Built to Run
Field Notes
Implementation notes, frameworks, and research from MSP owners who decided to stop being the bottleneck. Written for operators.
FeaturedYour Core Values List Is Too Long. Cut It in Half.
Your core values list is probably too long. If your team—and you—can't recite them from memory, they're decorations, not decision-making tools.
Systems Run on Numbers. If You Don't Have the Numbers, You Don't Have a System.
Your MSP's systems aren't real without numbers. Learn how to transform your documentation into measurable, outcome-driven systems that actually deliver results.
You Don't Need More Resources to Deliver a Better Client Experience
You don't need expensive tools or more staff to deliver excellent client experience. Define what perfect looks like and design intentional deviations.
Your Polished Report Is Quietly Destroying Client Trust
Your quest for a perfect client report is quietly eroding trust and killing your MSP's growth. Embrace realistic communication over polished fiction to build deeper, more reliable client relationships.
You Never Decided to Build Silos. You Built Them Anyway.
Unintended silos are silently costing your MSP speed and clients. Learn to identify and dismantle the artificial boundaries hindering your growth and team cohesion.
Hunt Groups Are Training Your Team to Miss Calls
Hunt groups teach your team to miss calls. Switch to a rotational system with clear ownership for each ring and watch your answer rate (and client satisfaction) soar.
Your Field Guide Is Not a Shiny Object
Your field guide isn't another shiny object. It's the foundational work every tool needs to deliver on its promise—making your business work better, not harder.
Commission What You Want. You'll Get What You Pay For.
Your commission plan dictates what your team sells. If you want them to sell high-value solutions, compensate them accordingly, or they'll chase easy wins every time.
When Your Client Says You're Too Expensive
When clients question your prices, it's an opportunity to show them your value, not just defend costs. Educate them on what they're truly comparing, service by service.
Stop Running Your Own QBRs. Start Running a Referral Engine.
QBRs are eating your time and generating zero referrals. Stop running them yourself. Systemize the handoff to your team, and turn each QBR into a predictable referral engine.
The One Employee Who Makes Sure Everything Happens. And What Happens When They Leave.
That indispensable employee holds your MSP together. But when they leave, all that operational knowledge walks out the door too. Stop building your business on a single point of failure.
Drive Knowledge and Competency Throughout Your Organization. Here's What Actually Works
Stop wishful thinking. To build a truly competent MSP team, you need a systematic approach: engineers define processes, then relentlessly train until it sticks.
Your Endpoints Are Growing. Your Context Isn't Keeping Up.
Your endpoints grow faster than your context. This isn't a people problem, it's a context problem. Solve it by building a robust context layer.
You Documented the Process. But How Do You Know Anyone Is Following It?
Documenting your processes is only half the battle. Without verification, your SOPs are just filing cabinet entries, not tools for consistency. Learn why a feedback loop is crucial for actual process adherence.
Every System Needs Three Things: An Outcome, a Measurement, and a Feedback Loop
MSPs, stop managing by feel. Every system needs an outcome statement, a measurement, and a feedback loop. Build systems that run without you.
Process vs. System: The Distinction That Changes Everything
A process is a recipe, but a system is the restaurant. What makes your favorite restaurant great? Consistent execution, not just great dishes. Learn how to build that for your MSP.
The Brain Injury Thought Experiment: What Breaks First When You're Gone?
Imagine 90 days out of your business. What breaks first? Most MSP owners can't face that question because they ARE their business's load-bearing wall.
Your Mission Statement Is an Operational Tool, Not a Marketing Slogan
Your mission statement isn't a decoration. It's a critical operational tool that guides your team's decisions and aligns them around a clear purpose.
You Are the Bottleneck in your MSP. Here's why that matters
Your business runs on you, but it's not sustainable. Stop being the bottleneck and build systems that empower your team to run the show without you.
Core Values Are Hire/Fire/Promote Criteria...Not Table Stakes
Core values aren't wall decor. They're specific, untrainable beliefs that define who gets hired, fired, or promoted. If you can't enforce it, it's not a value.
Mission + Core Values + BHAG = The Foundation for AI Decision-Making in Your MSP
Deploying AI without a clear mission, values, and BHAG turns your MSP's powerful tools into decision-making vacuums, leading to culturally wrong client outcomes. Define your foundation before you deploy.