👀 I’ve been interviewing large, fast-growing MSPs, but what about those who want to keep it small? The truth is, success isn’t about headcount or revenue milestones—it’s about building an MSP that fits your life.

That’s exactly what Marvin B. (aka Uncle Marv) has done with MB Systems and Uncle Marv’s IT Business Podcast. Instead of chasing non-stop growth, Marv designed his business intentionally—one that gives him time freedom, financial stability, and the ability to work with clients he actually enjoys.

Here are several powerful takeaways from my conversation with Marv about defining success on your own terms:

✅ Success Isn’t About Size—It’s About Alignment
✅ Small Doesn’t Mean Struggling
✅ Work With Clients, Not Against Them
✅ Define YOUR Version of Success

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
1:07 - Staying small by design
11:08 - His niche
16:05 - How do you set boundaries?
19:54 - Advice for those who want to stay small
24:29 - Starting Uncle Marv's IT Business Podcast
30:25 - Lessons learned from hundreds of podcast interviews
33:56 - What is he looking forward to?
40:17 - Resources for those wanting a small MSP
43:40 - Conclusion

👉 CONNECT MORE WITH:
Damien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstevens
Marvin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvinbee/

📺 Watch on YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbzzyR7yX9l9XQaZCBp0v0g

#msp #managedservices #managedserviceprovider

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👀 What if you lost half your support team in one year? For Luke Downing, that wasn’t just a hypothetical—it was his reality. But instead of accepting constant turnover as the norm, he built one of the best places to work in Virginia and turned his MSP into one of the most profitable in the Taylor Business Group.

Luke didn’t just fix his hiring problem—he transformed his MSP. Here are five major takeaways from our conversation:

✅ Retention Problems Are Expensive—Solve Them First – High turnover isn’t just a hassle—it’s a profit killer.
✅ Leadership is Harder Than Technology – Managing servers is easy—managing people is where the real challenge lies.
✅ Hire for Values, Train for Skills – The best hires aren’t always the most experienced.
✅ You Can’t Deliver World-Class Service on Budget Pricing – Luke had to rethink pricing and charge what his MSP was truly worth.
✅ Work-Life Balance Attracts (and Keeps) Top Talent

00:00 Intro – What if you lost half your team in a year?
01:45 - Starting an MSP and figuring out how to fix people problems.
30:12 - How he learned to attract the right people that fit their culture
37:23 - What Luke attributes to his company's growth: Peer Groups, improving pricing, and caring for people.
51:52 - What's the biggest challenge he's faced?
58:21 - MSP Titan Questions

👉 CONNECT MORE WITH:
Damien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstevens
Luke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-downing-01b9955/

🎙 Listen on audio:
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/msp-mindset-with-damien-stevens/id1669572779
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5B1k3Z8qXBGBSCJeSScjBE?si=c5d185c306064520

#msp #managedservices #managedserviceprovider

Scaling an MSP is tough, but scaling without losing your best people is even harder. In this episode, Peter Melby, CEO of New Charter Technologies, shares how he built a $20M MSP by prioritizing empathy at scale and a culture that thrives through growth. He reveals the biggest mistakes MSP leaders make, why focusing too much on struggling employees can drive away top performers, and how to build a company culture that scales. If you want to grow your MSP without sacrificing relationships, culture, or your sanity, this episode is a must-listen!

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
1:37 - Peter's growth story, from college dropout to MSP CEO
12:28 - Predictions can be tricky + how relationships were crucial to their growth
22:57 - How he built his MSP to $20M in revenue + moving on from it to being CEO of New Charter Technologies
52:30 - Why is New Charter a platform
1:02:35 - Why can MSPs be hard to scale? Other people businesses (lawyers) have huge companies that scale.
1:06:02 - What is his view on M&A?

✅ Not sure about full support, we’re giving away our process for you to check out for yourself: https://bit.ly/4hCw4Wi

🤝 Connect with Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermelby/
🤝 Connect with Damien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstevens

📺 Watch on YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbzzyR7yX9l9XQaZCBp0v0g

#msp #managedservices #managedserviceprovider

✅ Not sure about full support, we’re giving away our process for you to check out for yourself: https://bit.ly/4hCw4Wi

Most MSPs stay stuck because they avoid sales, underprice their services, and resist stepping out of their comfort zones. In this episode, Jeff Newton, Co-Founder of Cyft, reveals the key mindset shifts and strategies needed to scale your MSP. Learn how to break through growth barriers, hire for strengths, and hold yourself accountable for real progress. If you're ready to stop playing small, listen now and start building the MSP you actually want!

Chapters:
1:17 - Biggest challenges facing MSPs
11:20 - Getting out of my comfort zone and embrace being bad (only for a time)
20:33 - How do I hire someone when I have a deficit of skill? How do I make sure both of us are set up for success?
30:22 - Do I take the sales journey or do I hire it out?

🤝 Connect with Jeffrey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsnewton/
🤝 Connect with Damien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstevens

🎙 Listen on audio: How to Stop Playing Small and Build a Multi-Million Dollar MSP
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/msp-mindset-with-damien-stevens/id1669572779
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5B1k3Z8qXBGBSCJeSScjBE?si=c5d185c306064520

#msp #managedservices #managedserviceprovider

✅ Not sure about full support, we’re giving away our process for you to check out for yourself: https://bit.ly/4hCw4Wi

Joshua Skeens, CEO of Logically, started his career as employee number four at an MSP and eventually rose to the rank of CEO (with 300 employees). Along the way, he had to reinvent himself at every stage—what worked at five employees didn’t work later on, it's been a constant journey of constant growth. His biggest lesson? Success isn’t about the tech—it’s about the people.

In this episode, Joshua shares how he navigated the challenges of rapid growth, overcame imposter syndrome, and learned to delegate effectively to scale his company. If you’re looking to level up your leadership and build a thriving MSP, don’t miss this conversation!

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
1:17 - From farm boy to IT
10:42 - From employee #4 to CEO with 300 team members + learning how to lead and motivate team members
20:18 - Letting go as the CEO, preventing burnout for yourself and your team, and empowering your employees
29:39 - Learning how to change your mindset and grow
36:54 - The importance of seeing your team members as individuals
45:04 - The importance of gratitude in his life and how he instills it into their culture
53:02 - Joshua's take on PE and why it's a good thing depending on the person
1:01:05 - MSP Titan Questions

📧 Sign up for early access to my book and be a beta reader: https://go.servosity.com/betareader

🤝 Connect with Joshua: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuaskeens/
🤝 Connect with Damien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstevens

📺 Watch on YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbzzyR7yX9l9XQaZCBp0v0g

✅ Not sure about full support, we’re giving away our process for you to check out for yourself: https://bit.ly/4hCw4Wi

Feeling stuck as a small MSP? So was today's guest, Kevin Barros, CEO of The Computer Company. He and his team took a step back and realized they were surrounded by MSPs with hundreds team members. Instead of feeling discouraged, they decided to hunker down and grow—because if those MSPs could do it, so could they.

Check out today's episode to learn how Kevin scaled his MSP so quickly!

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
1:27 - Where his MSP is today and where they see themselves going in the future - from a single person startup in 2017 to currently having 45 team members.
11:10 - What did they do to grow so quickly?
16:11 - What advice would he give his former self?
18:49 - What is he looking forward in the industry? (Ai)
20:53 - The importance of listening to your clients.
24:15 - Conclusion

👀 Check out Growcon for 2025: https://growcon.com/

🤝 Connect with Kevin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-barros-a55a2ba9/
🤝 Connect with Damien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstevens

📺 Watch on YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbzzyR7yX9l9XQaZCBp0v0g

✅ Not sure about full support, we’re giving away our process for you to check out for yourself: https://bit.ly/4hCw4Wi

In this episode of MSP Mindset, Damien Stevens interviews Jay Papasan, co-author of the bestselling book The ONE Thing. Jay shares how focusing on your “one thing” can transform your MSP, helping you achieve more by doing less. They discuss the power of purpose, the science of time-blocking, and how to overcome distractions to stay focused on what truly matters. Whether you're feeling overwhelmed or seeking clarity to grow your business, this episode is packed with actionable strategies to take your MSP to the next level.

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
1:18 - We have it all wrong with "priorities"
4:20 - How do I get to my one thing? The backstory to how Jay got there.
14:21 - How they implemented the one thing as they wrote the book.
21:15 - Honing in on your purpose and letting it drive your focus.
33:11 - Cheating on your time. Why putting boundaries around work is healthy.
40:39 - Time blocking and structuring your day around your one thing.
55:57 - Using the correct model to approach your purpose.
1:01:50 - Conclusion

📧 Sign up for early access to my book and be a beta reader: https://go.servosity.com/betareader

🤝 Connect with Jay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaypapasan/
🤝 Connect with Damien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstevens

📺 Watch on YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbzzyR7yX9l9XQaZCBp0v0g

✅ Not sure about full support, we’re giving away our process for you to check out for yourself: https://bit.ly/4hCw4Wi

As we continue our journey to interview 100 of the top MSPs on the planet, my mission brings me to Jason Caras, CEO of IT Authorities. Jason didn’t just grow his MSP to seven figures—he and his partner managed to hit eight figures. But here’s the question: what did Jason and his partner do in their MSP that led to such massive growth? It came down to three things they executed really well: 1). Documentation: Every process was documented, down to turning off the AC. This enabled them to grow faster since there was one consistent way for things to be done. 2). Automation: If a task could be automated to allow for better efficiency, they went for it. 3). Culture: Their culture was focused on personal development and treating others as they would want to be treated. Their priority was to work on themselves before working on the MSP.

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
1:48 - Building a successful MSP through documentation and automation
6:30 - Building a successful MSP through culture that focused on personal development for the team
17:40 - Conclusion

👀 Check out Growcon for 2025: https://growcon.com/

🤝 Connect with Jason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncaras/
🤝 Connect with Damien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstevens

📺 Watch on YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbzzyR7yX9l9XQaZCBp0v0g