From $13M to $60M: What It Really Takes to Scale an MSP w/ Kevin Cook

From $13M to $60M: What It Really Takes to Scale an MSP w/ Kevin Cook

A $13M MSP turned into a $60M platform in four years. That kind of growth does not happen because the founder works harder. It happens because the business becomes more valuable, less owner-dependent, and built for scale. Brian Hoppe sits down with Kevin Cook, Chief Strategy Officer at Ntiva and former CEO of The Purple Guys, to unpack what it really takes to move from founder-led MSP to private-equity-backed platform. This conversation gets into enterprise value, acquisitions, leadership development, AI, and the hard decisions owners face when they want the business to outgrow them. In this episode: * Why owner dependence is one of the biggest value killers in an MSP * How Kevin went from a $13M MSP to a $60M platform through PE and acquisitions * What acquirers actually look for beyond EBITDA * Why culture fit can make or break an acquisition * How AI is changing the timing and strategy behind MSP exits If you’re thinking about how to build a business that can scale, sell, or survive beyond you, this is the conversation. If you want to go deeper on the levers behind growth and valuation, you can get the Value Creation Blueprint here: https://brianhoppe.com/blueprint/ Key Moments 0:00 - Welcome to The $10 Million MSP Podcast 1:07 - Kevin Cook joins the show 5:29 - Taking on private equity and becoming The Purple Guys 13:36 - What creates enterprise value in an MSP 24:23 - How AI is changing the MSP landscape 32:22 - What changes after outside investment 37:20 - Why leadership development becomes critical 51:15 - Kevin’s biggest leadership mistake Connect Brian Hoppe: https://brianhoppe.com/ [https://brianhoppe.com/] Kevin Cook: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-cook-ntiva/ https://www.ntiva.com/

How GCS Built A Durable $15M MSP w/ Shane Gronniger

A nearly $15M MSP in Austin. No acquisitions. No private equity. No traditional outbound sales machine. Most MSP growth stories focus on founder vision, aggressive sales, or rolling up other companies. This one is different. Brian Hoppe sits down with Shane Groniger, CEO of GCS Technologies, to unpack what it looks like to step into the CEO seat of a company he didn’t found and help move it past the $10M plateau. This is a conversation about discipline, focus, leadership maturity, and building a durable business without blindly following the standard MSP playbook. In this episode: - What it takes to lead an MSP you didn’t found - How GCS moved from an $8M-$9M plateau to nearly $15M - Why discipline, focus, and “addition through subtraction” became key growth drivers - How fixed-fee security packaging changed the business model - Why margin by client and agreement matters more than top-line revenue - The hard leadership lessons that come with putting people in the right seats - How Shane thinks about AI, automation, and the next curve jump for MSPs If you’re thinking about what has to change inside the business before the next stage of growth can happen, this is the conversation. If you want to go deeper on the levers behind growth and valuation, you can get the Value Creation Blueprint here: https://brianhoppe.com/blueprint/ Key Moments 1:06 – Shane Groniger joins the show 1:41 – Leading a company he didn’t found 3:01 – GCS Technologies’ journey to nearly $15M 6:29 – Breaking through the $8M-$9M plateau 7:28 – Revenue per employee, margin discipline, and EBITDA 8:50 – Moving into packaged cybersecurity services 10:54 – GCS’ ideal client profile 13:05 – Founder identity vs. non-founder CEO identity 19:03 – What had to change to get past $10M 21:54 – Building a lean leadership team 24:09 – What breaks between $8M and $15M 26:48 – The hard lesson of right people, wrong seats 31:19 – Growth plans from $15M to $20M 38:51 – Building a durable asset instead of chasing an exit 41:45 – Borrowing from EOS, peer groups, and industry benchmarks 44:42 – The metrics Shane watches most closely 49:02 – Why account management and retention matter more at scale 50:52 – Shane’s biggest leadership mistake 55:15 – Delegating decisions, not just tasks 56:35 – Lightning round 59:39 – Books and ideas that shaped Shane’s leadership Connect Brian Hoppe https://brianhoppe.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhoppe Shane Gronniger GCS Technologies https://www.gcstechnologies.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanegroniger/

How to Build a Best-in-Class $15M MSP in a Small Market w/ Ed Knott

A $15.5M MSP in rural Nebraska. No major market. No shortcuts. Most MSP owners assume scale requires geography, talent density, or luck. This conversation challenges that. Brian Hoppe sits down with Ed Knott, who built Applied Connective Technologies from 2 people to 68 employees, to unpack what actually drives growth beyond $10M. This is not a conversation about tactics. It’s about the shift most owners struggle to make. In this episode: - What really changes between a $5M and $10M MSP owner - How to build and retain a team in a constrained market - Why client experience and retention become the primary growth engine - The transition from founder-led hustle to leadership-driven scale - What “financial maturity” actually looks like inside an MSP If you’re thinking about what it takes to build a business that scales beyond you, this is the conversation. If you want to go deeper on the levers behind growth and valuation, you can get the Value Creation Blueprint here: https://brianhoppe.com/blueprint/ Key Moments 1:06 – The real difference between $5M and $10M MSP owners 7:32 – Building in a rural market and why geography didn’t matter 12:24 – Hiring and retaining talent when your market is constrained 19:05 – The moment an owner has to let go 25:11 – How sales evolves as the business scales 32:58 – Retention as a strategic growth driver 36:35 – Using leading indicators to run the business 45:42 – The biggest mistake Ed made as a leader Connect Brian Hoppe https://brianhoppe.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhoppe Ed Knott Applied Connective Technologies https://appliedconnective.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-knott-a218535/

Scaling an MSP from $8M to $47M w/ Shawn Torres

A $47M MSP with 165 employees. Built from telecom consulting, VoIP, and a founder who had to learn the business as it scaled. Most MSP owners assume growth breaks because of sales, marketing, or market size. This conversation challenges that. Brian Hoppe sits down with Shawn Torres, CEO of In-Telecom, to unpack how the company grew from an $8M telecom and networking business into a fast-scaling MSP with offices across Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, and Tennessee. This is not a conversation about chasing top-line growth. It’s about the discipline, financial maturity, leadership development, and internal infrastructure required to scale without losing control. In this episode: - How Shawn grew In-Telecom from $8M to $47M after launching managed services - Why aggressive targets only work when they are backed by budget, data, and accountability - How a real CFO changes the way an owner thinks about growth, cash, debt, and forecasting - What MSP owners underestimate about acquisitions, integration, and culture fit - Why leadership development, middle management, and internal operations become critical at scale If you’re trying to build an MSP that can grow past founder-driven hustle, this is the conversation. If you want to go deeper on the levers behind growth and valuation, you can get the Value Creation Blueprint here: https://brianhoppe.com/blueprint/ Key Moments 1:48 – The leadership lesson Shawn had to learn as the business scaled 7:36 – Why In-Telecom added managed services after building telecom, voice, and networking 11:11 – How EOS, discipline, and target-setting changed the company’s growth path 18:38 – The financial mechanics behind growing from $31M to $47M 23:53 – Building the sales, BDR, client success, and marketing engine 28:09 – Why a real CFO becomes critical around the $8M mark 32:19 – What Shawn learned from acquisitions, integration, and culture fit 38:56 – The non-obvious infrastructure required beyond $30M 44:43 – Why every new stage of growth forces the owner to level up 52:05 – Why coaching and people development matter beyond the leadership team 54:54 – Shawn’s biggest mistakes as a leader 58:39 – Lightning round: work from home, AI, the gym, hunting, and making deposits Connect Brian Hoppe https://brianhoppe.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhoppe Shawn Torres https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-torres/ https://www.in-telecom.com/

How a $12M MSP Is Monetizing AI w/ Nabil Aitoumeziane

A Microsoft-first MSP at nearly $12M. 25 years in the industry. A clear bet on AI, Copilot, and modernization. Most MSPs are still trying to figure out where AI fits. Nabil believes the opportunity is already here. Brian Hoppe sits down with Nabil Aitoumeziane, president of FSI Strategy, to unpack what it means to build a Microsoft-first MSP, modernize clients for the AI era, and move beyond the old model of tools, tickets, and reactive support. This is a conversation about process, people, delegation, trust, and why MSPs need to start having bigger business conversations with their clients. In this episode: - Why FSI chose to become a Microsoft-first MSP - How Nabil thinks about modernization, security, and AI readiness - Why process becomes non-negotiable as an MSP grows - How to delegate without losing visibility or control - Why MSP owners need to find what they are uniquely good at - How AI and Copilot are changing internal operations and client strategy - Why AI agents may become a new managed service opportunity - The importance of going back to basics with customer relationships If you’re thinking about how AI changes the role of the MSP, this conversation is a helpful look at where the market is heading and how to prepare for it. If you want to go deeper on the levers behind growth and valuation, you can get the Value Creation Blueprint here: https://brianhoppe.com/blueprint/ Key Moments 1:07 – Nabil Aitoumeziane joins the show 1:49 – FSI Strategy’s Microsoft-first MSP model 3:22 – Growing FSI to nearly $12M 4:30 – Becoming a Microsoft managed service provider 5:27 – Building modernization into client contracts 6:23 – The biggest leadership lessons Nabil has learned 8:01 – Learning to delegate as the business grows 11:46 – Building leaders internally 13:10 – Finding what you are truly good at as a leader 15:33 – Discipline, peer groups, and asking for help 17:43 – Focusing on Microsoft relationships and customer growth 18:22 – Why MSPs need to be more selective with tools 21:27 – Finding your zone of genius 25:00 – The mistake of doing the same thing over and over 28:40 – Going back to basics with customer service 32:40 – Pushing decision-making down into the organization 36:36 – How AI is helping FSI improve process 41:13 – How FSI uses Copilot internally 42:58 – Why MSPs need to implement AI internally first 44:09 – Data governance, security, and Copilot readiness 46:27 – How MSPs can monetize AI 47:02 – Why AI agents could become a managed service 49:09 – Building and supporting agents for clients 55:36 – Why clients will look elsewhere if MSPs ignore AI 56:39 – AI as a business conversation, not a technical one 58:04 – MSPs becoming strategic consultants 1:01:57 – Nabil’s biggest leadership mistake 1:04:31 – Lightning round 1:09:13 – The book that shaped Nabil’s thinking Connect Brian Hoppe https://brianhoppe.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhoppe Nabil Aitoumeziane https://www.fsistrategies.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nabilaitoumeziane/