Work out what you want from a sale.
Before getting caught up in someone else’s timetable, we’ll talk about yours. What would a good outcome look like? What would you want to do afterwards? What would make you uncomfortable about a deal?
MSP mergers & acquisitions
Buying or
selling an MSP?
Whether you’re thinking about selling the business you’ve built or buying another MSP to grow your own, there’s a lot to work through.
I’ve built, run and sold an MSP, completing the exit in 2025 after seven and a half years. I now work in MSP M&A. I bring that experience to the questions in front of you, including the awkward ones that are better asked early.
Buying rather than selling? Skip to acquisitions
A quick gut check
How ready are you
for that conversation?
Five quick questions. No email required, and nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
For MSP owners considering a sale
Thinking about
selling your MSP?
You might be ready for a change. You might have had an approach from a buyer. Or you might simply want to understand your options before making any decisions.
You’ll want a fair outcome for the years you’ve put in. You may also be thinking about your team, your customers and how long you’d be expected to stay involved. Those things deserve a proper conversation.
Look honestly at how ready the business is.
We’ll look at where the MSP still depends on you, how clearly you can explain its performance and which parts of the business need attention. Finding those issues early gives you time to do something about them.
Understand the questions you need to ask.
How would the buyer run the business? What would happen to your team? What would they need from you after completion? I’ll help you think through the practical implications alongside the specialist advice a transaction needs.
For owners looking to acquire
Looking to
buy an MSP?
An acquisition can give you customers, people and capabilities that would take years to build yourself. It also gives you another business to take responsibility for.
Before you commit, you need to understand how that business actually works and whether your own team can take it on.
Be clear about why you’re buying.
What should an acquisition help you achieve? We’ll work through what a suitable business would look like and where you’re prepared to compromise. That gives you something to judge opportunities against.
Look closely at the operation.
Who holds the customer relationships? How much depends on the owner? Are the service desk and management team working well? I’ll help you examine the operational questions and identify where you need more evidence.
Think through what happens after the deal.
Who will lead the combined team? How will customers be looked after? What needs to change, and what should be left alone? The practical work of bringing two MSPs together deserves attention before you commit.
Before you make an offer
Five questions worth asking before you buy an MSP.
- Who actually holds each key customer relationship: the owner, or the business?
- What percentage of tickets or escalations still land on the owner's desk in a normal week?
- Is gross margin known and defensible customer-by-customer, or only at a headline level?
- How current, consistent and transferable are the customer contracts?
- What would the first 90 days look like if the owner stepped back immediately after completion?
Copy this list into your own notes before your next conversation with a seller. It's the same set of questions I'd ask on your behalf.
Working together
Be clear about
who’s involved.
Before we work together, we’ll agree my role and discuss any existing relationships relevant to your plans.
An initial conversation does not put your business in front of a buyer or seller. We’ll agree what can be shared and with whom before any introduction.
Scorecard responses remain confidential to MSP Clarity and are not shared with an acquirer.
Questions owners ask first
The things you’d want
to know before calling.
Straight answers to the questions that usually come up in the first ten minutes. If yours isn’t here, ask it anyway.
You also work with buyers. How do you keep my information separate?
Every engagement is siloed and handled case by case. Nothing you share with me is shared with any other client, buyer or seller unless you specifically grant it, and we agree exactly what and with whom before it happens. An initial conversation never puts your business in front of anyone.
How are M&A fees structured?
They depend on the deal. A retainer, a success fee, or a combination of the two are all possible. We agree the structure up front, before any work starts, so there are no surprises on either side.
What size of MSP do you work with?
Most of the owners I work with turn over somewhere between £500,000 and £5 million. That’s where the questions I help with tend to come up most, but it’s not a hard cutoff. Below or above that range, if something here sounds familiar, get in touch anyway.
Do you work with MSPs outside the UK?
Yes. Most of my clients are in the UK, but I work with owners overseas as well. The dynamics of running and selling an MSP travel better than you might expect.
How long does an engagement last?
Anywhere from three months to long term. Some owners want a specific decision worked through and then they’re done; others keep me around for years. Both are fine.
What if I’m not planning to sell for years?
That’s still worth a conversation. The things that make a business easier to sell are the same things that make it easier to run. Starting early means you get to choose the timing instead of the timing choosing you.
Will my team or customers find out I’m talking to you?
No. An initial conversation with me doesn’t put your business in front of anyone. Nothing gets shared without you agreeing to it first.
Do you run the whole sale process, or just the early thinking?
I work through the early decisions and the operational questions a buyer will ask. For the legal, financial and tax side, you’ll need specialist advisers, and I can help you think about that. I also have partners in those fields I can connect you with when the time’s right.
I’ve already had an approach from a buyer. Is it too late to talk to you?
No. That’s often exactly the right moment. An early approach is a good time to work out what you actually want before you’re negotiating against someone else’s timetable.
Does talking to you commit me to anything?
No. We talk, you decide whether it’s useful, and you decide what happens next. Nothing moves forward without you.
Talk to Neil
You don’t need
to have decided yet.
Tell me where you are, what you’re considering and what you’re unsure about. We’ll talk it through and establish where I can help.
Your message comes to me. What you share stays confidential.