HELP!
I Need a Magic Lamp to Grow My MSP
Join us for this episode of MSP To The Future where your hosts, Jeanne DeWitt and David Hood, answer these questions and more about these cloud options!
Join us for this episode of MSP To The Future where your hosts, Jeanne DeWitt and David Hood, answer these questions and more about these cloud options!
When we were running our MSP, growth often felt elusive, as though we needed a magic lamp to make it happen… Like many MSPs, we found ourselves wearing every possible hat: salesperson, technician, marketer, and everything in between!
It was exhausting, and despite all our efforts, real progress seemed out of reach.
The truth? You don’t need a magic lamp to grow your MSP: what you need is a clear plan and a commitment to change.
In this blog, I’ll be sharing how we transitioned from feeling stuck to running a thriving, seven-figure MSP focused on cloud services. These steps are practical, actionable, and proven to work – not just for us, but for the MSP partners we support today!
Why MSPs Get Stuck
Many MSPs, regardless of their size, have a common goal: growing their monthly recurring revenue. However, many get trapped in the grind of daily operations. You know the routine: managing tickets, putting out fires, and ensuring customers are happy!
While these tasks keep the business running, they also keep you from making meaningful strides in growth.
The result? Revenue stagnates. Even with clients renewing agreements, adding new ones or increasing MRR feels nearly impossible. Months, or even years, pass without real progress because it’s all too easy to stick to what you know and fall into a repetitive cycle.
The Key to Growth: Freeing Up Your Time
The first step to breaking free from the daily grind is to reclaim your time. For us, this was a game-changer, and it all started with one simple yet challenging exercise: tracking our time.
We tracked every minute of our workdays for an entire month. Yes, it was grueling, but it was also shockingly eye-opening. We discovered countless tasks consuming hours that simply didn’t matter. Once we had a clear picture, we evaluated each task using a four-step process:
- Ask: What happens if I don’t do this task?
- If the answer was “nothing,” we let it go. No impact meant no need.
- Streamline: Can I achieve the same result with fewer resources?
- We created Standard Operating Procedures for repeatable tasks, ensuring anyone could follow the steps and free up key team members.
- Automate: Can this task be automated?
- Back when we started, automation tools were limited, but as they became available, we adopted them quickly. Automation allowed us to focus on high-value work!
- Delegate: Is the task repetitive or teachable?
- If so, we created SOPs and passed the tasks along to others, ensuring efficiency across the team.
This process freed up significant time, allowing us to shift from working in the business to working on the business!
Shifting Focus to Strategy
With newfound time, we focused on strategic goals that would drive growth. For us, that meant prioritizing cloud services. We:
- Set clear goals for lead generation.
- Invested heavily in marketing and sales.
- Created a disciplined plan to sustain long-term growth.
This shift required effort and discipline, but it paid off by allowing us to build a sustainable, thriving MSP. The key was realizing that growth doesn’t come from wishful thinking or magic lamps; it comes from working smarter, not harder!
Practical Steps to Grow Your MSP
As we approach a new year, I recommend implementing our four-step process to start off on the right foot! As Steve Jobs once said, “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”
Take that perseverance, pair it with smarter work practices, and your MSP’s growth will no longer feel like a distant wish!
Let’s make this year your best one yet.