Once, when Nate Sheen had had a bad week, he did what many have done at one time or another: He vented on social media. However, he soon regretted that. The founder and president of Greater Cleveland-area MSP Astoria started hearing from his clients, most of whom are restaurants. Some wondered if Astoria was in trouble and if they needed to look for another MSP.
The reaction surprised Sheen. All he wanted to do was share a moment of humanity on LinkedIn. But he learned a valuable business lesson from that experience. “You have to only share very positive things on social media,” he said.
The incident also made him think about the need for MSPs to have a safe space — a support group of sorts to freely share the travails and challenges of running a business.
Bad Timing for Astoria
The irony is Sheen thought he was being positive while sharing his experience. One of his biggest clients, accountable for 15% of Astoria’s business, had notified Sheen toward the end of 2023 it was going to end its business relationship with the MSP.
Unfortunately for Sheen, that meant letting go of some staff. Astoria wouldn’t have enough work or resources to retain those staffers after the client’s departure, so two of its four full-time staffers would lose their jobs.
It was bad timing, noted Sheen, capping back-to-back challenging quarters. In fact, he took a salary cut himself to sustain the business. “That was particularly hard for that moment. When you go through that as a business owner, who do you talk to? You try to find some positiveness in that moment,” recalled Sheen.
So, he posted on LinkedIn that Astoria was going through a rough time, but that even though the company was laying off some employees, the employees were going to be all right. They found higher-paying jobs, which Sheen tried to portray in his post as a good thing.
Regrettably, not everyone saw the post as positive. About five clients who read it threatened to leave Astoria, forcing Sheen to explain to them that the company had plenty of resources to continue serving them. The MSP would survive the storm, he assured them.
A day and a half after sharing his lament, he deleted the post.
An Open Forum for MSPs
Sheen has had a lot of time to think about that incident. Clients, he realized, want their services providers to be transparent. However, MSPs must be careful not to alarm clients unnecessarily. Turning to social media for comfort when things aren’t going well is out, he said.
Additionally, Sheen has even had mixed results when venting to peers, he said. An MSP hearing about another’s troubles may have an opportunistic view, considering it an opportunity to gain new clients, he added.
Eventually, Sheen commiserated with a friend who runs a business in a different industry than Astoria — someone he knows won’t take advantage of the situation, he explained. “You have to really vet who you’re going to trust.”
Still, MSP owners should be able to share their experiences, good or bad, he said. In an industry that prizes peer groups and networking, Sheen envisions the creation of safe spaces where MSPs can vent without fear of poaching from competitors.
One option is an online forum. A strong facilitator would make it clear that “What we talk about here is not shared out of here, is not used against the members here,” Sheen emphasized.
Group members would sign an agreement to that effect and violators would be shown the door. The group, said Sheen, wouldn’t be solution driven. Rather, its mission would be to give business owners a judgment-free space to share their troubles without judgment — to share human moments.
Helpful Tips Before You Turn to Social Media
In the aftermath of his infamous LinkedIn post, Sheen said he learned some valuable lessons:
- Filter Your Thoughts: Don’t think out loud in general to clients or employees. Perhaps write down and review before sharing them.
- Get Help: Work with a social media manager to ensure you’re not posting the “wrong stuff.”
- Take Breaks: Get away after a tough day, week or month. Take an hour or two to get your thoughts straight, Sheen said. “The clients will be OK for a couple of hours.”
- Find a Trusted Partner: Someone who understands your situation can provide a sympathetic ear. You likely aren’t the only person who’s ever dealt with or will deal with your current situations.
Business Lessons Learned
Sheen’s experience also offered him some insights on running a business more effectively:
- While MSPs may be tempted to overstaff for growth, it’s safer to run a skeleton crew – even if it means asking more of your employees. Sheen currently has three full-time employees. A small staff reduces the chances of layoffs if a big client leaves. As it happens, Sheen said, the client who was going to leave ultimately kept some of its business with Astoria, although not enough to prevent the layoffs.
- Save money. The more money you can keep in the bank, the more likely your business can weather a storm when one comes. And in the small business world, the possibility of hard times is always around the corner.
- Get involved. Peers interested in creating a safe space for MSPs are welcome to contact Sheen on LinkedIn, he said.
NATE SHEEN
Founder and president, Astoria
- Founded: 2015
- Location: Alliance, OH
- Website: trustastoria.com
- Company focus: Delivering cost-effective, top-tier services through expertise in managed IT services, cybersecurity, workstation management, repair, and IT consulting
Image: Nate Sheen
