Attributes Of Successful MSPs

By Arlin Sorensen, O and Founder of the Heartland Companies which includes HTG Peer Groups

I’m fortunate to work with hundreds of MSP’s through our HTG Peer Groups each quarter, both here in North America as well as Europe and Australia/New Zealand.  Not only do we facilitate two-day interactions with these great leaders, but we benchmark their financials and have them follow a rigorous framework of planning, goal setting and accountability. 

I led an MSP/Solution Provider for 27 years and exited the business the last day of 2012 after growing the company to a few over 100 employees with seven offices across five Midwestern states.  That’s the platform from which I’ll share my observations on the habits that are consistent with MSP’s that succeed.

They know how to plan.  There’s more to planning than having a meeting and filling out a template.  Real planning requires listening to your team.  You have to have a clear mission, vision and values.  You need a planning framework that helps you create an actionable strategy.  (We use StratOp as our strategic planning system in HTG).  Plans drive the way the business operates.  It enables leadership to say NO to things that aren’t in the plan.  It is an ongoing skill that is instilled throughout the organization.

They lead with discipline.  One of the hardest things for any entrepreneur to do is stay focused on the things that matter.  We all have a tendency to chase the shiny lights all around us.  After all, one of those things may become the next big opportunity.  Or not, which is more likely the case.  Successful MSP’s have a disciplined approach to R&D.  They don’t put their head in the sand and ignore what’s happening, but that research is done with intention and isolation from the day-to-day business.