What happens when your sales team and operations team are actually on the same page? You get a "dynamic MSP engine" that drives profit, reduces stress, and sets clear boundaries with clients.

"We are clear about telling clients that during onboarding we are going to find the things they don't even know about, so they should expect a remediation project. Make your peace with whatever God you may or may not believe in; it’s happening. Aligning what you sell with what you actually do is the ultimate maturity step for an MSP."

In this episode, host Andrew Moore sits down with the leadership team from Ashton Solutions—Travis Grundke, Jim Abbott, and Tom Foley—to pull back the curtain on how they’ve aligned their organization for over two decades. From the "6-week onboarding rule" to the art of saying "no" to bad business, this conversation is a masterclass in MSP maturity.

Key takeaways from this episode include:

• The Power of Expectations: Why you must tell prospects about remediation projects before they sign the contract.
• Process vs. Magic: How to transition from owner-led selling to a scalable, process-driven sales engine using the EOS framework.
• The Actuarial MSP: Viewing your contracts through the lens of risk management and profitability.
• The "Spider Sense": How to identify "red flag" clients before they ever touch your service desk.
• The Future of AI: Moving past the hype to find real-world business outcomes for your clients.

Stick around for the "Final Five" questions to hear about the most legendary (and slightly terrifying) hiring horror story in MSP history.

Show Notes: https://www.ridgeviewadvisors.com/blog/aligning-sales-and-operations-in-your-msp

Join the Armie! Get all the latest happening on MSP training, educational content, best practices and more.

Head to Ridgeview Advisors to learn more about our training programs, class-based accountability groups and online learning systems.

You can subscribe on Youtube and watch FULL episodes. Subscribe today on the 'How To MSP' Youtube Channel

How to MSP is brough to you by Ridgeview Advisors and Andrew Moore.

Most MSP owners get stuck at the same ceiling: they are the smartest person in the room, and their "processes" only exist in their heads. When they finally try to document everything, they often create a bureaucratic monster that kills creativity and slows down service delivery.

In this episode of How to MSP, Andrew Moore and Connor Fagan (Renada) break down the high-level operational strategy required to move from a "hero-based" business to a repeatable machine. We discuss the "Ambiguity Trap," the dangers of over-engineering tools like Halo PSA, and why your senior engineers might actually be the biggest bottleneck in your helpdesk.

Blurb:

"Everything I do is: how simple can we make it? I'm obsessed with simplicity in everything I do in my entire life. Because as soon as it's really simple and repeatable, it gets done way more accurately." — Connor Fagan

What You’ll Get Out of This Episode:

• The Ambiguity Trap: Why technical failures are usually management failures in disguise—learn how to look inward to find the root cause.
• Process vs. Outcomes: How to give your team "Commander's Intent" so they can solve problems autonomously instead of just clicking buttons in a workflow.
• The 60% Rule for Growth: Why accepting "good enough" from an autonomous employee is the only way to eventually get 100% results without you doing the work.
• Solving the Sales-to-Ops Handover: A simple framework to move the "laptop quote bottleneck" away from your high-cost technicians.
• AI Reality Check: Why AI is currently better at "party tricks" than actual MSP logic, and why you should probably use a script instead.

Ling to Show Notes

Join the Armie! Get all the latest happening on MSP training, educational content, best practices and more.

Head to Ridgeview Advisors to learn more about our training programs, class-based accountability groups and online learning systems.

You can subscribe on Youtube and watch FULL episodes. Subscribe today on the 'How To MSP' Youtube Channel

How to MSP is brough to you by Ridgeview Advisors and Andrew Moore.

Are you building a business or just a job? In this episode, Andrew Moore sits down with Reed Warren, President and CEO of IT Valuations, to pull back the curtain on what actually drives the market value of a Managed Service Provider. With over 30 years of experience and 700+ clients, Reed explains why your valuation is the most critical metric for directing your business investments.

Whether you are planning an exit in the next three years or want to build a more resilient, profitable MSP that can weather any market downturn, this conversation provides the financial roadmap you need.

In this episode:

What is a Multiple?: Understand how EBITDA and revenue multiples are used for comparative analysis in the MSP space.

The Rule of 40: Learn how to balance growth and profitability to achieve an operationally efficient organization.

Driving High Valuation: Discover the 26 risk factors, including contract length and customer churn, that impact your transaction value.

Revenue Mix Strategies: Why maintaining 65% to 70% recurring revenue is the "sweet spot" for maximizing both EBITDA and multiples.

M&A Readiness & Due Diligence: Practical advice on "corporate hygiene," including assignability in contracts and resolving hidden liens before you go to market.

Owner Dependency: How to delegate effectively so your business can thrive without you, making it more attractive to investors

Show Notes:

https://www.ridgeviewadvisors.com/blog/msp-valuation-secrets-how-to-maximize-ebitda-multiples-for-your-exit

Join the Armie! Get all the latest happening on MSP training, educational content, best practices and more.

Head to Ridgeview Advisors to learn more about our training programs, class-based accountability groups and online learning systems.

You can subscribe on Youtube and watch FULL episodes. Subscribe today on the 'How To MSP' Youtube Channel

How to MSP is brough to you by Ridgeview Advisors and Andrew Moore.