Through a Buyer’s Eyes: What They See When They Look at Your MSP
Buyers evaluate your MSP beyond the numbers. Learn how to position your business with operational readiness, client loyalty, and a compelling growth story.
Cogent Conversations: Is it the Market…or Is it You? (EP6)
A lot of MSP owners spend years waiting for the “right” time to sell. Sometimes that timing gets tied to the market, sometimes it gets tied to a future valuation…
What Is Your Business Actually Worth?
Most MSP owners have a number in their head. If you pressed them on where it came from, the honest answer is usually a conference conversation, something half-remembered from an…
Cogent Conversations: The Truth About MSP M&A (EP5)
The MSPs that create long-term value rarely grow by accident. There’s usually a rhythm behind them—clear leadership, disciplined decision-making, operational consistency, and a strong understanding of where the business is…
The Human Side of M&A: 10 Leadership Essentials for a Smooth Transition
Leading your team through an M&A transition is about more than logistics—it’s about empathy, transparency, and fostering loyalty. Discover how top leaders empower their teams to stay engaged and motivated during times of change.
Keeping Customers Close When Change Is on the Horizon
Mergers require more than reassurance to retain customers—they need proactive trust-building. Involving clients in the process, enhancing service commitments, and offering exclusive post-merger perks can turn transitions into opportunities for stronger loyalty.
Cogent Conversations: MSP Customer Concentration: Hidden Deal Killers (EP4)
A large client can absolutely increase the attractiveness of an MSP. In many cases, it reflects years of trust, operational consistency, and the kind of service delivery buyers hope to…
Cogent Conversations: Build a Business Buyers Actually Want (EP3)
There’s a moment in nearly every deal where things get… "interesting." The numbers look right, the conversations feel productive, and both sides are leaning in—until suddenly, the process slows, questions…
Cogent Conversations: The Truth About MSP Valuations & Exit Strategy (EP2)
Valuation talk in the MSP world can feel like a fog machine. Numbers get repeated, benchmarks get thrown around, and someone always has a friend who “got a crazy multiple”…
Cogent Conversations: Selling Your MSP? What No One Tells You (EP1)
If you run an MSP or IT services business, you already live in a world where execution matters more than intent, and where the difference between “interesting” and “valuable” shows…
The Best Buyers Build Fundability First
There’s a moment in a lot of early acquisition conversations where someone says, with total confidence, “We’ll line up funding once we find the right deal.”It’s usually delivered the way…
Operational Maturity Starts with Security
SELF-ASSESSMENT QUIZ INCLUDED BELOW Cybersecurity has become the ultimate “show me” category in IT services M&A.Not because buyers are trying to be dramatic, but because security has an inconvenient habit of…
Buyer Confusion is Expensive: How to Get Clear Before You Acquire
Most buyers don’t struggle because they lack ambition. They struggle because the target keeps moving.One week it’s geography. Next week it’s “more MRR.” Then it’s security talent. Then it’s “anything…
AI in MSP M&A: The End of the Pitch Deck Era
AI has officially stopped “seeing other frameworks” and entered its serious relationship phase. The early charm is still nice, but now buyers care about the practical stuff—whether it holds up…
Run It Like You’ll Sell It: Rick Murphy on M&A Discipline for MSPs with Joey Pinz
Revenue can grow while value stalls. In this featured conversation with Joey Pinz, Rick Murphy outlines how tech owners diagnose “Top Line Disease,” align operations to profit, and create the kind of discipline buyers reward. Watch the full episode—embedded here—and take away practical ways to strengthen valuation.
Platform or Add-On? A Clear Guide to Tuck-Ins, Bolt-Ons, and Tweeners
You see these words in nearly every tech M&A conversation: platform, add-on, tuck-in, bolt-on — and tweener. They sound similar; they signal very different plays. This mini-guide delivers clear definitions,…
George Sierchio Forecasts M&A with SMB Nation
George Sierchio, Partner at Cogent Growth Partners, joins the mic with Harry Brelsford at SMB Nation to talk through today’s MSP market, why conditions look healthy after the election cycle,…
Culture as a Competitive Edge: What Buyers Actually Feel When They Meet Your Team
Culture isn’t decoration — it’s how your business behaves when you’re not in the room. In this new piece, George Sierchio breaks down how culture translates directly into valuation and why buyers feel it faster than they can read a P&L.
Diagnosing “Top Line Disease” in Tech Companies with Joey Pinz
Revenue can grow while value stalls. In this featured conversation with Joey Pinz, Rick Murphy outlines how tech owners diagnose “Top Line Disease,” align operations to profit, and create the kind of discipline buyers reward. Watch the full episode—embedded here—and take away practical ways to strengthen valuation.
100% Bonus Depreciation Is Back — And It’s Reshaping IT M&A Deals
The best kind of news in M&A is the kind that rewrites the math, and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act just did exactly that. With 100% bonus depreciation now…