The Myth of the Full-Service MSP
Why “We Do It All” is a Death Sentence for MSPs
I came up as a sysadmin.
The guy who thought the more I knew, the more valuable I was.
→ Every new tech.
→ Every new tool.
→ Every new acronym.
I wanted to master them all.
But the more I knew, the less effective I became.
I wasn’t building a career—I was burying myself in ego.
It wasn’t until a few mentors taught me to focus that things changed.
That’s when my career took off.
And here’s the truth: most MSP owners are caught in the same trap.
1. The Expert-at-Everything Trap
MSPs often believe their superpower is being the smartest IT person in the room.
They think clients want someone who knows security, compliance, AI, cloud, cost optimization—everything.
But being the “expert in every discipline” just turns you into the bottleneck.
You spend your days solving problems instead of building a business.
The more you try to be the expert, the less scalable your MSP becomes.
2. Acronym Overload Is a Business Killer
MSPs live in an endless alphabet soup: MFA, MDR, ZTP, RPA, RMM, EDR.
Chasing every acronym feels like keeping up, but all it does is bloat your stack with tools you can’t integrate and services you can’t deliver profitably.
It’s not just technical debt—it’s business debt.
More acronyms do not equal more value.
3. Every Extra Service Adds Complexity
Each time you add another service, you add another vendor, contract, process, and support problem.
Before long, your “stack” is a Frankenstein monster of disjointed tools that suck up time and margin.
Your help desk is flooded with noise, your team is frustrated, and your clients feel the chaos.
Complexity kills profitability.
4. You Become the Default Problem Owner
When you say “we do it all,” clients hear “every problem is mine.”
The copier jams?
→ Your problem.
Their internet is slow?
→ Your problem.
Their warehouse Wi-Fi doesn’t reach the corner?
→ Still your problem.
You’ve made yourself accountable for every issue with power running through it.
Overpromising guarantees burnout.
5. Specialists Beat Generalists Every Time
Clients don’t want a Swiss Army knife—they want a sharp blade that works.
When you specialize, you simplify your offer, standardize delivery, and consistently win trust.
Specialists can build repeatable systems, negotiate stronger vendor deals, and run with healthier margins.
Generalists stay stuck in the grind, bleeding time and profit.
Specialization wins the market.
This is the first step in a bigger idea: the Anti-MSP.
Not doing more.
Not being everything.
But building a simpler, stronger business that lasts.
➡️ The Anti-MSP is the future.
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