The IT Experts Podcast

• EP257 – Don't Believe the AI Hype with Fiona Challis and Ian Luckett

  In this episode of the IT Experts Podcast, I sat down with the brilliant Fiona Challis to separate reality from the noise and give MSP owners a practical route to value. We opened with a simple viewpoint. AI is not a magic fix and it is not a toy to chase. It becomes powerful when it sits on top of clear processes, clean data, and a focused plan.     That theme runs through the whole conversation with Fiona Challis, who has spent recent years enabling partners around enterprise AI and then translating that experience for the MSP world. The result is a set of grounded lessons that help you create capacity, improve client experience, and grow revenue without creating chaos.    We began with the service desk, because it is where most MSPs feel the pain. Fiona Challis drew a helpful line between automation and AI. Many teams still have a backlog of simple automations available inside the tools they already pay for. Tidy those first to free time and reduce firefighting. Once the ground is set, AI can handle a large slice of tier one demand through voice agents and smart triage. A well-trained voice agent can answer calls, qualify the user, create a ticket with the right context, and get it to the correct queue. That single move lowers the noise floor and gives engineers the space to do higher value work. The critical point is that none of this works without basic workflows, decent documentation, and accurate data. Garbage in leads to poor outcomes. A little discipline in process creates a lot of value once you layer in AI.    Sales and marketing came next. Many MSP owners dislike this part of the job and often push it to the bottom of the to do list. AI can carry a heavy load here when used thoughtfully. Fiona Challis explained how an AI SDR can answer inbound calls at all hours, qualify interest, book meetings straight into your calendar, and route non buyers to relevant assets that nurture interest. That removes delay and prevents lead leakage. On outbound and account development, an AI analyst agent can sweep your CRM and contracts to surface missed opportunities across your existing base. We discussed one real world example where this activity revealed more than six hundred thousand pounds of potential from accounts that were already paying the MSP. That kind of return changes the shape of the quarter and gives your team a clear priority list.    Tool choice came up, and we gave a steer that saves time. Do not buy software based on headline price. Measure tools by the hours they give back, the improvement in client experience, and how they help your team perform. Money can be earned again. Time cannot. If one platform removes half of your tier one traffic or cuts proposal cycle time in half, that platform pays for itself many times over.     We then tackled client offerings, with a special focus on Microsoft Copilot. Many MSPs sell the licence and stop there, which leaves clients confused and creates security risk from ad hoc use of multiple AI tools. The fix is simple and valuable. Adopt Copilot inside your own MSP first and create one or two internal champions. Capture the time saved and the outcomes you achieve. Lead with those use cases in your conversations. Follow that with a paid AI or Copilot readiness assessment that checks data hygiene, permissions, workflows, and change readiness.    Fiona Challis has seen MSPs charge meaningfully for this assessment, then package remedial work to clean data, lock down access, and prepare the environment. Once the foundations are set, run a 30-day adoption pilot that targets a visible quick win, like meeting summaries with actions, agent setup for routine tasks, or document drafting for proposals. After the pilot, move into an acceleration phase that adds leaderboards, prompt packs, training rhythms, and light gamification to drive real adoption. The message is simple. You are not selling a licence. You are guiding a transformation that raises productivity, revenue, and experience for users and clients.    A question many owners ask is who delivers all of this. The pathway is not heavy. Your AI SDR filters interest and books the right conversations. Your internal champions run the readiness assessment with a clear checklist. Your engineers deliver the remediation as projects with defined outcomes. Your client success rhythm then tracks adoption and wins. That repeatable sequence turns Copilot from an unprofitable add on into a profitable solution stack that protects your base and attracts buyers who value progress.    Throughout the episode, Fiona Challis emphasised a steady cadence. Create a two-year roadmap across four quadrants, service operations, sales, marketing, and client offerings. Pick one quick win every 30 to 90 days. Implement, measure, and move to the next win. That rhythm stops the noise, builds confidence, and compounds results. It also positions you as a managed AI provider in the eyes of your clients. You become the partner who assesses readiness, remediates risk, aligns workflow, and accelerates adoption with measurable impact.    AI becomes a growth engine when it sits on top of simple process, clean data, and a plan your team can follow. Start inside your business. Automate what you can. Deploy AI where it makes a dent in time and quality. Use AI to make sales and marketing consistent so that your calendar fills with qualified meetings. Become your own best Copilot case study, sell the readiness assessment, deliver the remediation, and lead a visible 30-day pilot that wins hearts and minds. Keep going with an acceleration pack that keeps adoption rising every week. That is the path to scale with confidence.  You can connect with Fiona Challis on her LinkedIn HERE.  Make sure to check out our Ultimate MSP Growth Guide, a free guide that walks you through a proven process to take your MSP from stuck to scalable, without working even more hours. It's 44 pages rammed with advice, insights and inspiration to help you decide what support is available to you now if you want to grow and scale your business. Click HERE to get your copy.  Connect on LinkedIn HERE with Ian and also with Stuart by clicking this LINK  And when you're ready to take the next step in growing your MSP, come and take the Scale with Confidence MSP Mastery Quiz. In just three minutes, you'll get a 360-degree scan of your MSP and identify the one or two tactics that could help you find more time, engage & align your people and generate more leads.  OR   To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 400 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up with Confidence, then click HERE  Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!     

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• EP256 - The Silent Language Holding MSP Owners Back with Ian Luckett

  Ian begins by reflecting on how mindset shapes outcomes. He shares how his own transformation began during long commutes to Heathrow Airport years ago, when he discovered the power of self-belief through learning from leaders like Tony Robbins. That journey sparked a shift in perspective, from being an employee to building a business owner mindset. The lesson is simple but profound: your body listens to what your mind tells it. If you believe you can achieve something, you probably will. If you believe you cannot, that becomes your reality too. Many MSP owners, as Ian points out, didn't plan to become business leaders. Most began as technicians who happened to grow into ownership. They excel at problem-solving for clients but often struggle to apply the same logic to their own growth. The result is self-doubt, limited belief, and a feeling of being stuck. Ian reminds listeners that personal growth must come before business growth. This is why The MSP Growth Hub focuses heavily on developing leadership confidence alongside commercial strategy. As Ian says, "We help businesses grow, but we have to grow you first." He challenges MSP owners to recognise how their words shape their world. The language they use, especially the quiet, internal language, determines what they act on and what they avoid. Phrases like "I don't have time," or "I'm not cut out for leadership," are not statements of fact but instructions to the brain that shut down opportunity. Replacing them with more empowering language such as "I need to prioritise my thousand-pound tasks" immediately shifts focus from limitation to action. A key insight Ian shares is that environment matters just as much as mindset. The people you surround yourself with influence your standards, your energy, and your belief in what's possible. He reminds MSPs that they become the average of the five people they spend the most time with. If you constantly engage with people who complain about what cannot be changed, you absorb that energy. Surround yourself instead with people who inspire you, who push boundaries, and who live by example. This is the community The MSP Growth Hub strives to create: one built on encouragement, accountability, and shared ambition. Ian also reflects on the role of leadership in overcoming self-doubt. Many MSP owners still hold on to the idea that they must do everything themselves. This belief not only causes burnout but also prevents the team from stepping up. He encourages owners to delegate more, even if that means allowing others to complete tasks to 80 percent of your standard. Good is often good enough when it frees up your time to focus on strategic, high-value work. A business grows faster when the owner stops being the bottleneck. He highlights the importance of language within leadership. The way an MSP owner communicates sets the tone for the whole organisation. Team members mirror what they see. If the leader walks in with low energy or frustration, the team absorbs it. But if the leader models calm confidence, focus, and positivity, that mindset ripples through the business. Ian uses the concept of the "shadow of the leader" to describe this effect and urges MSP owners to become conscious of the influence they carry every day. Practical tools also come into play. Ian recommends using DISC profiling to understand how different personalities work and communicate within a team. Knowing who thrives on detail, who leads naturally, and who needs space to create helps prevent tension and improves collaboration. He also advises journaling weekly wins as a habit. This reflection process helps leaders recognise how far they've come, reinforces confidence, and resets their mindset for the next challenge. Throughout the episode, Ian brings together mindset and action in a way that is both motivational and practical. He reminds MSP owners that affirmations and belief alone are not enough. They must be followed by structure, discipline, and consistent action. Change begins by catching negative language in the moment and reframing it into something constructive. It continues through small daily habits that reinforce confidence and leadership presence By the end of the episode, the message is clear: change your language, change your business, change your life. Belief fuels behaviour, and behaviour drives results. Every MSP owner has the potential to lead with strength and clarity, but it starts with internal dialogue. The silent language you use can either keep you stuck or propel you forward. This episode is a reminder that success begins between your ears. When you build a habit of positive language, surround yourself with the right people, and empower your team to take ownership, you create the foundation for sustainable MSP growth. Whether you are aiming for your first million or scaling towards five, the mindset principles shared here are the groundwork for everything that follows. Make sure to check out our Ultimate MSP Growth Guide, a free guide that walks you through a proven process to take your MSP from stuck to scalable, without working even more hours. It's 44 pages rammed with advice, insights and inspiration to help you decide what support is available to you now if you want to grow and scale your business. Click HERE to get your copy.  Connect on LinkedIn HERE with Ian and also with Stuart by clicking this LINK  And when you're ready to take the next step in growing your MSP, come and take the Scale with Confidence MSP Mastery Quiz. In just three minutes, you'll get a 360-degree scan of your MSP and identify the one or two tactics that could help you find more time, engage & align your people and generate more leads.  OR   To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 400 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up with Confidence, then click HERE  Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon! 

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• EP255 - Why MSP Success Can Still Leave You Stressed - and How to Beat Overwhelm with Ian Luckett

  1. Control through clarity  When your business starts growing faster, the natural reaction is to hold on tighter. You try to stay in every detail because it feels safer. The problem is that this habit quickly turns you into the bottleneck.  The solution is targeted delegation supported by simple and clear processes. I encourage MSP leaders to split their work into three levels. The first level is low-value work that an assistant or automation can handle. The second level is management work that belongs to team leaders who take responsibility for outcomes. The third level is strategic work where you think, decide, and set the direction of the business. When you move the low-value work off your plate, you free up space for the tasks only you can do. At The MSP Growth Hub, we coach this every week because most breakthroughs begin with this single decision. If it is a ten-pound task, automate it or assign it. If it is leadership, delegate it with trust and clarity. If it is strategic, book it in your diary and protect that time. This step alone moves owners out of the weeds and starts a chain reaction that leads to MSP success. 2. Energy before efficiency  True MSP success does not come from working longer hours or pushing through with caffeine and willpower. It comes from leading with energy and clarity. Many business owners push through exhaustion for months and wonder why their judgement slips and patience fades. The MSPs that sustain long-term success treat health as part of the business plan. They sleep properly, take breaks, exercise, and protect their recovery time. They plan holidays early, share the load with capable teams, and use metrics to stay out of constant firefighting. A tired leader makes slow and reactive choices. A rested leader sets one clear priority, communicates it well, and allows the system to deliver results.  3. Build a culture that carries weight  Your team will always mirror your energy. If you appear frantic, they will behave the same way. If you hold back decisions, they will queue at your door. The fix is leadership with clarity and trust.  Share the vision of the business and make sure every team member knows what success looks like. Place your strongest people in the areas where they have the biggest impact. Coach the middle performers to raise their standard and move on those who are not aligned. When the right people own the right roles, delivery becomes smoother, projects complete on time, and clients feel well looked after.  4. Make numbers visible  When pressure rises, your feelings can lie to you, but your numbers will always tell the truth. Build a weekly one-page dashboard that covers tickets, project milestones, sales pipeline, client satisfaction, and team capacity. Review it at the same time every week. When all the numbers are on track, take time to rest. When one number starts to slip, focus on it until it returns to normal. This rhythm keeps your business stable and your mind clear. Leaders who manage from a simple, visible scorecard protect both their profits and their peace of mind.  5. Plan thinking time  The most successful MSP owners schedule time to work on the business, not just in it. Create ninety-minute blocks each week to review progress, improve processes, and remove friction. Invite a team leader into one of these sessions and ask them to improve one small step in a key process. Document the change and share it with the wider team. Over time, you will remove dozens of small frustrations that waste hours. Many owners find this habit alone frees up their evenings and restores their balance.  6. Protect your downtime  Book your holidays in advance and treat them with the same importance as a major client project. Two weeks before you go, run a readiness drill. Confirm who covers what, check all access and systems, and prepare client communications. When you do this, the team gains confidence, clients feel secure, and you return refreshed and ready to make sharper decisions. Success without structure eventually damages well-being and client experience. Structure with heart delivers both growth and calm.  So this week, make it practical. Move one low-value task off your plate. Build one simple dashboard to review each Friday. Schedule one ninety-minute strategy block. Share one clear expectation with a team member and give them space to meet it.  At The MSP Growth Hub, we have seen these habits transform owners from busy to balanced and unlock real MSP success. If this episode resonated with you, reach out and tell us where growth has started to pinch your time or energy. The team and I can help you install the systems that protect performance and reduce stress.  You deserve an MSP that serves clients brilliantly, creates opportunities for your people, and gives you the freedom to enjoy the life you are building. That is what true MSP success looks like. Make sure to check out our Ultimate MSP Growth Guide, a free guide that walks you through a proven process to take your MSP from stuck to scalable, without working even more hours. It's 44 pages rammed with advice, insights and inspiration to help you decide what support is available to you now if you want to grow and scale your business. Click HERE to get your copy. Connect on LinkedIn HERE with Ian and also with Stuart by clicking this LINK  And when you're ready to take the next step in growing your MSP, come and take the Scale with Confidence MSP Mastery Quiz. In just three minutes, you'll get a 360-degree scan of your MSP and identify the one or two tactics that could help you find more time, engage & align your people and generate more leads.  OR   To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 400 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up with Confidence, then click HERE  Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!   

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• EP254 - How to Avoid Your Biggest Client Taking You Down with Ian Luckett

  The reality is that many MSPs grow through referrals and good account management. That, in itself, is not a bad thing, but when the business matures, you can find yourself in a position where a single client represents 30, 40, even 50 percent of your revenue. They may also be one of your most profitable accounts, so the dependency is even greater. If that client gets bought, merges, or decides to build an internal IT team, you are left exposed. Worse still, if they go bust, you're not only losing revenue but also carrying the burden of licences, subscriptions, and staff wages with no way to cover them. This is the sort of chain reaction that can force redundancies, damage your confidence, and undo years of hard work building your technical team. It is not only about operational pain either. From a valuation perspective, client concentration is a red flag. Any potential investor or acquirer will be put off if they see that one client represents too much of your turnover. Even if your profitability is strong, your valuation can collapse overnight if this risk is present. That's why managing concentration is so critical for an MSP that is serious about scaling and building long-term transferable value. So, what can you do about it? The first step is to track revenue concentration carefully. Aim to keep any single client below 20 to 25 percent of your total turnover. This doesn't mean you stop growing your large accounts, but it does mean you must actively nurture your smaller ones and bring in new larger clients to redress the balance. You also need to analyse profitability per client. Turnover is misleading if it is not supported by strong margins. A noisy client that consumes excessive service desk time may actually be one of your least profitable accounts, while a quieter one that steadily pays and adopts more of your stack could be a star performer. Break it down across support, subscriptions, projects, and hardware so you have a clear picture of where your profit truly sits. Building a growth plan around your client base is another powerful move. Upselling, cross-selling, and what's often called whitespace selling can transform profitability without chasing new business. List your services against each client and see where the gaps are. Many MSPs overlook this because they are too busy firefighting, yet it's one of the easiest ways to improve efficiency and increase turnover. Selling to people who already trust you will always be more effective than chasing cold prospects. Marketing plays a huge role here too. You cannot afford to stop and start your Marketing activity whenever you feel the pressure. Consistency is everything. Building a new client runway takes time and energy, and it is the only way to create predictable growth. The credibility, trust, and authority that comes with effective Marketing doesn't happen overnight, but once the engine is working it gives you resilience when a client leaves. Too many MSPs wait until they are in crisis mode to switch Marketing back on, only to find that it's far too late to plug the gap.  Account management also needs to be taken seriously. Strong client relationships not only increase revenue but also help you spot risks early. Assigning account managers means you have people acting as the eyes and ears of the business, looking for new opportunities and changes in client circumstances. Focus your attention on accounts that are profitable and likely to grow. Sometimes the small clients today are the ones that explode tomorrow, and you want to be there when they do.  Once you start putting these practices into place, the benefits compound. You sleep better at night because you're no longer reliant on one client to keep the lights on. You build predictable growth because your Marketing engine is consistent, and your client portfolio is balanced. You increase your valuation because you're spreading risk and demonstrating resilience. Most importantly, you gain the confidence to invest in your people, in automation, and even in acquisitions that can further dilute your concentration risk.  The message here is simple: don't let one client hold your business hostage. Analyse your profitability, manage your client concentration, keep your Marketing consistent, and strengthen your account management. When you do this, you protect your business, protect your team, and create the foundation to scale on your terms. This is how you build a business that works for you rather than you for it.  That's what this episode of the IT Experts Podcast is all about. It's not about fear, it's about taking control. Because the sooner you address this risk, the stronger and more valuable your MSP will become.  Make sure to check out our Ultimate MSP Growth Guide, a free guide that walks you through a proven process to take your MSP from stuck to scalable, without working even more hours. It's 44 pages rammed with advice, insights and inspiration to help you decide what support is available to you now if you want to grow and scale your business. Click HERE to get your copy.  Connect on LinkedIn HERE with Ian and also with Stuart by clicking this LINK  And when you're ready to take the next step in growing your MSP, come and take the Scale with Confidence MSP Mastery Quiz. In just three minutes, you'll get a 360-degree scan of your MSP and identify the one or two tactics that could help you find more time, engage & align your people and generate more leads.  OR   To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 400 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up with Confidence, then click HERE  Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!   

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• EP253 - Inside the MSP Growth Hub - Insights from September 2025 Client Intensive Event with Stuart Warwick, Clare Elliott, Julie Hutchison & Ian Luckett

  Stuart and I opened the room with a simple truth. Progress comes from consistency. The Intensive works because it anchors everyone to a living plan that links a three-to-five-year vision to an annual focus and down to a current sixteen-week sprint. When owners follow the process, complete their dashboards, and show up to the weekly rhythm, results compound. The Intensive is where that discipline gets renewed. People sit with peers, compare notes, and see with fresh eyes that the next leap is in reach when the right activity happens in the right order.  A major theme this time was sales and marketing as part of our Scale with Confidence model. Many owners had been waiting for a perfect moment to build a pipeline engine. The Intensive reminded everyone that the engine starts turning when daily activity is tracked, reviewed, and refined. We unveiled a refreshed New Client Runway roadmap that simplifies the work into three plain steps with clear sub steps, templates, and ownership. The reaction in the room said it all. Heads were nodding. Teams could see what to do, when to do it, and who would lead each piece. Confusion lifted and energy rose because the path was visible. That is the purpose of the Intensive. Remove guesswork and create momentum.  Leadership development featured strongly. Our leadership coach, Julie Hutchison, helped owners face a vital question. Who do I need to be to lead this next phase. Not only what do I need to do. The distinction matters. Doing solves tasks. Being sets culture, creates standards, and unlocks others. Julie also highlighted the power of partners in the room. Spouses and business partners arrived a little cautious then quickly felt welcomed as integral contributors. Once they saw where they fit in the plan they spoke up with insight and took ownership of the levers they can pull. The Intensive gave them a safe space to step forward. That is a win for alignment and a win for home life too. Finance was front and centre with our finance coach, Clare Elliott. Clare tied the sales and marketing conversation back to numbers that tell the truth. Run rate. Margins. Pipeline value by stage. Activity to meeting to proposal to sale. She challenged everyone to share financial targets with their teams so the whole business can rally. One client set a monthly target, shared it openly, and within forty-eight hours the gap narrowed to a few thousand pounds as the team pulled together. Another client crossed their million-pound milestone during the event. The cheer that went up summed up the spirit of the Intensive. Clear targets, shared ownership, and collective pride in progress.  Across the tables a pattern emerged. Several owners felt overwhelmed even as the business was growing fast. They were in the thick of success and could not see the wood for the trees. The solution in the room was practical and calm. Step up to thirty thousand feet. Look back at how far you have come. Reconnect to the plan. Trim distractions. Commit to three priorities for the next sixteen weeks and move everything else to the later list. The Intensive created that breathing space. People left lighter because they made decisions and booked actions with dates and names against them.  Community remains a secret weapon. The infamous quiz returned. Shirt of the day became a thing. Laughter flowed. Underneath the fun sits a very real benefit. Owners discover they are not alone. They swap playbooks, borrow templates, and set up follow up calls across the room. New friendships form that carry accountability far beyond the two days. The Intensive is a serious working event with a generous dose of human connection. That balance is why people come back.  My own light bulb moments were clear. First, our support tracks are landing. Transform Your Profits, Team Performance Engine, Future Leaders, and the marketing implementation track are lifting capability across the community. Owners are not only learning frameworks. Their finance leads, marketing coordinators, and service managers are in the room learning the same language and building the same muscle. Second, our refreshed marketing roadmap removed friction. When people see the journey end to end, confidence goes up and action follows. Third, the message we share with the wider market needs to meet owners at the point where many decide to change. A large client leaves. A key staff member moves on. A retirement horizon becomes real. The Intensive surfaced that pattern again and it will inform our outreach so we can help at the right moment. To close, here is the essence of this episode and of the Intensive. Scaling an MSP is a process. Know your numbers. Build a plan you believe in. Execute the right activities in a steady rhythm. Develop leaders who can think and act without you. Share targets so your team can win with you. Surround yourself with a community that will cheer you on and hold you to account. The September Client Intensive delivered all of that. Plans were refreshed, confidence was renewed, and the ripple effect will show up in better weeks, stronger months, and a more valuable business. If you want your MSP to move from busy to purposeful and from hope to a clear path, the Intensive is where that shift begins and where it gets reinforced every time we come together.  Make sure to check out our Ultimate MSP Growth Guide, a free guide that walks you through a proven process to take your MSP from stuck to scalable, without working even more hours. It's 44 pages rammed with advice, insights and inspiration to help you decide what support is available to you now if you want to grow and scale your business. Click HERE to get your copy.  Connect on LinkedIn HERE with Ian and also with Stuart by clicking this LINK  And when you're ready to take the next step in growing your MSP, come and take the Scale with Confidence MSP Mastery Quiz. In just three minutes, you'll get a 360-degree scan of your MSP and identify the one or two tactics that could help you find more time, engage & align your people and generate more leads.  OR   To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 400 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up with Confidence, then click HERE  Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!   

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