MSP SUMMIT Recap: Growth Got Real
Our second MSP SUMMIT of the year just wrapped up at The 20 HQ in Plano, TX. We were thrilled to host top channel vendors and MSPs from across the U.S. – and one from Canada!
This was our second SUMMIT open to all MSPs, and it was great to bring our MSP community together with other driven business leaders for 2+ days of getting down to brass tacks. There’s a lot going on in our industry right now. M&A, AI, RPA & workflow automation – and stuff we don’t even have acronyms for yet. Navigating it all solo? We wouldn’t wish it on our worst enemy.
It’s impossible to capture all of the magic at an in-person event like SUMMIT. So we’ll just do our best to highlight some key moments and ideas from another unforgettable gathering at The 20. We hope you find this recap useful – and if your MSP didn’t attend and you’re feeling that FOMO…
Join us at VISION ’25 – our flagship in-person event and a channel experience every MSP should have at least once (although we’re pretty sure the “one and done” approach works as well for VISION as it does for Pringles).
Pre-Day: 7 Figure MSP™ Takes the Wheel
We hit the ground running on Tuesday with a special 4-hour workshop led by Chris Wiser and Lindsey Badillo of 7 Figure MSP™: AI Lead Gen & Sales Engine: How to Get 50 Leads Per Month without Referrals, Ads, or Expensive Outsourced Dialing. First off, hats off to both Chris and Lindsey for a series of sessions that were as entertaining as they were educational. Y’all dug into the anatomy of a successful sale with a level of nuance and rigor that most MSPs never see. Fantastic stuff.
If you’re looking to solve your lead gen problem, your sales problem, your growth problem, you don’t have to master some magical and hopelessly complex set of skills. What you do need is structure, strategy, and to quote Chris himself, “ruthless consistency.” A powerful message that got a lot of wheels turning in the room.
Day 1: M&A Is Here – Is Your MSP Ready?
The first full day of SUMMIT kicked off with a session from Tim Conkle, founder and CEO of The 20 and the architect behind our bold consolidation strategy – a strategy that’s allowed us to roll up 39 MSPs (and counting) in under three years with minimal attrition and 60-90 day integrations.
M&A Is One Piece of the Puzzle drove home a very important point: M&A isn’t the endgame, but a means to a much more important end – wealth creation and management. Tim’s advice cut through the noise: even if you’re not looking to sell your MSP, preparing like you are puts your MSP on track for stronger growth, scale, and valuation. M&A wisdom, he reminded us, is growth wisdom. Period. And ignoring the conversation? Not educating yourself on what’s going on? It’s a recipe for getting left behind – and fast.
The M&A-themed day continued with a sharp, no-nonsense presentation from Scott Renkes (Pinecrest Capital Partners), who left MSPs with a clear takeaway: sloppy books kill deals. Private equity isn’t just interested in your revenue and clients. They want to know about your systems, your data, your risks – your ability to prove the story behind the numbers. Want a good deal? Prepare your butt off. Fantastic stuff as always, Scott!
Scott handed the mic off to Steven Frank and Tony Vargas, whose session on Lansweeper‘s Technology Asset Intelligence reinforced the power of visibility – specifically, visibility into asset data. Steven and Tony reminded attendees that it’s not just about control; it’s about laying a foundation for scaling smarter, faster, and more profitably.
After lunch, Tim Conkle returned to the stage alongside M&A expert Madhur Duggar for a fireside chat. Tim and Madhur delved deep into why mergers between smaller MSPs often fail (you can’t create scale out of thin air), and Madhur shared some fascinating numbers about the ratio of SMBs to MSPs in the United States – and how it makes organic growth beyond $2M a tricky proposition for MSPs. Tim broke down the costs of an integration, and expanded on how The 20’s strategy takes the bulk of those out of the equation (pre-alignment for the win). We loved having you, Madhur – thank you for being so generous with your research and expertise.
Bottom line for MSPs: The M&A landscape is shifting fast. In five years, the balance will have tilted toward buyers, making strong valuations harder for smaller MSPs with less operational maturity. Selling sooner lets you ride the wave – not get crushed by it. This isn’t to say you should rush into a deal – but ignoring market realities won’t do you any favors.
Panel Time!
Day 1 featured two M&A-focused panels moderated by industry leader and CMO of The 20, Crystal Conkle. What It’s Really Like to Sell to The 20 brought together former MSP owners who sold their businesses, and When M&A Meets Monday featured employees from MSPs acquired by The 20.
Crystal led both panels through lively and engaging discussions packed with so much good stuff, we’ll be publishing a separate blog with quotes, highlights, and key takeaways. For now, here’s a few snippets…
In What It’s Really Like to Sell to The 20, the panelists shared one piece of advice with MSP owners who are thinking about selling their businesses:
- Kevin Peterson stressed the importance of knowing your numbers: “Numbers don’t lie.”
- Darren Fippin emphasized clarity of purpose: “Know your why.”
- Gary Blawat echoed that sentiment: “You have to have a purpose.”
- Lance Keltner kept it real: “Sell your a** off” – IF you’re not entering a transaction imminently. A year out from selling, Lance doubled down on growth and significantly boosted his MSP’s valuation.
The second panel – When M&A Meets Monday – featured employees of organizations that have since been acquired by The 20: Madison Vestweber, Mia Demelo-Schmitt, Bradley Gaudioso, and Robert Falco. These four panelists shared when they first felt “at home” post-acquisition. While their answers varied, one thing was clear: in-person connections mattered. Spending time face-to-face with The 20 team helped each of them feel truly part of things. Hearing about their experiences affirmed that investing in good people and a healthy company culture is worth it – and then some.
A Texas-sized thank you to all of our panelists – for your candor, thoughtfulness, and insights.
Day 2: Future, Here We Come
The second and final day of SUMMIT featured sessions on a variety of topics, but they all revolved around a common theme: getting MSPs ready for what’s next.
Tim got the day started with a session on MSP success – and he got real. Small and mid-sized MSPs are facing a litany of challenges, but also, some exciting (and unprecedented) opportunities. But with everything that’s going on in our industry, MSPs can easily find themselves with fragmented focus, and Tim reminded attendees to focus on one big goal, and organize their efforts accordingly.
Next up was Ken Pecot, our COO and resident operations wizard. Ken’s talk on new processes, products, and possibilities showed just how much work is going on behind the scenes at The 20 to bring our MSP community the best of the best of the best. Ken has preached continuous improvement from his first day at The 20, and our members are lucky to have him at the helm of operations. In an industry as fast-moving as ours, having someone like Ken – someone who is constantly looking for ways to get better – is invaluable.
On Day 2, we also heard from Barrett Kingsriter, founder and Senior Managing Director at Pinecrest Capital Partners. Barrett provided a high-level view of the MSP M&A landscape before zooming in on what today’s PE firms are really looking for. His core message couldn’t be timelier: preparing for a transaction is preparing for growth – so even if you’re not gearing up to sell your MSP, this M&A stuff needs to be on your radar.
Hannah Corral, our VP of HR, kept the ball rolling with a wonderfully clear and actionable presentation on the “people problem” – and how to solve it. Eric Anthony owned the stage with a sharp and engaging walkthrough of Egnyte‘s revamped partner program and powerful MSP-focused features. And Ken Nix, our CISO, spoke with authority on a topic that MSPs simply cannot afford to ignore: compliance – and more importantly, how to make it a differentiator for your MSP business (hint: we can help your MSP – a lot).
We also heard from our stellar customer experience (CX) team, led by client champion and CXO of The 20 Ciera Cole. The team took the mic to spotlight the ongoing and evolving ways we support our MSP community – from co-selling and membership groups to our new Apple Pod and beyond. CX is everything in this space, and we’re lucky to have such an awesome team driving it – and so are our 150+ MSP members.
Get in the Game at VISION ’25
Knowing there are MSPs out there making real progress is one thing. But rubbing shoulders with these companies? Hearing their stories, swapping ideas, learning how they’re scaling fast and smart? That’s a whole different kind of fuel.
Ready for your MSP to take off?
Join us at VISION ’25 – time to get in the game!