It's a Numbers Game

Daniel Welling
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The MSP Finance Team Podcast "It's a Numbers Game" from the only financial management solution for MSPs in the UK, founded by former MSP-owners.

  1. vor 20 Std.

    EP136 – How I F'd Up Three Acquisitions: Lessons From Apple MSP M&A with Justin Esgar

    Justin returns to the podcast and discusses the challenges and lessons from acquiring three Apple-focused businesses since 2020 amid consolidation in the Apple consultant community and difficulty targeting Mac-using clients. He describes buying a small Iowa Apple consultancy with the seller kept on for business development, only to learn ownership doesn't equal sales skill and that ex-owners often clash as employees; the owner left after disputes, but clients were retained and served remotely. He then explains acquiring a Colorado Apple training company to build a B2C training channel, but it failed due to lack of focus, content upkeep, staff turnover, and the effort required to produce non-evergreen training. A larger Missouri consultancy/Apple authorised service provider acquisition brought clients and a strong team but also personality conflict and a payment-structure mistake that strained cash flow. Despite stress and missed pay-checks, Justin says the acquisitions ultimately improved finances, team quality, and growth, stressing the need for stronger financial position and deal-specific negotiation.   00:00 Welcome Back 01:15 M&A Episode Setup 02:06 Why Apple MSPs Consolidate 07:43 Three Acquisitions Overview 10:03 Deal One Iowa Lessons 12:02 Owner Clashes After Buyout 16:21 Deal Three Missouri Personality 18:25 Deal Two Training Misfire 27:37 Deal Structures Cash Flow Traps 32:50 Big Takeaways And Closing   Connect with Justin Esgar on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesgar/ Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/ Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/ Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/   MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team

    39 Min.

  2. 14. Juni

    EP135 – How MSPs Can Get Paid Faster with Tom Pope

    Tom discusses Adfin as a "new, better GoCardless," arguing it offers stronger support, more competitive pricing, and a broader product: direct debits, cards (including Apple Pay/Google Pay), open banking, and bank transfers in one platform with integrated chasing and reconciliation via Xero. He says the market has lacked innovation for 15–20 years and positions Adfin's goal as getting businesses paid faster at lower cost through automation and AI-driven personalization (e.g., mandates and chasing from a user's own email domain). Adfin is UK-focused, accepts international card payments, and plans euro and USD bank transfers within six months. A key differentiator is an automated direct debit migration process that moves mandates from other providers in about five weeks without customer action beyond notification. The episode also covers VRP skepticism, configurable payment limits/rules, virtual accounts for automated bank transfer reconciliation, and optional surcharging for expensive business cards.   00:00 Are We The New GoCardless 00:42 Why Adfin Wins 02:03 Why Challenge The Incumbent 03:56 Startup Speed Vs Scale 05:16 Payments Platform Explained 05:58 International Payments Roadmap 07:07 Switching Without Risk 09:26 VRP And Open Banking Reality 13:14 MSP Workflow Examples In Xero 15:43 Chasing Emails And Payment Limits 17:47 High Value Bank Transfers 18:52 Apple Pay Fees And Surcharging 22:33 Wrap Up And How To Reach Adfin   Connect with Tom Pope on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-pope-979a4940/ Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/ Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/ Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/   MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!

    27 Min.

  3. 31. Mai

    EP134 – The MSP M&A Landscape in 2026 with Paul Vanstone

    Paul joins the podcast to discuss MSP M&A trends and what 2026 may look like after years of consolidation driven by PE-backed platforms, self-funded acquirers, listed buyers, and newer permanent capital vehicles. He explains why the market has been attractive (fragmentation, cloud migration, cyber demand, COVID-driven working changes, inflation-led price increases) but notes the bar is rising for sellers amid economic headwinds, lower price rises, and AI-driven efficiency that may pressure support rates while also creating advisory opportunities and margin protection. Paul breaks down five buyer types, including Evergreen-style permanent capital that buys without heavy integration and offers supplier and group benefits. He advises sellers to plan early, clarify personal and business goals, avoid approaching everyone, optimise operations, and choose experienced M&A advisors and lawyers, with up-to-date financial and tax records.   00:00 Welcome and Setup 00:33 2026 MSP M&A Outlook 02:18 Market Drivers and Headwinds 06:01 Who the Buyers Are 09:26 Choosing the Right Exit Partner 12:42 Why Exit Planning Matters 14:49 Optimising for a Future Sale 18:14 Money Goals and Life Purpose 23:14 Building the Right Team 23:53 Picking Advisors and Process Timeline 28:57 Wrap Up and Contact Details   Connect with Paul Vanstone on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/cls946167290/ Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/ Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/ Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/   MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!

    33 Min.
  4. EP133 – The Compliance Revenue You're Missing with Dom Haughton and Alastair Goodwin

    25. Mai

    EP133 – The Compliance Revenue You're Missing with Dom Haughton and Alastair Goodwin

    Adam Morris and Daniel Welling discuss how MSPs can offer compliance as a service to differentiate and create recurring, high-margin revenue, joined by Dom Haughton (Brigantia Partners) and Alastair Goodwin (Adoptech).  They explain that MSPs are increasingly asked by customers for certifications such as Cyber Essentials, ISO 27001, ISO 9001 and ISO 42001, but often avoid selling them due to perceived documentation burden and lack of in-house compliance expertise. Adoptech's guided, automated platform and "done-for-you" delivery model aim to shorten ISO 27001 delivery to 8–12 weeks and reduce costs versus traditional consultants, while enabling MSPs to wrap professional services around technical remediation identified through gap analysis. Partners report adding roughly 25–30% margin, with growing demand in regulated sectors and supply chains (e.g., legal, finance, automotive).   00:00 Compliance as a Service Intro                                                              01:32 Why MSPs Should Care 02:36 How MSPs Get Started 04:01 Market Awareness Today 05:37 Productising Compliance 07:09 Automation Removes Friction 08:20 Pricing Mindset Interlude 09:25 Delivery Models and Partnering 13:33 Margins and Upsell Opportunities 18:04 Selling Value and Positioning 23:22 Target Sectors and Demand 28:16 Is It Worth It at Small Scale 31:08 Wrap Up and Contact Details Connect with Dom Houghton on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/domhaughton/ Connect with Alastair Goodwin on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/alastair-goodwin-b165894/ Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/ Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/ Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/   MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!

    32 Min.
  5. EP132 – Rehearse the Chaos — Why every MSP should be running tabletop exercises with their clients — with Adam Pilton, Heimdal Security

    16. Mai

    EP132 – Rehearse the Chaos — Why every MSP should be running tabletop exercises with their clients — with Adam Pilton, Heimdal Security

    Daniel Welling welcomes back cybersecurity advisor Adam Pilton (Heimdal Security) for a masterclass on cyber tabletop exercises. Adam defines a tabletop as a staged rehearsal where senior leaders and key responders use the organisation's incident response procedure while a facilitator introduces evolving information, aiming to build confidence, stress-test decision-making, and improve communication. They discuss common failures like missing or outdated incident response plans, the facilitator's role in preparing and tailoring scenarios, and differences between SMEs (often using pre-made exercises) and enterprises (more tailored). MSPs should participate, with the on-the-day MSP representative not knowing what comes next, and facilitation can be segmented to reduce bias. Success means surfacing lessons learned, and Adam recommends at least annual exercises, ideally quarterly, including smaller segments within QBRs. He outlines six pillars of effective incident response and highlights the MGM incident as a communication case study.   00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:20 Tabletop Exercises Defined 03:13 Game vs Serious Stress 04:20 Incident Plan Pitfalls 06:29 Facilitator Prep and Tailoring 10:51 SME vs Enterprise Approach 12:26 MSP Role and Independence 15:10 What Success Looks Like 17:01 Where and How Often 19:40 Packaging as Recurring Service 22:21 Six Pillars Framework 24:48 Communication Case Study MGM 28:27 Selling Security Upgrades 30:32 Wrap Up and Contact   Connect with Adam Pilton on LinkedIn by clicking here –https://www.linkedin.com/in/adampilton Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/ Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/ Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/   MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!

    32 Min.

  6. 4. Mai

    EP131 – The Devil's in the Detail – Why your billing team, your margins and your processes need to be ready before you scale – with David Middleton, Flotek

    Dave discusses how Flotek scaled its finance and billing operations from a simple setup (a bookkeeper and a director overseeing finances) to a more structured team while growing rapidly through acquisitions. He explains their philosophy that client-facing billing is part of service delivery, with SLAs and a "wow" mindset to protect relationships and reduce friction from invoice errors. The conversation covers challenges of cost-of-sale reconciliation amid inconsistent vendor billing, the need to accept imperfect acquisition data, and using standard cost models and monthly margin monitoring (with more precision where margins are tighter, like Microsoft). They emphasise simplifying vendors/products, building processes and controls across sales, projects, and finance, capturing historical billing data, and balancing automation with necessary manual review. Dave notes they reached £18M revenue in 3.5 years and wishes he had hired earlier, stressing upfront investment in scalable systems, culture, and pricing for long-term growth.   00:00 MSP Finance at Scale 00:50 Early Acquisition Setup 01:47 Billing as Customer Service 05:24 Wow Factor and Trust 08:17 Cost Reconciliation Reality 10:14 Standard Costs and Margins 14:45 Automation and AI Tools 17:39 Limiting Complexity 19:53 Team Size and Reporting Depth 23:24 Sales Ops to Finance Handoff 27:46 Lessons from Rapid Growth 29:32 Closing and Contact Connect with Dave Middleton on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-j-middleton/ Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/ Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/ Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/   MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!

    33 Min.
  7. EP130 – 14 MSP Acquisitions in 4 Years – What Buyers Really Look For with Dave Middleton

    5. Apr.

    EP130 – 14 MSP Acquisitions in 4 Years – What Buyers Really Look For with Dave Middleton

    Dave joins the podcast to discuss Flotek's M&A journey, having completed 14 acquisitions in three and a half years, and argues the MSP market is diverse, fragmented, and active, with frequent inbound opportunities. He explains deal sourcing through SEO, brokers, network reputation, and supplier referrals, and stresses sellers should do due diligence on buyers. Flotek prioritises cultural and values alignment before numbers, then evaluates stability, cash flow, customer loyalty, customer satisfaction, geography, organic growth, and vendor/tech-stack fit, with a relentless focus on thorough integration. Post-sale, they reassure staff through one-to-ones, emphasise career growth in a larger business, and use phased service integration (often months 6–12) plus strong account management to reduce churn, while acknowledging some customers prefer small-MSP intimacy. On valuation, Dave says it depends on timing and competition, advises not fixating on price versus deal structure and certainty, and notes recurring revenue and longer contracts generally improve value. 00:00 Welcome and Goals 00:51 Biggest M&A Takeaways 01:57 Deal Flow and Market Supply 03:29 Sourcing Acquisition Leads 05:35 Buyer Due Diligence 06:48 Culture Fit First 07:53 What Buyers Look For 09:46 Integration and Tech Stack 13:51 Pipeline Timing and Dating 16:32 Post Sale Integration Playbook 20:16 Customer Retention and Churn 24:41 Valuation Versus Deal Structure 28:00 Wrap Up and Contact   Connect with Dave Middleton on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-j-middleton/ Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/ Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/ Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/   MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!

    32 Min.
  8. EP129 – Why Most MSPs get PR wrong with Rahme Mehmet

    28. März

    EP129 – Why Most MSPs get PR wrong with Rahme Mehmet

    In this episode, the hosts Adam and Daniel are joined by PR consultant Rahme to discuss an upcoming 2026 collaboration and unpack what PR means for MSPs and vendors: public relations as audience-focused communication that builds reputation, brand awareness, and relationships with influencers such as reporters, editors, analysts, and advisors. They contrast PR with marketing, using a white paper as an example of content that marketing deploys for lead generation while PR uses it to pitch thought leadership and earn coverage, and they explore how PR success is measured through exposure, publication quality, message pull-through, and effects like SEO rather than direct sales attribution. They stress getting fundamentals right (clear positioning, aligned website and social messaging), planning quarterly communications tied to business goals, developing media relationships, and preparing for crisis communications. They also address AI as both an accelerator and a reputational risk in content creation. 00:00 Welcome and Partnership 00:52 What PR Really Means 04:32 PR vs Marketing Lines 08:03 Measuring PR Impact 13:41 Who Should Use PR 17:43 Earned vs Paid Coverage 21:04 Getting Started with PR 24:31 Relationships and Crisis Prep 26:49 AI in the PR World 32:08 Contact and Wrap Up   Connect with Rahme Mehmet on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahmemehmet/ Connect with Daniel Welling on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwelling/ Connect with Adam Morris on LinkedIn by clicking here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcmorris/ Visit The MSP Finance Team website, simply click here –https://www.mspfinanceteam.com/   MSP Glossary: MSP Finance Glossary Explained | MSP Finance Team We look forward to catching up with you on the next one. Stay tuned!

    35 Min.
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The MSP Finance Team Podcast "It's a Numbers Game" from the only financial management solution for MSPs in the UK, founded by former MSP-owners.

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  • Erstellt von
    Daniel Welling
  • Jahre aktiv
    2022 - 2026
  • Folgen
    136
  • Bewertung
    Unbedenklich
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    © 2022
  • Sendungswebsite
    It's a Numbers Game

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