The Playbook Your Broker Won't Give You

The gap most MSP owners don't see

Every MSP owner I talk to eventually gets to the same question, usually buried under three or four other questions:

"What is this thing actually worth?"

Not what the broker says. Not what the neighbor who sold his HVAC business says. Not what the last MSP in the Reddit thread claimed. What it's ACTUALLY worth to a buyer who understands what they're looking at.

The honest answer for most MSPs is this: your business is probably worth more than a generic broker will tell you, and less than the number in your head. The gap between those two numbers is where operator-led acquisition changes the math.

What MSP buyers actually pay for

When a sophisticated buyer evaluates your MSP, they're looking at five specific things:

1. Recurring revenue percentage. MRR from managed services contracts is the multiple driver. Break/fix and project revenue price at 1-2x SDE. MRR-heavy MSPs (60%+ recurring) can price at 4-7x EBITDA. If your revenue mix isn't captured cleanly on paper, you're leaving money on the table.
2. Client concentration. If your top customer is 25%+ of revenue, buyers discount hard. If your top 5 clients are less than 40% combined, buyers pay a premium. Diversification is a valuation multiplier, not a lifestyle question.
3. Contract structure. Multi-year contracts with auto-renewal beat month-to-month by a wide margin. A single-page MSA with your top 20 clients, reviewed by a real attorney, adds real dollars.
4. Technical documentation. Documented systems, network diagrams, backup procedures, and IP means a buyer's diligence team can read your business in two weeks instead of two months. Fast diligence = higher close probability = better offers.
5. Team-owned client relationships. If your top 10 clients see YOU as the primary relationship, buyers see key-person risk and price it as a discount. If they see your team as primary, you get a premium. This one takes 12-24 months to shift and is often the biggest gap.

What Wolfspire Solutions does differently

I'm not a broker. There is no auction process, no 10% listing fee coming out of your sale price, no 6-9 month marketing campaign to strangers.

I'm a direct buyer. I acquire MSPs using SBA-structured financing. Sellers get fair value, keep their team intact, and often stay involved for a transition period on terms that respect what they built.

For MSPs not yet ready to sell, I offer consulting-for-equity. A 12+ month partnership with three compensation components: an engagement retainer, an ongoing monthly fee (both sized to your business's revenue and EBITDA), and equity (typically 10-20%). Retainer and monthly fee cover focused, ongoing execution. Equity aligns us to your exit outcome. Together we spend 12+ months closing the specific gaps that block your premium exit. At the end, either I acquire the business at the higher multiple we've built to, or you sell to someone else with the equity already delivered. Either way, we win together. Full CFE details here.

Common questions from MSP owners

How does this compare to a business broker?

A broker takes your business to market to find a buyer. I AM the buyer. Cleaner process, no fee coming out of your proceeds, no strangers walking through your data room, no auction dynamics that can leak to your team. When the fit is right, we can close in 90-120 days without ever listing publicly.

What size MSPs do you buy?

Sweet spot is $1M-$5M in revenue with $250K+ EBITDA. I can flex up to $10M using SBA structures. Under $1M, the Sale-Ready Toolkit (linked below) is the useful resource — it's built for owners who want to grow into sellable shape first.

Do I have to sell to you?

No. The Scorecard is free. The insights on this page are yours to use whether or not we ever talk again. Most owners who take the scorecard use the results to work with their existing broker or advisor — that's a good outcome. When there's a mutual fit for direct acquisition or consulting-for-equity, we explore it together.

What if I'm 3-5 years from wanting to sell?

That's actually the best time to talk. The work between "curious" and "in market" is what determines whether you sell at a fair number or a great one. Owners who start the readiness conversation 24-36 months out consistently outperform owners who start when they're already tired.

Are you a fund or PE firm?

Neither. Wolfspire Solutions is operator-led. There's no fund committee, no portfolio timeline pressure, no plan to strip and flip. I install a GM post-close and operate the business long-term.