at the University of Florida, and his M&A work and this podcast are all designed to give back to the MSP community.
In this podcast, Jeff talks to all kinds of MSP road warriors, and you’ll learn something that will impact your business in every episode! You’ll learn about operational maturity level and what it means to be best in class. You’ll hear what several large national MSPs are looking for when they consider an acquisition. Jeff talks to the MSP consulting companies, and they’ll tell you what mistakes they see most frequently and how to fix them. He also talks to owners who’ve sold their company to benefit from their experience. Finally, he talks to people just like you to understand how they got started, what they’ve learned from their mistakes, how they are growing, and where they see the IT industry going.
We hope you’ll do more than listen…we want you to participate! Sign up today and get notified when a new episode drops.
S2E3: Building an Effective Sales and Marketing Program
I’m cautious about interviewing companies that provide services to MSPs. After all, you get bombarded by sales content day in and day out, and I don’t want to add to the noise. But when I interviewed Megan Killion of MKC Agency in Orlando, a revenue consultancy specializing in scaling MSPs and other channel companies, I was super impressed by the combined sales/marketing paradigm that she uses. Megan champions ethical marketing practices, elevating marginalized talent, and empowering businesses to thrive in competitive markets. She also has an offer for our podcast listeners: 20% off the first 4 months of her newest program IF you complete this worksheet before your first call with her (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gmqzRXv54EdZBFGtUxZAnqc-wLpMaIjDHIpv7H9tZFY/edit?usp=sharing, NOTE that you will need to request access). Here's what I learned in this episode:
Why sales needs to be a function of your business instead of just outsourced
MKC's value add is helping create a scalable internal program
How Megan designed her sales offerings, and how you should too
Megan's take on hiring sales talent the wrong way
Megan's secret sauce for finding sales talent the right (and easy) way
Can technical people become effective sales people
Why technical owners are unlikely to create effective sales organizations without help
Does the hunters vs farmers framework make sense
Prediction, project planning, copywriting, social skills, time management: these skills and more are required to be an effective sales resource
What size MSP is best positioned to benefit from her services
What constitutes ready for growth
Embracing the 'suck' of the middle (organic growth is not easy)
You must understand your clients to build messaging
How will AI affect your sales process
The difference between inbound and outbound and how they go together
Financial Modeling Service provides M&A and Intermediary services to IT companies. As a former IT company owner, Jeff Greenspan understands your business and will work with you to achieve an optimal result based on your specific needs. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com (mailto:Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com) or through his contact form at https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/ (https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/).
15 Jan 2025
S2E1: A Billion Dollar Startup
Seth Helgesen, Zachary Watson, and Brian Wick of Ionos share key insights into the company's billion-dollar valuation and its competitive advantages in the hosting and cloud provider market.
1 Jan 2025
S2E1: An International MSP
With his company Olive and Goose, Ankur Kothari provides proof that you really can run an MSP from anywhere. From his not-quite-humble beginnings at Microsoft, he's built an impressive three-division IT company headquartered in Seattle but with an international clientele. And when he's not strategizing, he's enjoying the intellectual flavors of Barcelona, learning both Spanish and Catalan while connecting with the vibrant but quite different European startup community. Takeaways from the episode include:
What roles does Ankur play in his company, and how that differs from expectation
Europe is ahead of the US from a sustainability prespective. How might that affect US MSP's relationships with their clients in the near future?
Be faster to hire, and faster to change
The most common error made by young MSPs
How Olive and Goose drives organic growth
How to create a beachhead in a new area
The hunter/farmer model
The opportunity that AI presents for MSPs who are able to assist their customers with adoption
Ankur's take on rollups for higher EBIDTA multiples
Growth opportunities, no matter the type, must be evaluated to ensure that they offer value to all of the firms stakeholders
Financial Modeling Service provides M&A and Intermediary services to IT companies. As a former IT company owner, Jeff Greenspan understands your business and will work with you to achieve an optimal result based on your specific needs. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com (mailto:Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com) or through his contact form at https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/ (https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/).
18 Dec 2024
Ep. 14 : A tight affiliation of 170 MSPs
Tim Conkle of The 20 shares insights on how MSPs can achieve success through affiliation and economies of scale, revealing the key to removing friction and technology debt.
20 Nov 2024
Ep. 13 : Dominating a Mid-size Market
Ten Hats CEO Brian Strong shares his experiences dominating a mid-size market, from navigating economic upheaval to leveraging a 'building block' approach to service delivery.
6 Nov 2024
Ep. 12 : Exit - Stage RIGHT! Optimizing your exit.
In this episode I've recorded and discuss the five key actions that you should take to be prepared for a sale regardless of the timing. These steps ensure that you will be able to optimize your exit, whatever that means for you. I've also broken down each step into its own short video and I'm publishing these on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@FMS-Jeff (look under Playlists). In this episode we cover:
Creating value by choosing the right business structure
Understanding and communicating how your business creates value
Eliminating bad habits that decrease exit valuation
Removing impediments to a sale
Preparing for due diligence
Financial Modeling Service provides M&A and Intermediary services to IT companies. As a former IT company owner, Jeff Greenspan understands your business and will work with you to achieve an optimal result based on your specific needs. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com (mailto:Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com) or through his contact form at https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/ (https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/).
16 Oct 2024
Ep. 11 : A Conversation with Jeffrey Newton and James Farrow at Cyft.ai
Today we take our second look at an AI-based technolgy available now for MSPs to work more efficiently. Our eleventh episode features Jeffrey Newton, CRO and recovering MSP, and James Farrow, CEO of Cyft. Cyft is focused on applying AI to make MSPs more profitable by solving unacknowledged problems within the four walls of the MSP. I was particularly impressed with their ease of implementation, but even more impressed with their long-term vision, which you will have to listen to! In this episode we cover:
What key problems does Cyft solve
What Cyft does
Cyft's 'no-PSA touch required' interface for data input
How Cyft supports higher profitability
Cyft's high accuracy level
Cyft's 'Speak It, Review It, Submit It' process
What training is required for your staff
How quickly Cyft can be implemented
How much does Cyft cost
Cyft is an AI on-ramp for MSPs
Roadmap includes AI-based contextualized data out
Cyft is looking for MSP investors
Financial Modeling Service provides M&A and Intermediary services to IT companies. As a former IT company owner, Jeff Greenspan understands your business and will work with you to achieve an optimal result based on your specific needs. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com (mailto:Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com) or through his contact form at https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/ (https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/).
2 Oct 2024
Ep. 10 : A Conversation with James Allen from Pia.ai
Everyone's heard about artificial intelligence, and today we start looking at two AI-based technolgies that are available now for MSPs to work more efficiently. Our tenth episode features James Allen from Pia.ai. Pia was born when a large Australian IT firm started running tickets through a small language model, and it has evolved into a combination AI / automation tool that reads tickets and moves them forward as far as possible using automation. Pia currently supports over 60 different types of tickets. For our listeners, Pia is extending their Q3 50%-off onboarding / 25%-off platform fee offer through the end of November. You will learn about:
What metric clearly presages profitability
On average, how many endpoints can a help desk tech support
When is the best time to implement a tool like Pia
What Pia does and how it works
Pricing models
How Pia support rapid economies of scale during acquisitions
What does the client onboarding process look like
What are the most common types of tickets that Pia automates
Dispatchers can close tickets
How clients can initiate onboarding through Smartforms, including approval processes
Pia's roadmap
Financial Modeling Service provides M&A and Intermediary services to IT companies. As a former IT company owner, Jeff Greenspan understands your business and will work with you to achieve an optimal result based on your specific needs. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com (mailto:Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com) or through his contact form at https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/ (https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/).
18 Sept 2024
Ep. 9 : A Conversation with Paul Daigle from BizAdvisoryBoard.com
Our ninth episode features Paul Daigle from BizAdvisoryBoard. Paul is an 'old school' IT guy who started off in software development and morphed over time into an MSP. Early on he built many of the types of tools that MSPs use today, so he understands the needs of MSPs at a deep level! He's also acquired and divested numerous companies. BizAdvisoryBoard offers a free (and paid) tool for MSPs interested in their valuation and growth. Use coupon code 'FMSVal24' to get the free version and code 'FMSAcc24' to get 10% off the paid version.
You can reach Paul directly at Paul.Daigle@BizAdvisoryBoard.com, 407-461-0061.
In today's show, you will learn about:
What do your clients really want from you?
How do you get vendors to finance new offerings?
The best, if not the only, reason to do project work.
What happens to multiples when you break $100m?
Why MSPs without cybersecurity will go extinct.
How compliance requirements like PCI and HIPAA are driving the industry.
Why Paul thinks the small MSP (under $2m) will be driven out of business within 2 years.
Federal contractors take note: what are DoD CMMC scores?
Who's driving the business train, the government or the insurance companies? Or both!
What is the MSP Business Evaluator, and what can the free and Accelerator versions tell an MSP?
Financial Modeling Service provides M&A and Intermediary services to IT companies. As a former IT company owner, Jeff Greenspan understands your business and will work with you to achieve an optimal result based on your specific needs. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com (mailto:Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com) or through his contact form at https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/ (https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/).
4 Sept 2024
Ep. 8 : A Conversation with Rob Scott From Monjur With Guests Glenn Porter and Jacob Schultz
Our eighth episode features Rob Scott from Monjur, plus two of his clients! Rob is an attorney with exceptional experience in computer law, and he's turned the table on the IT space by becoming an MSP for MSPs! As a business broker, the first thing I check with new clients is their service contract. With Monjur, I know that your contracts are always as good as they can possibly be. Beyond contracts, Monjur offers M&A representation and a full suite of corporate services.
You will learn about:
How to collapse the sales and contracting process into one online step
Monjur's two pricing tiers, with a bump at $1.5m revenue
What problems does Monjur solve for recurring revenue businesses
Why federal and state data privacy laws affect MSPs
Common mistakes that MSPs make with their agreements
Why agreements that apply in the general marketplace don't map well to managed services
How to avoid continuous margin erosion
Early termination fees vs liquidated damages fees
Aligning indemnity clauses in your MSA with the provisions of your insurance policy
Why it's critical to get your contracts right BEFORE you consider a company sale
HIPAA, PCI, and DSS - Oh my!
Redirecting liability to your 3rd party providers
Rob's risk paradigm, a MUST LISTEN for every MSP
Financial Modeling Service provides M&A and Intermediary services to IT companies. As a former IT company owner, Jeff Greenspan understands your business and will work with you to achieve an optimal result based on your specific needs. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com (mailto:Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com) or through his contact form at https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/ (https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/).
21 Aug 2024
Ep. 7 : A Conversation with Josh Kotler
Josh Kotler is a veteran industy road warrior. He started a network integration firm, Datatrends Florida, in 1996, and joined Western Digitech as a minority partner two years later. Within 18 months they had added 22 people! He continued to grow the business thru 2019 when he sold to CompassMSP. After the integration was complete, Josh became the COO and then CEO of the company. As CEO, his focus on M&A resulted in four acquisitions within a year. Since leaving CompassMSP, Josh has been working with private equity to build yet another MSP! His depth and breadth will help you learn:
How peer group membership can prompt/accelerate organizational change
How TruMethods enabled him to triple his business, relatively stress free
Real company improvements start when you recognize that your baby is ugly
The pain of transitioning from break-fix to managed services.
Why holding the reins too tightly prevents your business from growing
Why its better to be good at any tool than to have the 'right' tool. For M&A, tools alignment is not important.
It's easier to integrate companies that have aligned service packaging
An organic growth engine might increases your M&A value a full turn, whereas a novel product area might add a half turn.
Why smaller MSPs are commanding higher valuations today. [Oh wait, Jeff said this!]
The key to transitioning from a small tech company, and what to do if you can't
Thoughts on security risk.
Why valuations for MSPs will be decreasing over the next 5 years.
Why taking it easy ain't that easy!
How and why 'merge & sell' usually goes wrong.
Financial Modeling Service provides M&A and Intermediary services to IT companies. As a former IT company owner, Jeff Greenspan understands your business and will work with you to achieve an optimal result based on your specific needs. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com (mailto:Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com) or through his contact form at https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/ (https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/).
7 Aug 2024
Ep. 6 : A Conversation with Willis from Cantey Tech
No episode description found
17 Jul 2024
Ep. 5 : A Conversation Kyle Christensen from K7 and XXX
In this episode we talk to industry wunderkind and veteran Kyle Christensen who, at age 16, was tasked with rolling out Geek Squad! Kyle has worked for and with too many MSPs to enumerate, and he is now focusing on building out Empath, an educational system for MSP owners and their teams to help them upscale their career paths. Kyle can be reached at kyle@empathmsp.com. In this podcast you will learn:
How K7 Leadership is morphing into the new brand, empath
How long it takes to turn a teenage geek into a computer consultant
Determining what KPIs to measure
The bottleneck to hypergrowth
Risks for MSP Startups
Why to avoid marketing spend
Mistakes Kyle has seen
Financial Modeling Service provides M&A and Intermediary services to IT companies. As a former IT company owner, Jeff Greenspan understands your business and will work with you to achieve an optimal result based on your specific needs. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com (mailto:Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com) or through his contact form at https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/ (https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/).
3 Jul 2024
Ep. 5 : A Conversation Kyle Christensen from K7 and Empath
In this episode we talk to industry wunderkind and veteran Kyle Christensen who, at age 16, was tasked with rolling out Geek Squad! Kyle has worked for and with too many MSPs to enumerate, and he is now focusing on building out Empath, an educational system for MSP owners and their teams to help them upscale their career paths. Kyle can be reached at kyle@empathmsp.com.
In this podcast you will learn:
How K7 Leadership is morphing into the new brand, empath
How long it takes to turn a teenage geek into a computer consultant
Determining what KPIs to measure
The bottleneck to hypergrowth
Risks for MSP Startups
Why to avoid marketing spend
Mistakes Kyle has seen
Financial Modeling Service provides M&A and Intermediary services to IT companies. As a former IT company owner, Jeff Greenspan understands your business and will work with you to achieve an optimal result based on your specific needs. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com (mailto:Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com) or through his contact form at https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/ (https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/).
3 Jul 2024
Ep. 4 : A Conversation Stephen Buyze from AG MSP Coaching
In our fourth episode, instead of focusing on another large MSP with an appetite for smaller MSPs, we thought we'd provide some food for growth. But not necessarily sales growth! Stephen Buyze from Advanced Global MSP Coaching differs from many other consultants in his focus on delivery optimization to improve profitability. This, in turn, drives enterprise value growth. In this episode you'll learn:
When to hire a service coordinator
When to bring in an outsourced NOC
What is the best size for a tech team
What structure is best suited for early stage growth.
KPIs for service companies
Common mistakes MSPs make
How to deal with the conflict between project work and MRR
Hiring ideas, and bringing young staff from intern to level 3
Financial Modeling Service provides M&A and Intermediary services to IT companies. As a former IT company owner, Jeff Greenspan understands your business and will work with you to achieve an optimal result based on your specific needs. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com (mailto:Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com) or through his contact form at https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/ (https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/).
19 Jun 2024
Ep. 3 : A Conversation With Christopher Vollmond-Carstens AKA CVC From Ntiva
Episode 3 of 'From Startup to Sale: A Podcast by MSPs for MSPs' features Christopher Vollmond-Carstens (affectionately known as CVC) from Ntiva, a DC-based service provider that has been acquiring other MSPs since 2016.
The company has bolted on 15 companies since then, and CVC became responsible for acquisitions at Ntiva in early 2021.
The episode will be available on Spotify and all of your favorite streaming platforms at 9AM on Wednesday, June 19th.
You will learn:
What does Ntiva look for in an acquisition?
Tips for companies thinking about an exit strategy..
The importance of being prepared, both operationally and emotionally
What is working capital, and what's its role in an acquisition.
Financial Modeling Service provides M&A and Intermediary services to IT companies. As a former IT company owner, Jeff Greenspan understands your business and will work with you to achieve an optimal result based on your specific needs. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com (mailto:Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com) or through his contact form at https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/ (https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/).
5 Jun 2024
Ep. 2 : A Conversation With David Williams and Tom Raad
Episode 2 of 'From Startup to Sale: A Podcast by MSPs for MSPs' features David Williams and Tom Raad from Courser, a family of IT service providers headquartered in Greenville, SC. David is responsible for acquisitions and Tom was the president of their first acquisition. The episode will be available on Spotify and all of your favorite streaming platforms at 9AM on Wednesday, June 5th. You will learn:
What does Courser look for in an acquisition?
How Courser integrates its family of companies.
The value of peer groups
The strategic benefits to your clients and your team of the right acquisition partner.
The emotional aspects of being acquired, and of joining a larger group.
The critical number to know before you think about exiting.
Enjoy the show and don't forget to subscribe!
Financial Modeling Service provides M&A and Intermediary services to IT companies. As a former IT company owner, Jeff Greenspan understands your business and will work with you to achieve an optimal result based on your specific needs. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com (mailto:Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com) or through his contact form at https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/ (https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/).
22 May 2024
Ep. 1 A Conversation With Peter Kujawa
In this, our first episode, we speak with Peter Kujawa at Service Leadership, Inc. (https://www.service-leadership.com/). S-L provides MSPs with performance diagnostics (metrics) and performance improvement methods and tools that promote growth and profitability.
No owner that I’ve spoken to has regretted engaging with them. You can connect with Peter on LinkedIN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkujawa/), and you can contact
Service Leadership at info@service-leadership.com (mailto:info@service-leadership.com) or fill out their contact form at https://www.service-leadership.com/contact/ (https://www.service-leadership.com/contact/).
Please mention that the MSP Podcast referred you. Thank you.
Financial Modeling Service provides M&A and Intermediary services to IT companies. As a former IT company owner, Jeff Greenspan understands your business and will work with you to achieve an optimal result based on your specific needs. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com (mailto:Jeff.Greenspan@financialmodelingservice.com) or through his contact form at https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/ (https://financialmodelingservice.com/contact-us/).
1 May 2024
Welcome to From Startup To Sale Ep.0
Welcome to “From Startup to Sale – A Podcast by MSPs for MSPs,” hosted by Jeff Greenspan, an MSP who sold his business and now provides M&A and advisory services to other IT company owners. Jeff was a full-on techie: he graduated with an engineering degree from The Johns Hopkins University in 1985 and started his business in 1986 providing custom software design and development services. That business morphed over 27 years until he sold it as a Managed Services practice in 2013. Since then he’s gotten an MS in Finance from the Warrington School at the University of Florida, and his M&A work and this podcast are all designed to give back to the MSP community.
In this podcast, Jeff talks to all kinds of MSP road warriors, and you’ll learn something that will impact your business in every episode! You’ll learn about operational maturity level and what it means to be best in class. You’ll hear what several large national MSPs are looking for when they consider an acquisition. Jeff talks to the MSP consulting companies, and they’ll tell you what mistakes they see most frequently and how to fix them. He also talks to owners who’ve sold their company to benefit from their experience. Finally, he talks to people just like you to understand how they got started, what they’ve learned from their mistakes, how they are growing, and where they see the IT industry going.
Who has been a guest on From Startup To Sale | A Podcast For MSP's By MSP's
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Seth Helgesen
Zachary Watson
Brian Wick
Tim Conkle
Jeff Greenspan
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Podcast Authority Score: 13 / 100
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