Advertise on podcast: It's a Numbers Game
This podcast has
143 episodes
Explicit
No
Date created
2022/04/21
Latest episode
2026/09/21
Average duration
32 min.
Release period
13 days
Description
The MSP Finance Team Podcast "It's a Numbers Game" from the only financial management solution for MSPs in the UK, founded by former MSP-owners.
Podcast episodes
Check latest episodes from It's a Numbers Game podcast
EP143 – From Chaos to Traction - How EOS Builds Better More Valuable MSPs with Larry Garcia
2026/09/21
In this podcast episode, Daniel Welling and Adam Morris speak with Larry Garcia about the rise of EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) among MSPs, attributing its popularity to MSPs' productivity mindset and EOS's prescriptive framework for running a business. They explain EOS's origins in Gino Wickman's book Traction, its core components (vision, traction, and a healthy organisation), and its scale (tens of thousands using implementers and 300,000+ companies following it). Adam and Larry share how EOS improved profitability and valuation, including an acquisition that credited EOS maturity with a higher multiple and reduced operational hiring needs. They discuss common implementation failures (not reading the book, partial adoption, lack of weekly rhythm), tool support via software like Strety integrated with MSP ecosystems, and tips: read the book, start with one tool, maintain consistency, and define core values for hiring and reviews.
00:00 Welcome and EOS hype
00:22 Why MSPs love EOS
02:02 What EOS is in a minute
03:14 MSP pricing mindset break
04:19 Adoption stats and profit impact
05:18 EOS basics vision traction health
07:17 Why implementations fail
08:23 Tools and software options
11:19 Getting unstuck with EOS tools
13:18 Read the book and iterate
15:21 Tailoring EOS and alternatives
19:29 Success stories and consistency
23:57 Top tips and core values
24:40 Contact and Stret origin story
25:59 Coffee farm wrap up
Start your Strety free trial at https://2.strety.com/daniel-welling-dbf459/join
Connect with Larry Garcia on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/lgarcia314/
Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/
Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/
Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/
MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team
We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!
EP142 – MSP Global, M&A, Specialisation and the Power of Meeting People with Christian Jaeger
2026/09/08
Podcast hosts Daniel and Adam interview Christian (CloudFest/MSP Global) about parallels between cloud hosting and today's MSP M&A market, describing how private equity funding drove consolidation into a few large platforms while new niche specialists emerged and were later acquired. Christian argues MSPs should stay optimistic because customers still need trusted advisors amid security complexity and AI-driven change; MSP optimism in their "State of the MSP" report is around 4.3/5. For MSP owners, he suggests moving toward recurring subscription revenue and specialising by industry or capability to increase value to buyers. The conversation also explains why MSP Global exists: a vendor-diverse expo, strong education, and facilitated networking designed for introverts, with an international European focus (dozens of nations, including UK and US attendees). He advises attendees to use the event app, pre-plan sessions and meetings, be open about goals, and network proactively.
00:00 Pre Show Setup
00:33 Welcome And Agenda
01:09 Hosting Vs MSP Consolidation
04:53 Niche Startups After M&A
07:06 Why MSPs Stay Essential
10:59 Advice For MSP Owners
15:04 Why Another MSP Event
16:15 Event Pillars Expo Learn Network
19:45 Global Community And Partnerships
25:13 How To Maximise Attendance
28:40 Wrap Up And Final Tips
Learn more and register for MSP Global at https://registration.mspglobal.com/registration?code=WELLING
Connect with Christian Jaeger on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianjaeger/
Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/
Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/
Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/
MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team
We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!
EP141 – How MSPs Can Turn Client Testimonials into a Marketing Engine with James Steel
2026/08/24
In this podcast episode, Daniel interviews James Steel of MSP Testimonials about using video testimonials to create reusable marketing assets for MSPs, building on a prior episode about written case studies. They discuss common objections (not wanting to bother clients and not knowing what to do with the content) and emphasise that clients often respond positively when asked, especially with clear expectations and an easy process. James outlines a streamlined workflow: a warm intro, a simple email, a booking form (e.g., Calendly), and a recording guide focused on natural light and basic framing, with minimal gear. He explains a repeatable interview "story arc" (business context, prior pain, decision point, onboarding, results with numbers, and recommendation) and highlights the value of transcripts for repurposing into case studies, website pages, YouTube/LinkedIn posts, quotes, shorts, and SEO/chat-search visibility, encouraging MSPs to build a library of at least six stories and a company-wide culture of capturing positive feedback.
00:00 Welcome and Setup
00:29 Why Video Testimonials Matter
02:00 Overcoming the Ask Anxiety
04:08 Outreach Email and Booking Flow
06:48 Client Prep and Recording Guide
08:25 Putting Clients at Ease
11:35 Testimonial vs Case Study
13:02 On-Camera Setup and Coaching
16:13 Interview Questions Story Arc
18:24 Building a Testimonial Library
21:03 Distribution and SEO Repurposing
23:42 Tools for Shorts and Editing
26:23 Wrap Up and Resources
MSP Testimonials free toolkit download – https://msptestimonials.com/itsanumbersgame
Connect with James Steel on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-steel-8964947/
Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/
Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/
Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/
MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team
We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!
EP140 - Why MSP Security Needs to Be Simpler with Shaun Farrow of Arctic Wolf
2026/08/16
Dan speaks with Sean Farrow of Arctic Wolf about the fast-changing MSP cybersecurity landscape and Sean's move from a 15-year MSP career, most recently as security practice lead, to the vendor side. Sean explains how gaps in an MSP's Microsoft-based SOC portfolio led him to Arctic Wolf for vendor-agnostic coverage, and discusses the pressure of keeping pace with shifting best-of-breed tools and integrations. They explore MSP commercial realities such as packaging, pricing, margin predictability, and the need to reduce operational friction by delivering outcome-driven, true-positive tickets. Sean outlines Arctic Wolf's vendor-neutral approach and security concierge service, and previews a streamlined MSP-only offering expected around September that aims to simplify scoping, improve price competitiveness, reduce requirements like a mandated network sensor, and introduce more on-demand digital concierge capabilities, while still pulling data across the attack surface.
00:00 Welcome and Setup
02:03 Sean MSP Background
03:41 Keeping Up With Security
05:07 Why Move Vendor Side
06:19 Pricing Sponsor Break
08:33 Life at Arctic Wolf MSP
11:22 Arctic Wolf MSP Model
12:55 Streamlined Offering Changes
16:10 Posture Improvement Examples
19:52 Launch Plans and Wrap
Connect with Shaun Farrow on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaunfarrow/
Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/
Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/
Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/
MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team
We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!
EP139 – The MSP Joiner-Leaver Problem Nobody Talks About with Cristian Bogdan from CooperBox
2026/08/09
Cristian discusses how his MSP experience provisioning thousands of pandemic-era laptops exposed frequent mis-provisioned user accounts, often caused by clients submitting incomplete joiner requests (missing departments, licenses, and permissions). He highlights the larger risk on off-boarding, citing studies in the UK and USA where 50% of businesses reported former employees not being fully off-boarded, leaving residual access and ongoing licensing costs. Cristian describes a self-serve joiner/leaver platform designed to replace fragile ticket-based workflows with guided forms, integrations with HR platforms via APIs, a governance engine that validates requests against policies, an approval queue for final review, and tracking of what was provisioned to ensure consistent deprovisioning, including manual notes for non-SSO legacy apps. He explains MSP commercialisation options (embedded, add-on, hybrid), benefits for compliance evidence (e.g., ISO 2701), applicability to internal IT/co-managed environments, and notes the product was largely built using OpenAI Codex.
00:00 Welcome and Setup
00:24 MSP Origin Story
01:26 Joiner Provisioning Pain
02:36 Leavers and Residual Access
04:45 Automation and HR Integrations
08:03 Self-Serve Governance Workflow
09:41 Compliance Value and ROI
10:54 Pricing and Target Users
16:34 Governance Engine vs Scripts
18:18 AI Future and Readiness
20:19 Building with Codex
22:08 Wrap Up and Contact
Connect with Cristian Bogdan on LinkedIn by clicking here –https://www.linkedin.com/in/c-bogdan/
Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/
Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/
Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/
MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team
We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!
EP138 – Can MSPs Really Buy and Sell Individual Clients with Matt Yesbeck from MSPX
2026/07/28
Matt discusses MSPX, a marketplace for MSPs to buy and sell individual managed services contracts as an alternative to acquiring entire businesses. The platform helps MSPs divest non-profitable or non-strategic clients and enables buyers to shorten sales cycles by targeting specific verticals or geographies, with typical pricing around 6–8x MRR (sometimes higher with negotiation and longer remaining terms). MSPX uses escrow, a structured 30-day transition dashboard, a legally drafted customer notification email with a novation agreement requiring the buyer to honour the existing MSA, and protections if a customer declines the transfer. Sellers complete a detailed intake form; buyers can ask questions via in-platform chat. Pricing includes $149/year membership, 7% seller commission, 1–2% escrow fee for buyers, and an optional $599/year "first look" tier. The main challenge is limited awareness due to bootstrapped marketing.
00:00 Welcome and Setup
00:36 MSPX Marketplace Explained
02:06 Why Sell Contracts
03:39 Pricing Multiples and Examples
06:22 Valuation and Risk Controls
09:19 End Client Consent and Escrow
13:48 Communication and Transition Playbook
18:34 Contract Intake and Buyer Due Diligence
20:32 Growth Challenges and Pricing Plans
25:00 Global Expansion Use Cases
28:26 Wrap Up and How to Join
Connect with Matt Yesbeck on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattyesbeck/
Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/
Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/
Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/
MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team
We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!
EP137 - Why MSP Sales Decisions Aren't as Rational as You Think with Marino Vigliotti
2026/07/19
Marino joins the podcast to discuss decision-making psychology for MSPs, emphasising that B2B buying differs from B2C because decisions require justification to others and are shaped by different goals. He describes common friction caused by misalignment between what MSPs pitch as "gains" and what business owners perceive as "losses," highlighting loss aversion, status quo bias, and sunk cost effects (including attachment to existing tools and the implied threat of admitting past mistakes). Using a probability-and-reward example, he explains biases in cognitive decision-making and how statistics can be misread without context. The conversation covers how asking too many questions increases cognitive load, why multi-quote requests often signal weak differentiation of the MSP (not just price), and why prescriptive sales scripts can feel inauthentic; trust, fit, and practice through more conversations are stressed. Marino recommends Kahneman's "Thinking, Fast and Slow" and Phil Agnew's "Nudge"
00:00 Welcome and Topic Setup
01:13 B2B vs B2C Decisions
02:26 Client Utility and Friction
06:11 Cognitive Biases Explained
10:39 Loss Aversion and Framing
14:26 Status Quo and Sunk Costs
17:47 Winning Quotes and Differentiation
20:31 Qualification and Buyer Psychology
23:38 Cognitive Load in Sales
25:44 Authenticity and Bounded Rationality
29:21 Resources and Closing
Connect with Marino Vigliotti on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/marinovigliotti/
Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/
Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/
Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/
MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team
We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!
EP136 – How I F'd Up Three Acquisitions: Lessons From Apple MSP M&A with Justin Esgar
2026/06/28
Justin returns to the podcast and discusses the challenges and lessons from acquiring three Apple-focused businesses since 2020 amid consolidation in the Apple consultant community and difficulty targeting Mac-using clients. He describes buying a small Iowa Apple consultancy with the seller kept on for business development, only to learn ownership doesn't equal sales skill and that ex-owners often clash as employees; the owner left after disputes, but clients were retained and served remotely. He then explains acquiring a Colorado Apple training company to build a B2C training channel, but it failed due to lack of focus, content upkeep, staff turnover, and the effort required to produce non-evergreen training. A larger Missouri consultancy/Apple authorised service provider acquisition brought clients and a strong team but also personality conflict and a payment-structure mistake that strained cash flow. Despite stress and missed pay-checks, Justin says the acquisitions ultimately improved finances, team quality, and growth, stressing the need for stronger financial position and deal-specific negotiation.
00:00 Welcome Back
01:15 M&A Episode Setup
02:06 Why Apple MSPs Consolidate
07:43 Three Acquisitions Overview
10:03 Deal One Iowa Lessons
12:02 Owner Clashes After Buyout
16:21 Deal Three Missouri Personality
18:25 Deal Two Training Misfire
27:37 Deal Structures Cash Flow Traps
32:50 Big Takeaways And Closing
Connect with Justin Esgar on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesgar/
Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/
Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/
Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/
MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team
EP135 – How MSPs Can Get Paid Faster with Tom Pope
2026/06/14
Tom discusses Adfin as a "new, better GoCardless," arguing it offers stronger support, more competitive pricing, and a broader product: direct debits, cards (including Apple Pay/Google Pay), open banking, and bank transfers in one platform with integrated chasing and reconciliation via Xero. He says the market has lacked innovation for 15–20 years and positions Adfin's goal as getting businesses paid faster at lower cost through automation and AI-driven personalization (e.g., mandates and chasing from a user's own email domain). Adfin is UK-focused, accepts international card payments, and plans euro and USD bank transfers within six months. A key differentiator is an automated direct debit migration process that moves mandates from other providers in about five weeks without customer action beyond notification. The episode also covers VRP skepticism, configurable payment limits/rules, virtual accounts for automated bank transfer reconciliation, and optional surcharging for expensive business cards.
00:00 Are We The New GoCardless
00:42 Why Adfin Wins
02:03 Why Challenge The Incumbent
03:56 Startup Speed Vs Scale
05:16 Payments Platform Explained
05:58 International Payments Roadmap
07:07 Switching Without Risk
09:26 VRP And Open Banking Reality
13:14 MSP Workflow Examples In Xero
15:43 Chasing Emails And Payment Limits
17:47 High Value Bank Transfers
18:52 Apple Pay Fees And Surcharging
22:33 Wrap Up And How To Reach Adfin
Connect with Tom Pope on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-pope-979a4940/
Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/
Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/
Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/
MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team
We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!
EP134 – The MSP M&A Landscape in 2026 with Paul Vanstone
2026/05/31
Paul joins the podcast to discuss MSP M&A trends and what 2026 may look like after years of consolidation driven by PE-backed platforms, self-funded acquirers, listed buyers, and newer permanent capital vehicles. He explains why the market has been attractive (fragmentation, cloud migration, cyber demand, COVID-driven working changes, inflation-led price increases) but notes the bar is rising for sellers amid economic headwinds, lower price rises, and AI-driven efficiency that may pressure support rates while also creating advisory opportunities and margin protection. Paul breaks down five buyer types, including Evergreen-style permanent capital that buys without heavy integration and offers supplier and group benefits. He advises sellers to plan early, clarify personal and business goals, avoid approaching everyone, optimise operations, and choose experienced M&A advisors and lawyers, with up-to-date financial and tax records.
00:00 Welcome and Setup
00:33 2026 MSP M&A Outlook
02:18 Market Drivers and Headwinds
06:01 Who the Buyers Are
09:26 Choosing the Right Exit Partner
12:42 Why Exit Planning Matters
14:49 Optimising for a Future Sale
18:14 Money Goals and Life Purpose
23:14 Building the Right Team
23:53 Picking Advisors and Process Timeline
28:57 Wrap Up and Contact Details
Connect with Paul Vanstone on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/cls946167290/
Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/
Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/
Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/
MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team
We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!
EP133 – The Compliance Revenue You're Missing with Dom Haughton and Alastair Goodwin
2026/05/25
Adam Morris and Daniel Welling discuss how MSPs can offer compliance as a service to differentiate and create recurring, high-margin revenue, joined by Dom Haughton (Brigantia Partners) and Alastair Goodwin (Adoptech).
They explain that MSPs are increasingly asked by customers for certifications such as Cyber Essentials, ISO 27001, ISO 9001 and ISO 42001, but often avoid selling them due to perceived documentation burden and lack of in-house compliance expertise. Adoptech's guided, automated platform and "done-for-you" delivery model aim to shorten ISO 27001 delivery to 8–12 weeks and reduce costs versus traditional consultants, while enabling MSPs to wrap professional services around technical remediation identified through gap analysis. Partners report adding roughly 25–30% margin, with growing demand in regulated sectors and supply chains (e.g., legal, finance, automotive).
00:00 Compliance as a Service Intro
01:32 Why MSPs Should Care
02:36 How MSPs Get Started
04:01 Market Awareness Today
05:37 Productising Compliance
07:09 Automation Removes Friction
08:20 Pricing Mindset Interlude
09:25 Delivery Models and Partnering
13:33 Margins and Upsell Opportunities
18:04 Selling Value and Positioning
23:22 Target Sectors and Demand
28:16 Is It Worth It at Small Scale
31:08 Wrap Up and Contact Details
Connect with Dom Houghton on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/domhaughton/
Connect with Alastair Goodwin on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/alastair-goodwin-b165894/
Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/
Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/
Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/
MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team
We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!
EP132 – Rehearse the Chaos — Why every MSP should be running tabletop exercises with their clients — with Adam Pilton, Heimdal Security
2026/05/16
Daniel Welling welcomes back cybersecurity advisor Adam Pilton (Heimdal Security) for a masterclass on cyber tabletop exercises. Adam defines a tabletop as a staged rehearsal where senior leaders and key responders use the organisation's incident response procedure while a facilitator introduces evolving information, aiming to build confidence, stress-test decision-making, and improve communication. They discuss common failures like missing or outdated incident response plans, the facilitator's role in preparing and tailoring scenarios, and differences between SMEs (often using pre-made exercises) and enterprises (more tailored). MSPs should participate, with the on-the-day MSP representative not knowing what comes next, and facilitation can be segmented to reduce bias. Success means surfacing lessons learned, and Adam recommends at least annual exercises, ideally quarterly, including smaller segments within QBRs. He outlines six pillars of effective incident response and highlights the MGM incident as a communication case study.
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
01:20 Tabletop Exercises Defined
03:13 Game vs Serious Stress
04:20 Incident Plan Pitfalls
06:29 Facilitator Prep and Tailoring
10:51 SME vs Enterprise Approach
12:26 MSP Role and Independence
15:10 What Success Looks Like
17:01 Where and How Often
19:40 Packaging as Recurring Service
22:21 Six Pillars Framework
24:48 Communication Case Study MGM
28:27 Selling Security Upgrades
30:32 Wrap Up and Contact
Connect with Adam Pilton on LinkedIn by clicking here –https://www.linkedin.com/in/adampilton
Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/
Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/
Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/
MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team
We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!
EP131 – The Devil's in the Detail – Why your billing team, your margins and your processes need to be ready before you scale – with David Middleton, Flotek
2026/05/04
Dave discusses how Flotek scaled its finance and billing operations from a simple setup (a bookkeeper and a director overseeing finances) to a more structured team while growing rapidly through acquisitions. He explains their philosophy that client-facing billing is part of service delivery, with SLAs and a "wow" mindset to protect relationships and reduce friction from invoice errors. The conversation covers challenges of cost-of-sale reconciliation amid inconsistent vendor billing, the need to accept imperfect acquisition data, and using standard cost models and monthly margin monitoring (with more precision where margins are tighter, like Microsoft). They emphasise simplifying vendors/products, building processes and controls across sales, projects, and finance, capturing historical billing data, and balancing automation with necessary manual review. Dave notes they reached £18M revenue in 3.5 years and wishes he had hired earlier, stressing upfront investment in scalable systems, culture, and pricing for long-term growth.
00:00 MSP Finance at Scale
00:50 Early Acquisition Setup
01:47 Billing as Customer Service
05:24 Wow Factor and Trust
08:17 Cost Reconciliation Reality
10:14 Standard Costs and Margins
14:45 Automation and AI Tools
17:39 Limiting Complexity
19:53 Team Size and Reporting Depth
23:24 Sales Ops to Finance Handoff
27:46 Lessons from Rapid Growth
29:32 Closing and Contact
Connect with Dave Middleton on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-j-middleton/
Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/
Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/
Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/
MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team
We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!
EP130 – 14 MSP Acquisitions in 4 Years – What Buyers Really Look For with Dave Middleton
2026/04/05
Dave joins the podcast to discuss Flotek's M&A journey, having completed 14 acquisitions in three and a half years, and argues the MSP market is diverse, fragmented, and active, with frequent inbound opportunities. He explains deal sourcing through SEO, brokers, network reputation, and supplier referrals, and stresses sellers should do due diligence on buyers. Flotek prioritises cultural and values alignment before numbers, then evaluates stability, cash flow, customer loyalty, customer satisfaction, geography, organic growth, and vendor/tech-stack fit, with a relentless focus on thorough integration. Post-sale, they reassure staff through one-to-ones, emphasise career growth in a larger business, and use phased service integration (often months 6–12) plus strong account management to reduce churn, while acknowledging some customers prefer small-MSP intimacy. On valuation, Dave says it depends on timing and competition, advises not fixating on price versus deal structure and certainty, and notes recurring revenue and longer contracts generally improve value.
00:00 Welcome and Goals
00:51 Biggest M&A Takeaways
01:57 Deal Flow and Market Supply
03:29 Sourcing Acquisition Leads
05:35 Buyer Due Diligence
06:48 Culture Fit First
07:53 What Buyers Look For
09:46 Integration and Tech Stack
13:51 Pipeline Timing and Dating
16:32 Post Sale Integration Playbook
20:16 Customer Retention and Churn
24:41 Valuation Versus Deal Structure
28:00 Wrap Up and Contact
Connect with Dave Middleton on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-j-middleton/
Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/
Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/
Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/
MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team
We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!
EP129 – Why Most MSPs get PR wrong with Rahme Mehmet
2026/03/28
In this episode, the hosts Adam and Daniel are joined by PR consultant Rahme to discuss an upcoming 2026 collaboration and unpack what PR means for MSPs and vendors: public relations as audience-focused communication that builds reputation, brand awareness, and relationships with influencers such as reporters, editors, analysts, and advisors. They contrast PR with marketing, using a white paper as an example of content that marketing deploys for lead generation while PR uses it to pitch thought leadership and earn coverage, and they explore how PR success is measured through exposure, publication quality, message pull-through, and effects like SEO rather than direct sales attribution. They stress getting fundamentals right (clear positioning, aligned website and social messaging), planning quarterly communications tied to business goals, developing media relationships, and preparing for crisis communications. They also address AI as both an accelerator and a reputational risk in content creation.
00:00 Welcome and Partnership
00:52 What PR Really Means
04:32 PR vs Marketing Lines
08:03 Measuring PR Impact
13:41 Who Should Use PR
17:43 Earned vs Paid Coverage
21:04 Getting Started with PR
24:31 Relationships and Crisis Prep
26:49 AI in the PR World
32:08 Contact and Wrap Up
Connect with Rahme Mehmet on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahmemehmet/
Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/
Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/
Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/
MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team
We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!