Running an MSP comes with its fair share of challenges. What can classic rock teach us about setting healthy boundaries, being realistic with your capabilities, and ensuring your team has the support they need to thrive?
Let’s explore, one rock song at a time.
No. 1: What Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Freebird’ Teaches MSPs About Letting Go of Difficult Clients
- Lesson: Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, a client just isn’t a good fit for your MSP. Holding onto toxic or unprofitable clients can drag your business down. Like the narrator in ‘Freebird,’ MSPs need to recognize when it’s time to spread their wings and move on from problematic clients. Clinging to them can hold you back from finding better partnerships.
- Quick Takeaway: If they keep demanding discounts and won’t pay their invoices on time, it might be time to ‘fly high, freebird.’ Sometimes you just need to set your business free from those never-satisfied customers.
- Conclusion: Just like Lynyrd Skynyrd, know when it’s time to cut loose. It might feel bittersweet, but freeing yourself from a bad client is better than being chained to one.
No. 2: What Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Teaches MSPs About the Dangers of Overpromising
- Lesson: Overpromising and underdelivering is a recipe for disaster. ‘Stairway to Heaven’ warns of a woman buying a false sense of security, just as MSPs might overpromise on services they can’t fully deliver. When MSPs oversell their capabilities to close a deal—but that illusion won’t last long.
- Quick Takeaway: Before you sell a client the ‘stairway to perfect IT,’ make sure your cloud platform doesn’t turn into a stairway to helpdesk hell.
- Conclusion: In the words of Led Zeppelin, ‘all that glitters is not gold.’ Don’t sell your clients an unreachable fantasy — set realistic expectations and you’ll be their stairway to success, not disappointment.
No. 3: What The Grateful Dead’s ‘Casey Jones’ Teaches MSPs About Managing Burnout in Your IT Team
- Lesson: Just like Casey Jones driving the train “high on cocaine” in the Grateful Dead song, running your IT team at full speed without proper breaks and support can lead to burnout—and a wreck. If your staff is running full throttle all the time, something’s going to derail — whether it’s morale, productivity, or both.
- Quick Takeaway: Don’t let your tech team end up like Casey Jones, hurtling down the tracks with no brakes. Make sure they’re not driving your MSP train ‘high’ on stress and caffeine alone.
- Conclusion: As the Grateful Dead would warn, ‘trouble ahead, trouble behind.’ Give your team the rest and support they need — or your MSP might crash faster than Casey Jones’ train.
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Additional Images: DALLE-3
