EP225 – Inside the MSP Growth Hub – January 2025 Intensive Round Up with Stuart Warwick, Clare Elliott, Julie Hutchison & Ian Luckett

I’m joined by fellow MSP Growth Hub coaches Stuart Warwick, Julie Hutchison, and Clare Elliott, as we reflect on the key takeaways from our January 2025 two-day intensive.  These intensives are the cornerstone of the MSP Growth Hub’s Scale with Confidence model, bringing together MSP owners and leaders to reflect, reset, and refocus on their business growth. The January event was centred around the theme of ‘Harnessing Ambition’—not just setting strategic goals but ensuring they are cascaded throughout the entire organisation. This is where business owners can make real progress, ensuring their company, departments, and individuals are all aligned and working towards the same vision. When this is done properly, businesses accelerate growth, eliminate friction, and reduce stress for the owner and their teams.  One of the most powerful aspects of these events is the energy in the room. We had around 55 MSPs from all different stages of business maturity, but each and every one of them had a clear plan. They knew their headline numbers, their biggest challenges, and what they wanted to get out of the two days. And while there was plenty of networking (and cake!), this wasn’t just a social gathering. It was a working event. In fact, we encourage attendees to take an extra decompression day afterwards to process everything they’ve learned and recalibrate their action plans.  A standout session from this intensive was our deep dive into transforming profits in 180 days. Clare and Stuart walked the room through a practical framework that got everyone thinking differently about their numbers. Many realised they had never truly understood their financial levers and wished they had brought their finance teams along—though, of course, this session was specifically designed for MSP owners to take ownership of their financial strategies. We focused on high-level principles of financial management, helping them understand how to improve profitability in a structured way that compounds year on year.  Another major highlight was Julie’s session on identifying and developing future leaders within an MSP. So many business owners struggle with delegation and succession planning, yet they have potential leaders sitting right in front of them. The key is not just identifying technical skill but looking for people who genuinely want to lead. As Julie put it, if you don’t give those people the opportunity to grow, they will find it elsewhere. She introduced a simple scoring system that helped MSP owners assess their teams objectively, ensuring they are nurturing the right people and not just promoting someone because they’re the best technician.  A personal highlight for me was delivering the ICE Framework—a brand-new, practical system to help MSP owners escape overwhelm, find more time, and focus on the right activities. From time management to prioritisation and delegation, we crammed every ounce of value into this framework. The feedback was fantastic, with many attendees saying it was the missing piece they needed to create more headspace and get out of the daily firefighting mode. It’s now a permanent part of our growth system, sitting in the Vault for members to access anytime.  What makes these events so special isn’t just the frameworks and strategies—it’s the shared learning. The room is packed with like-minded business owners who are all on the same journey, using the same language, frameworks, and processes. That alignment is what allows them to move faster, make better decisions, and ultimately compress the time it takes to scale. The discussions, the problem-solving, and the breakthroughs that happen in real-time are what make these intensives so impactful.  And the impact doesn’t stop when the event ends. The ripple effect through MSP teams is incredible. We saw business owners leaving with a renewed sense of purpose, taking what they learned straight back to their teams, engaging them in the vision, and aligning everyone with the company’s mission. We even had one MSP receive a thank-you gift from their team because they had gone back, implemented everything, and made such a difference to the way they operated. That’s what it’s all about—helping MSP owners build businesses that work for them rather than them being stuck in the day-to-day grind.  Looking ahead to our next event in May, we’ll be focusing on ‘Amplifying Capacity.’ This means going deep into team structures, operational efficiency, and leadership skills. We’ll be tackling topics like how to get more from your people, how to recruit and retain the right talent, and how to eliminate the bottlenecks that slow down business growth. Expect practical workshops, panel discussions, and insights on everything from using productivity tools like Asana to maximising PSA systems. And, of course, Julie will be leading a powerful session on dealing with difficult conversations—something every MSP leader needs to master.  For anyone listening who wants to get more insight into how the MSP Growth Hub can support your business, we’d love to connect. You can take the Scale Your MSP Quiz or drop me a message on LinkedIn for a chat.  Running an MSP can be a lonely place, but it can also be an amazing place with the right support network. That’s why we do what we do—to help MSP owners make a bigger impact, change more lives, and enjoy their business journey.    Connect on LinkedIn HERE with Ian and also with Stuart by clicking this LINK  And when you’re ready to take the next step in growing your MSP, come and take the Scale with Confidence MSP Mastery Quiz. In just three minutes, you’ll get a 360-degree scan of your MSP and identify the one or two tactics that could help you find more time, engage & align your people and generate more leads.  OR   To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 400 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up with Confidence, then click HERE  Until next time, look after yourself and I’ll catch up with you soon!