Why Some MSPs Succeed and Others Don’t: The Power of Starting Before You’re Ready

I’ve been in this industry a long time. Back when all I had was a phone, a Rolodex, and a big dream! Today, as a cloud provider for MSPs, I often reflect on the journey from running an MSP to helping others grow theirs.

You know what separates the successful MSPs from the ones that stay stuck?

They start before they’re ready.

Yep. While one MSP is tweaking their landing page for the hundredth time, the other is out there booking meetings and closing deals.

The Corridor Principle

Let’s talk about something called the Corridor Principle. It comes from a Babson College study that followed MBA grads for 12 years. The ones who succeeded weren’t the ones with the best ideas. They were the ones who started.

It’s like walking down a dark hallway. You can’t see what’s ahead until you start moving. But once you do, doors begin to open. New opportunities show up that you never could’ve planned for!

How We Did It

When we were an MSP, we didn’t jump into cloud because it was trendy. Heck, Azure didn’t even exist! We jumped in because our clients needed remote access and reliable backups. They were sick of driving back to the office after dinner just to finish work. Tape backups were failing, and storms were wiping out onsite servers.

There was no roadmap: just a lot of questions and very few answers.

But we launched anyway!

And it wasn’t perfect. I won’t lie, it was held together with a little duct tape and a lot of faith. But guess what? That first messy launch helped us land a title company that needed access in the field. Then a rubber trading company with offices in the US and Singapore. A vendor came along and gave us amazing pricing. We built marketing around disaster-proof IT and remote access…

None of that would’ve happened if we had waited until we were “ready.”

It’s About Motion

We had a Cloud Academy partner who was hesitant to pitch cloud to law firms. I told him, “You haven’t talked to any yet, that’s why you don’t feel ready!” So he picked up the phone, got three appointments, and the questions those firms asked shaped his entire pitch.

The market teaches you what works, but only if you’re in motion!

What Holds MSPs Back?

It’s not lack of talent or even competition: it’s perfectionism.

So many MSPs want everything to be just right before they make a move. They say:

• “I can’t call that vertical until I finish my landing page.”
• “I can’t do a webinar until I grow my list.”
• “I can’t talk about cloud until I have my onboarding process nailed.”

Sound familiar? I’ve coached hundreds of MSPs, and I’ve been guilty of this myself. But here’s what I’ve learned: perfect is the enemy of profitable!

Clients don’t want perfect. They want their problems solved.

Ready to Move? Here’s Your Roadmap:

1. Pick a corridor. It could be launching cloud, targeting a new vertical, or offering a cybersecurity bundle. If it makes you nervous, you’re probably on the right track.
2. Make a move. Call five prospects. Send three emails. Ask your clients a simple question like: “Have you thought about moving your file server to the cloud?”
3. Use feedback. Let what you hear shape your offer. You’ll learn what resonates, what objections come up, and how to refine your pitch.
4. Stay in motion. Don’t stop when you hit a wall. Keep walking. Adjust. Evolve. Every step opens a new door.

Final Thoughts

The market doesn’t need another MSP getting ready, it needs bold action!

When we started our cloud journey, we had more questions than answers. But walking into that unknown corridor exposed us to opportunities we could’ve never predicted.

Our advice is just to get started! Chances are, you’ll already be ahead of 90% of your competitors. Why? Because they’re still fiddling with their brochure design while you’re making moves.

Today’s quote is from Zig Ziglar: “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”

Have a great week and weekend!