EP222 – STOP Attracting the Wrong People to Your MSP with Julie Hutchison & Ian Luckett
IT Experts Podcast with Ian Luckett
Release Date: 02/28/2025
IT Experts Podcast with Ian Luckett
Or more accurately, the fear of niching. It’s that internal tug-of-war between wanting more leads and being scared that if you narrow your focus, you’ll somehow lose out on opportunities. So in this episode, I turned the tables and interviewed my co-host Ian Luckett, who’s been doing some seriously powerful work with our clients on this very subject over the past 12 months. Let’s get this out in the open straight away – niching is not about turning people away or putting your business in a box. It’s about getting clear on who you help, how you help them, and making sure...
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Now, for those of you who don’t know Scott, he’s been helping MSPs since 2016 after experiencing the all-too-familiar frustration of lead generation in his own MSP. As he says, once you’re in the room with a prospect, it’s usually straightforward to talk about tech, pain points and solutions. The hard bit? Getting in the room in the first place. That challenge became the mission behind IT Rockstars, and today Scott works with hundreds of MSPs around the world, transforming how they attract and engage new business. The heart of our conversation was about practical, real-world...
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Now we all know M&A – mergers and acquisitions – can be one of the fastest ways to grow and scale your business. Once you’ve got your house in order, and you’re running at a solid EBITDA with strong operational maturity, bolting on new businesses might seem like the logical next step. But – and it’s a big but – what’s often overlooked is what that really means for your people. And if your culture, leadership, and structure aren’t ready, the train can very quickly come off the rails. Alison brings a grounded, real-world view to this conversation. She’s been on...
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But is that really the end of the road, or is there something you can do to keep that client, maintain profitability, and avoid unnecessary churn? In this episode of the IT Experts Podcast, I sat down with our resident finance coach, Clare Elliott, to explore what MSPs can do when faced with clients who are reconsidering their contracts. Clare works with MSPs every day inside the Growth Hub, helping business owners understand their numbers, optimise their pricing, and make better financial decisions. One of the key takeaways from our conversation is that if a client calls you to say...
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I’m joined by fellow MSP Growth Hub coaches Stuart Warwick, Julie Hutchison, and Clare Elliott, as we reflect on the key takeaways from our January 2025 two-day intensive. These intensives are the cornerstone of the MSP Growth Hub’s Scale with Confidence model, bringing together MSP owners and leaders to reflect, reset, and refocus on their business growth. The January event was centred around the theme of ‘Harnessing Ambition’—not just setting strategic goals but ensuring they are cascaded throughout the entire organisation. This is where business owners can make real...
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Many MSPs start with a handful of technical people, then bolt on account management, sales, marketing, and operations as they grow. But without a clearly defined structure, this approach can create inefficiencies, miscommunication, and stalled growth. That’s why we brought in Alison Whitfield from Cultivate People Services, a people and culture expert with a wealth of experience working with MSPs. Together, we unpack the essential components of structuring an MSP for growth, leadership development, and team alignment. Alison shares her perspective on why structure is so much more...
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As business owners, we often pride ourselves on pushing forward, solving problems, and keeping things moving. But what happens when we don’t stop to reflect? What are the hidden risks of ploughing ahead without taking a moment to reassess our strategy, our goals, and even our own leadership? Stuart and I unpack exactly that in today’s conversation, and trust me, if you’re an MSP looking to scale, this is something you don’t want to ignore. We all know the feeling of getting caught up in the day-to-day operations—whether it's handling client issues, managing your team, or...
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Now, if you've ever been in the frustrating position of recruiting someone you thought was perfect for the job, only to find out they’re not the right fit at all, you’re not alone. This happens more often than you might think, and in today’s episode, we uncover exactly why MSPs keep attracting the wrong people—and more importantly, how to stop it from happening. Julie shares a story from a recent conversation with an MSP owner who was struggling to find the right person for their team. They needed someone dynamic, open to change, and capable of taking the business forward. But...
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For those who aren’t familiar, B Corp is essentially a certification that demonstrates a company’s commitment to social and environmental responsibility. It’s often described as the gold standard for ethical business practices, ensuring that organisations consider the impact of their decisions on employees, customers, suppliers, the community, and the planet. It’s about running a business with integrity and proving that you’re doing the right thing—not just saying you are. Gildas explained that he’s always been passionate about running a business with strong values,...
info_outlineIT Experts Podcast with Ian Luckett
One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation is that when clients say an MSP is “too expensive,” what they actually mean is that they don’t see the value in the service. This is a massive problem in the industry. MSPs often assume that if tickets are low and complaints are minimal, everything is running smoothly. But in reality, service delivery is about so much more than just fixing issues. It’s about building relationships, setting clear expectations, and continuously improving processes to meet client needs. Michelle Coombs quickly pointed out that the traditional...
info_outlineNow, if you've ever been in the frustrating position of recruiting someone you thought was perfect for the job, only to find out they’re not the right fit at all, you’re not alone. This happens more often than you might think, and in today’s episode, we uncover exactly why MSPs keep attracting the wrong people—and more importantly, how to stop it from happening.
Julie shares a story from a recent conversation with an MSP owner who was struggling to find the right person for their team. They needed someone dynamic, open to change, and capable of taking the business forward. But instead, they kept attracting technically competent people who lacked the energy, drive, or communication skills needed to move the business in the right direction. It turns out that the problem wasn’t just about who was applying—it was about how they were advertising the role and conducting interviews.
One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation is that MSPs often think they have a solid recruitment process in place, but in reality, they’re unknowingly setting themselves up for failure. The way you write your job ads, the questions you ask in interviews, and even your expectations of what the role should be can all contribute to hiring the wrong person. Julie stresses the importance of being brutally honest about what you actually need—not just listing out generic skills, but defining the key behavioural competencies that will make someone successful in that role.
And this is where things often go wrong. Many MSP owners get caught up in salary bands and role levels—assuming that a certain salary should match a certain level of experience or leadership ability. But as Julie explains, an engineer who’s great at solving tickets and supporting clients might actually be more valuable than someone who aspires to be a manager but lacks the skills to lead. Promoting someone just because they want to earn more can backfire massively if they’re not suited for the responsibilities of the role.
This ties into another crucial point: MSPs need to stop seeing roles as a one-size-fits-all career ladder. Not every engineer should have to move into management to get a pay rise. The real question is—what does that person bring to the business? If they’re delivering value at their current level, they should be rewarded accordingly, rather than being forced into a leadership position they might not be suited for.
Another huge mistake MSPs make is relying too much on gut instinct in interviews. Julie emphasises the importance of having a structured scoring system—something as simple as a rating scale from A to E, where A means someone has extensive experience in a competency and E means they have none at all. When hiring, it’s not enough to simply like someone or feel they gave a “good answer.” You need to have clear, measurable criteria for what a good answer actually looks like.
We also touched on the use of DISC profiling in recruitment. While it’s tempting to say, “I need a D-profile leader” or “I need someone who’s a high C for precision and process,” Julie warns against hiring purely based on personality profiles. The key is to understand what the role really needs. For example, if your team is full of steady, cautious people who don’t challenge the status quo, then hiring someone with a bit more dynamism might be exactly what you need—even if it initially feels uncomfortable for the rest of the team.
This is where self-awareness comes in. MSP owners need to be aware not just of the role they’re hiring for, but also of their existing team dynamics. It’s about finding the right blend of personalities and skills that will push the business forward, rather than simply hiring people who “fit in” and won’t rock the boat.
Ultimately, the takeaway from this episode is clear: recruitment is not just about filling a vacancy—it’s about attracting the right people who will help grow your MSP. And that starts long before the interview. MSP owners need to spend time getting clear on what behaviours they need, write job descriptions that reflect this, and design interview processes that properly test for these competencies.
If you take one thing away from this episode, let it be this: stop relying on luck in your hiring process. Be deliberate. Define what good looks like. Test for it. Score it. And most importantly, be honest about what you really need in your MSP.
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Until next time, look after yourself and I’ll catch up with you soon!