#8 – From the Trenches - From Dentists to CPAs - Jordan’s MSP Playbook (Jordan Hetrick)

Jordan joins Josh from sizzling Phoenix to share how he navigated COVID shocks, pivoted away from dentists, and built a steadier, more predictable MSP. He digs into verticalization with CPAs, tool consolidation, automation that actually saves time, and why he’s training the next owners instead of selling to PE.

This fast-moving conversation with Jordan is a clinic in practical MSP decision-making. He traces an early start in IT (building PCs at 12, paid web gigs at 15) to running a calm, more predictable business—earned through scar tissue. COVID nearly broke the firm as dentist offices froze, but flexibility (temporary credits, on-site installs in full PPE) cemented long-term loyalty. The big leap since: pivoting away from vulnerable verticals and doubling down on CPAs—learning their calendar, software pain, and language so sales feels like partnership, not pitching.

Jordan shares why he refuses to be on clients’ text threads, how enforcing process scales service, and the red flags he’s watching: cyber-insurers bundling AV/SOC and undercutting true IT support. On the ops side, he’s ruthless about tool sprawl—standardizing portals, QBRs, and quoting (after cycling through multiple platforms) and automating the boring stuff: invoice routing, shared mailboxes, and file drops so bookkeeping just works.

If he started over, he’d go narrow and deep from day one. Today, “success” isn’t an exit; it’s succession—training future partners so the firm outlives him. Cash goes first to sales/marketing (HubSpot + SEO + carefully tested AdWords for CPA intent), not shiny toys—he laughs about returning a $5k telepresence robot that didn’t fix a people problem. Tactically, he favors in-house NOC, revenue-per-service staffing ratios, EOS over seat-of-pants, and easy, near-zero-cost MRR like internet commissions. For MSPs hovering around $1M, his advice is blunt: know your numbers within two weeks of close, trim expenses, and only grow with the right clients at the right price.

[MSP vertical strategy] [CPA IT support] [MSP tool consolidation] [MSP automation ideas] [cyber insurance vs MSP] [EOS for MSPs] [managed services marketing] [MSP AdWords strategy] [succession planning MSP] [QBR client portal] [dentist IT challenges] [stop texting your MSP] [MSP quoting tools] [in-house vs outsourced NOC] [service salary to revenue ratio] [MSP bookkeeping workflow] [client communications policy] [lead gen for MSPs] [Phoenix MSP] [internet agent commissions MRR]

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