Shoot the Moon with Revenue Rocket

Revenue Rocket Consulting Group
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The Shoot the Moon podcast is for IT business owners and executives. The Revenue Rocket leadership team brings their 25+ years of experience with M&A and growth strategies to IT Services company leaders worldwide.

  1. Aug 26

    What Buyers Learn From How Fast You Close Your Books

    Buyers treat your month-end close as a maturity test. Closing inside two weeks reads as a well-run business. Taking two months invites questions, no matter how good the underlying numbers turn out to be.   In part 4 of the CEO Optional series, Mike Harvath, Ryan Barnett, and Matt Lockhart look at what happens when the real financial picture of an IT services firm lives only in the owner’s head or their inbox, and what it takes to get it out into a system the whole team can see. They cover the accounting foundations buyers actually check, which operating numbers belong in front of the sales and delivery teams, and the review cadence that makes it stick.   This is a conversation about IT services M&A readiness rather than day to day bookkeeping. Financial visibility is one of the things that separates a business a buyer can underwrite from one that carries an obvious founder dependency discount.   CHAPTERS 0:00 Show open 0:23 Where this sits in the CEO Optional series 0:59 Why founder-led firms end up CEO dependent 3:12 The cost of keeping the numbers in the owner’s head 4:29 Month-end close speed as a maturity test 5:51 The opposite failure: outsourcing too far 7:24 Push the KPIs out to the organization 8:40 What good enough looks like: cash to accrual 11:24 Documented policies and review by outsiders 12:54 Which numbers to put in front of the team 16:50 Teaching the team how the levers add up 21:09 Transparency as a lubricant for the business 23:53 Building a cadence around the numbers 27:23 Forecasting rigor and why it adds value 28:46 Sign-off   KEY TAKEAWAYS 1. A month-end close inside two weeks reads as mature to a buyer. A close that takes two months raises questions before the diligence conversation even starts. 2. The CEO should know revenue and profitability off the top of their head. The bookkeeping and the financial strategy grind belong to a CFO, a fractional CFO, or a strong outsourced partner. 3. Outsourcing too far is its own failure. A founder who cannot demonstrate command of their own numbers in front of a buyer looks just as bad as one who never delegated. 4. Moving from cash to accrual accounting is the key first step toward a GAAP standard, and it usually starts to matter in the three to five million dollar revenue band. 5. Push the operating levers, utilization, realization, and gross margin, out to the sales and delivery teams who can actually move them.   LINKS Read the companion article: https://www.revenuerocket.com/it-services-ma-financial-transparency-ceo-optional/ What is your IT services business worth: https://www.revenuerocket.com/ev-2-0-2/ Schedule a confidential conversation: https://www.revenuerocket.com/contact-us/ All Shoot the Moon episodes: https://www.revenuerocket.com/series/shoot-the-moon/ Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shoot-the-moon-with-revenue-rocket/id1478519505 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6y7u9KuOjaplhScHtINGZU Questions on measuring utilization versus realization: info@revenuerocket.com   ABOUT REVENUE ROCKET Revenue Rocket is a sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory firm focused exclusively on IT services companies, including MSPs, cybersecurity, cloud, custom application development, and VARs. Based in Bloomington, Minnesota, we have spent 25+ years helping technology services founders buy, sell, and grow.   If you are weighing an exit, an acquisition, or simply what your company is actually worth, schedule a confidential conversation: https://www.revenuerocket.com/contact-us/   #ITServicesMA #MergersAndAcquisitions #MSP #ExitStrategy #ShootTheMoon #RevenueRocket #CEOOptional Listen to Shoot the Moon on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Buy, sell, or grow your tech-enabled services firm with Revenue Rocket.

    What Buyers Learn From How Fast You Close Your Books

  2. Aug 19

    HIRING YOUR SECOND IN COMMAND: THE NUMBER TWO THAT MAKES YOU OPTIONAL

    There is a point in every growing firm where the founder stops being the engine and starts being the bottleneck. In Episode 259 of Shoot the Moon, Mike Harvath, Ryan Barnett, and Matt Lockhart continue the Owner Optional masterclass with the person who fixes that: a real second in command. They cover how to know when the business has outgrown your capacity, what separates a number two from a strong functional leader, whether to promote from within or hire externally, and how to hand over authority so the change actually holds. CHAPTERS 0:00 – Intro and what we are covering 0:30 – Part 3: the strong number two 2:15 – How you know it is time: the founder as pinch point 4:55 – Senior hire versus a real number two 8:50 – The Star Trek test for a second in command 10:10 – Promote from within or hire externally? 13:40 – Why internal is usually preferred, and what PE does differently 15:30 – The senior technician becoming CEO trap 16:50 – Clear mandates, and letting people make mistakes 18:55 – How to transfer authority gracefully 19:40 – Communication as the first handover lever 24:35 – The founder journey is a lonely one 27:00 – What a real number two does to valuation 28:55 – Wrap-up KEY TAKEAWAYS A senior hire runs a function, a second in command owns an outcome. They carry a number for the whole firm, build the plans that get there, and can hold a room the founder is not in. You know it is time when the business outgrows your capacity, not when you feel ready. The founder becomes a pinch point at every inflection, and growth slows to the pace of one person’s attention. Promoting from within is usually preferred. Trust, cultural continuity, and institutional knowledge are the hardest things to hire for and the most expensive to get wrong. Avoid promoting your best technician by default. Doing excellent work is not the same capability as running a business, and the wrong promotion costs you a great engineer and gains you a struggling executive. A clear mandate and room to make mistakes decide whether it works. If the founder keeps reaching back over the authority, the role becomes impossible to perform. Buyers price continuity. A credible successor removes the single largest source of perceived risk in a founder-led firm, and it shows up in the valuation. LINKS & RESOURCES Episode archive: Shoot the Moon series Valuation calculator: See what your firm could be worth Talk to us: Schedule a confidential conversation Listen on: Apple Podcasts or Spotify ABOUT REVENUE ROCKET Revenue Rocket is a sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory firm focused exclusively on IT services companies, including MSPs, cybersecurity, cloud, custom application development, and VARs. Whether you are looking to buy, sell, or grow, Revenue Rocket can help you make your next move the right one. Listen to Shoot the Moon on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Buy, sell, or grow your tech-enabled services firm with Revenue Rocket.

    HIRING YOUR SECOND IN COMMAND: THE NUMBER TWO THAT MAKES YOU OPTIONAL

  3. Aug 7

    What Nobody Tells You About Selling a Founder-Run Business

    Owner dependency is the quiet risk that caps valuations in IT services M&A. If every decision, client relationship, and process runs through the founder, buyers see a single point of failure and pay less for it. In this episode of Shoot the Moon, we break down how to get the business out of your head before you sell. We cover why buyers discount founder-run companies, what to document first, how AI has made process documentation far easier, and how a documented, transferable business can earn a higher multiple. This is core IT services M&A preparation, and it makes your company more valuable whether or not you ever go to market. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro: Getting the business out of your head0:53 A job with employees, not a company2:36 Why buyers discount owner dependency6:29 Why IT services founders get stuck11:41 What to document first16:36 AI, repeatability, and productized services20:43 How documentation lifts enterprise value24:08 Building a culture of documentation27:45 The one thing to start this month KEY TAKEAWAYS • Owner dependency is concentration risk. When decisions bottleneck through the founder, buyers see a single point of failure and discount the price. • If the answer to everything is “ask the owner,” you own a job not a company. Continuity is what buyers pay for. • Start documenting where the customer sits: the sales motion first, then service delivery, followed by how you hire and develop people. Bring the team into the process. • AI has collapsed the cost of documentation. Capture the real process, optimize it, and build agents around it. • Documented, transferable businesses can earn higher multiples because buyers underwriting scale need a company they can integrate without depending on the founder. RESOURCES AND LINKS • Read more from Revenue Rocket: https://www.revenuerocket.com/blog/ • Value your business: https://www.revenuerocket.com/valuation-calculator/ • Schedule a confidential conversation: https://www.revenuerocket.com/contact-us/ • Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shoot-the-moon-with-revenue-rocket/id1478519505 • Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6y7u9KuOjaplhScHtINGZU • Explore more Shoot the Moon episodes: https://www.revenuerocket.com/series/shoot-the-moon/ • Visit Revenue Rocket: https://www.revenuerocket.com/ ABOUT REVENUE ROCKET Revenue Rocket is a sell-side and buy side M&A advisory firm focused exclusively on IT services companies, including MSPs, cybersecurity firms, cloud service providers, custom application development companies, and VARs. For more than 25 years, Revenue Rocket has helped founders grow, position, buy, and sell tech-enabled services firms. Thinking about your own exit? Schedule a confidential conversation with our team:https://www.revenuerocket.com/contact-us/ #MergersAndAcquisitions #ITServices #MSP #ShootTheMoon #RevenueRocket #ExitStrategy #FounderDependency #EnterpriseValue Listen to Shoot the Moon on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Buy, sell, or grow your tech-enabled services firm with Revenue Rocket.

    What Nobody Tells You About Selling a Founder-Run Business

  4. Aug 5

    Owner-Dependent vs Owner-Optional: Which Firm Sells for More?

    In IT services M&A, owner dependency is one of the biggest hidden discounts on your company’s value. This episode shows how to build an owner optional firm that buyers pay a premium for without pretending leadership does not matter. Revenue Rocket kicks off a new Shoot the Moon masterclass on reducing founder dependency before a sale or recapitalization. We break down why buyers price owner dependency as concentration risk, what an owner-optional firm actually looks like, and the leadership layer, sales transfer, and key-employee retention strategies that protect your multiple. If you are thinking about an exit, this is the IT services M&A preparation that pays off long before you go to market. CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction: The owner-optional firm3:44 What owner dependency costs you at exit5:26 Replaceable, not optional10:06 The one-percenter salesperson problem13:40 The minimum leadership layer buyers expect18:29 Keeping your key people through a sale21:11 One move to make this quarter25:30 What is next in this masterclass series IN THIS EPISODE • Buyers price owner dependency as concentration risk, much like they treat a client representing 50% to 70% of revenue. • Owner-optional does not mean owner absent. No CEO is optional; the goal is to make critical roles replaceable. • The founder’s sales role is usually the highest-value dependency to transfer first. • Buyers expect a real leadership layer, including finance, delivery, and technical depth beyond the founder. • Plan key-employee retention before the deal not during it. RESOURCES AND LINKS • Read more from Revenue Rocket: https://www.revenuerocket.com/blog/ • What is your firm worth? https://www.revenuerocket.com/valuation-calculator/ • Schedule a confidential conversation: https://www.revenuerocket.com/contact-us/ • Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shoot-the-moon-with-revenue-rocket/id1478519505 • Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6y7u9KuOjaplhScHtINGZU • Explore more Shoot the Moon episodes: https://www.revenuerocket.com/series/shoot-the-moon/ • Learn more about Revenue Rocket: https://www.revenuerocket.com/ ABOUT REVENUE ROCKET Revenue Rocket is a sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory firm focused exclusively on IT services companies, including MSPs, cybersecurity firms, cloud service providers, custom application development companies, and VARs. For more than 25 years, Revenue Rocket has helped founders grow, position, buy, and sell tech-enabled services firms. Thinking about your own exit? Schedule a confidential conversation with our team:https://www.revenuerocket.com/contact-us/ #MergersAndAcquisitions #ITServices #MSP #ShootTheMoon #RevenueRocket #ExitStrategy #OwnerOptional #FounderDependency Listen to Shoot the Moon on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Buy, sell, or grow your tech-enabled services firm with Revenue Rocket.

    Owner-Dependent vs Owner-Optional: Which Firm Sells for More?

  5. Aug 3

    The Mistake IT Founders Make When Private Equity Calls

    IT services M&A is in one of its most active stretches in years. We explain how private equity defines the market, the platform and tuck-in roll-up strategy behind most deals, and how AI is separating premium platforms from commoditized providers. You will also hear which segments are hot, which are cooling, and the exact questions to ask when an investor calls. Timestamps & Chapters 0:00 – Why private equity keeps calling 1:13 – How we define the IT services market 4:11 – The long tail: ~50,000 firms and three channels 7:03 – Why PE targets IT services: growth and recurring revenue 12:31 – Predictability drives investment 13:48 – Platform and tuck-in roll-up strategy (the math) 16:32 – AI and the services-as-software shift 18:27 – Raising the bar: AI-enabled service delivery 24:06 – Go AI-first or fall behind 26:28 – Hot vs cooling segments (specialize, verticalize, productize) 29:13 – What to do when private equity calls 33:18 – Closing thoughts   Key Takeaways Predictable Cash Flows: Private equity favors IT services because recurring and repeat revenue make future cash flows highly predictable. The Roll-Up Strategy: The dominant model relies on buying a platform company around 5–7x EBITDA, scaling via tuck-ins, and exiting near 8–12x. The New Minimum: Recurring revenue above 50% used to impress investors—today, it is the bare minimum expectation. Market Temperature: Hot: Cybersecurity, AI & Machine Learning, regulated cloud, OT/industrial, and vertically focused MSPs. Cooling: Pure staffing and generalist break-fix providers. When PE Calls: Prepare beforehand: know your numbers inside out and engage a specialist M&A advisor.   Links & Resources Blog Post: Read the full article Valuation Tool: Free Valuation Calculator Schedule a Consultation: Book a confidential conversation Podcast: Listen on your favorite podcast platform Official Website: Revenue Rocket About Revenue Rocket Revenue Rocket is a sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory firm focused exclusively on IT services companies, including MSPs, cybersecurity, cloud, custom application development, and VARs. #MergersAndAcquisitions #ITServices #MSP #ShootTheMoon #RevenueRocket #ExitStrategy #PrivateEquity#AIinITService Getting calls from private equity? Do not wing it. Schedule a confidential conversation with Revenue Rocket to understand your options and your value. Listen to Shoot the Moon on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Buy, sell, or grow your tech-enabled services firm with Revenue Rocket.

    The Mistake IT Founders Make When Private Equity Calls

  6. Jul 31

    Why Waiting for “One More Year” Wrecks Your IT Services Exit

    Revenue Rocket’s Mike Harvath, Ryan Barnett, and Matt Lockhart break down the real reasons founders delay an exit, and why the safest-feeling choice is often the most expensive. This episode of Shoot the Moon covers the “one more year” trap, founder dependency, succession planning, derisking customer concentration and contracts, and why knowing your valuation is the first move in IT services M&A. If you run an MSP, MSSP, cloud, dev, or VAR business, this is the timing conversation to have before the market decides for you. CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold open and welcome 1:56 Why founders delay a sale (the “one more year” trap) 5:46 Run it forever, but stay ready to sell 6:26 Owner dependency and building a machine 12:27 What succession planning really looks like 16:07 Enjoy what you have built vs. the window to sell 21:30 De-risking: customer concentration and contracts 22:23 Know your number: the case for annual valuations 24:40 One move to make this week 28:45 Closing thoughts: have a plan KEY TAKEAWAYS ● Waiting one more year can lower value, not just raise it. You carry 100% of the downside. ● Buyers pay for a business that runs without you. Build the bench and reduce founder dependency. ● Real succession planning is documented and executable, not a someday idea. ● De-risk before you go to market: diversify clients, fix contract assignability, deepen the team. ● Know your number. An annual valuation is good corporate hygiene and a stage gate for timing. LINKS ● Blog post: [BLOG LINK] ● Valuation calculator: revenuerocket.com/valuation-calculator ● Schedule a confidential conversation: [SCHEDULING LINK] ● Website: revenuerocket.com ABOUT REVENUE ROCKET Revenue Rocket is a sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory firm focused exclusively on IT services companies, including MSPs, cybersecurity, cloud, custom application development, and VARs. HASHTAGS #MergersAndAcquisitions #ITServices #MSP #ShootTheMoon #RevenueRocket #ExitStrategy #SuccessionPlanning #BusinessValuation Thinking about your own timing? Schedule a confidential conversation with Revenue Rocket at revenuerocket.com/contact-us. Listen to Shoot the Moon on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Buy, sell, or grow your tech-enabled services firm with Revenue Rocket.

    Why Waiting for “One More Year” Wrecks Your IT Services Exit

  7. Jul 29

    3 Moves That Make Your IT Services Firm Worth More to Buyers

    Vertical specialization is one of the most reliable ways to raise both growth and valuation in IT services M&A. In Episode 254 of Shoot the Moon, we break down how focusing on one or two industry verticals, and building the sales team to match, makes an IT services firm worth more to buyers. Most IT services firms start as generalists because it is the fastest path to revenue. But in a market where AI is commoditizing technical skill, domain expertise is what buyers and clients pay for. We cover why vertical focus shortens sales cycles and lifts valuation, how the hunter and farmer sales roles work, and how to compensate and hire for a vertical model. We close with three practical steps you can take this week to find and commit to the right vertical. CHAPTERS Timestamps are approximate and must be verified against the final edit. 0:00 Cold open and intro 4:05 Specialize, verticalize, productize: the framework 7:00 Why vertical expertise matters more in the age of AI 9:30 Why most IT services firms default to generalist 12:30 What verticalizing takes, and the payoff 16:50 The sales team: hunters, farmers, and support roles Revenue Rocket Consulting Group | Shoot the Moon Episode 254 20:40 Hiring for a vertical: fish where the fish are 24:10 Compensating hunters vs farmers 28:00 What buyers see: vertical focus and valuation 32:40 Where to start this week 35:30 Wrap-up KEY TAKEAWAYS  AI is commoditizing technical skill, so domain expertise is the differentiator buyers pay for.  A vertical focus shortens sales cycles, sharpens marketing, and tends to lift valuation.  Selling is a team sport: hunters win new logos, farmers grow accounts, with a handoff inside the first 12 months.  Concentrating in a vertical is a strength; depending on a few clients is a risk buyers discount.  Start by analyzing where your revenue already concentrates, then commit to a market you are passionate about. LINKS Blog: [BLOG LINK] Valuation calculator: revenuerocket.com/valuation-calculator Schedule a confidential conversation: [SCHEDULING LINK] Listen on your favorite platform: [LINK] Website: revenuerocket.com ABOUT REVENUE ROCKET Revenue Rocket is a sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory firm focused exclusively on IT services companies, including MSPs, cybersecurity, cloud, custom application development, and VARs. #MergersAndAcquisitions #ITServices #MSP #ShootTheMoon #RevenueRocket #ExitStrategy #VerticalSpecialization #HunterFarmer Thinking about your own growth or exit? Schedule a confidential conversation. Listen to Shoot the Moon on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Buy, sell, or grow your tech-enabled services firm with Revenue Rocket.

    3 Moves That Make Your IT Services Firm Worth More to Buyers

  8. Jul 27

    How Do You Know When You Need an M&A Advisor to Sell?

    Selling an IT services company is far more likely to close and typically sells for about 20% more when you use a specialist M&A advisor instead of going it alone. Here is what the data shows and what an advisor actually does to improve the outcome. In this episode of Shoot the Moon, the Revenue Rocket team breaks down the real economics of IT services M&A: why most owner-led sales never close, how an advisor adds roughly 20% to the sale price, and what makes selling an MSP, cybersecurity, cloud, or software firm different. We cover pre-market preparation, competitive tension, and today’s market including the silver tsunami of boomer-owned businesses now heading to market. If you are weighing an exit in 2027 or beyond, this is where to start. CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold open and intro0:35 Do you really need an advisor to sell?3:00 What the data says: close rates and the ~20% premium6:15 Why deals die when founders go it alone10:45 The wrong-advisor trap12:00 How an advisor moves the numbers17:30 What makes IT services M&A different23:00 Market conditions and the silver tsunami27:00 The emotional side of selling29:00 What founders should do right now KEY TAKEAWAYS • Owner-led sales close under 10% of the time; top specialists close 80% to 95%. • An advisor adds roughly 20% to the sale price on average, with studies ranging from 6% to 25%. • In IT services, recurring revenue and a well-distributed client base drive value. • The silver tsunami of boomer-owned businesses—12 million firms representing $10 trillion in assets—is bringing a wave of supply to the market. • If you are considering an exit in 2027 or later, start a conversation now—not a commitment. LINKS • Value your firm: https://www.revenuerocket.com/valuation-calculator/ • Schedule a confidential conversation: https://www.revenuerocket.com/contact-us/ • Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shoot-the-moon-with-revenue-rocket/id1478519505 • Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6y7u9KuOjaplhScHtINGZU • Explore more episodes: https://www.revenuerocket.com/series/shoot-the-moon/ • Website: https://www.revenuerocket.com/ ABOUT REVENUE ROCKET Revenue Rocket is a sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory firm focused exclusively on IT services companies, including MSPs, cybersecurity firms, cloud service providers, custom application development companies, and VARs. For more than 25 years, Revenue Rocket has helped founders grow, position, buy, and sell tech-enabled services firms. Thinking about an exit? Schedule a confidential conversation with our team:https://www.revenuerocket.com/contact-us/ #MergersAndAcquisitions #ITServices #MSP #ShootTheMoon #RevenueRocket #ExitStrategy #MandAAdvisor #SilverTsunami Listen to Shoot the Moon on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Buy, sell, or grow your tech-enabled services firm with Revenue Rocket.

    How Do You Know When You Need an M&A Advisor to Sell?
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

The Shoot the Moon podcast is for IT business owners and executives. The Revenue Rocket leadership team brings their 25+ years of experience with M&A and growth strategies to IT Services company leaders worldwide.

Information

  • Creator
    Revenue Rocket Consulting Group
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    259
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Shoot the Moon with Revenue Rocket Podcast
  • Show Website
    Shoot the Moon with Revenue Rocket