Three Ways to Top the Inc. 5000 and ChannelE2E’s Top 100 MSPs

On the recent Q3 earnings call, N‑able CEO John Pagliuca perfectly captured the mood in the MPS market. “Some in the industry refer to the MSP era we are in right now as the golden era for the MSPs,” he said. “We are seeing some smart money come into the space where really MSPs are maturing and they are beginning to get into larger opportunities, not just the SMEs but also the midmarket.”

Never has there been a better time for MSPs to target growth and to bring themselves to the attention of those looking to invest money into the sector. If that is genuinely your aim, then you’re going to need to plan for it and that’s what we’ll touch on in this blog.

Why would you want to be on these lists?

Since 1982, Inc.’s 500 (now 5000) list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success. This prestigious list of the nation’s most successful private companies has helped many future household names first make their mark. Pandora, 7 Eleven, Toys ‘R’ Us, Zipcar, Zappos.com, and numerous other well-known brands have been honored by the Inc. 5000. Today, the list is a celebration of innovation, a network of entrepreneurial leaders, and an effective public relations showcase.

Meanwhile, ChannelE2E’s Top 100 Vertical Market MSPs list and research identifies and honors the top 100 managed services providers (MSPs) in healthcare, legal, government, financial services, manufacturing, and additional vertical markets. MSPs featured throughout the list and research leverage deep vertical market expertise to drive annual recurring revenues (ARR) in specific market segments.

M&A Activity in the MSP Industry

For the past several years, the MSP industry has been rapidly consolidating, as private equity firms buy up small IT firms and cobble them together into larger platforms. Both of these lists represent prime hunting grounds for acquirers targeting fast-growing companies, as well as yardsticks by which to measure successful investment.

*Focus was M&A adviser to five of the ten MSP platforms that were established in North America in 2020 as announced bv Channel E2E (see 2020 MSP and Technology M&A List)

Over the past 24 months, the FOCUS Team has catapulted nine MSPs into “New Platforms” for private equity groups (PEGs), and recently helped seven more MSPs enter exclusivity (signed “letter of intent” pending close).

FOCUS’ MSP Team’s vision is threefold:

1. Increase our client’s notability on the Inc. 5000 Fastest-growing private Companies & Best Workplaces Lists
2. Work on transactions which management teams are passionate about joining together
3. Obtain amazing references

As you can see, part of our vision is to increase our clients’ notability on the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies & Best Workplaces Lists and work on transactions in which management teams are passionate about joining together. Here are three things we advise companies to focus on to get them there.

3 things to help get you top of the list

An acquisition mindset can make you a better competitor—even if you want to remain independent.  So if your goal is to top the list in 2023, start by putting on your buyer hat, and confirm your strategy will ultimately appeal to institutional investors (e.g. private equity) in these three ways:

1. Start with a large TAM/Total Addressable Market (e.g. sandbox which never runs out of potential customers)
2. Craft a plan to obtain recurring revenue and strong gross margins (and once acquired focus on revenue /logo retention)
3. Join industry peer groups to both learn best practices and build a M&A pipeline

Surrounding yourself with like-minded professionals with a shared vision is also critical. The number one ranked team at FOCUS Investment Banking is on a roll having propelled nine MSPs into “New Platforms” for private equity groups (PEGs) over the past 24 months.

FOCUS MSP Team’s threefold vision would appear to be the secret sauce to top the MSP 501:

• Integris is on pace to be at $100 million with 400+ employees (up from $10 million and 55 in 2019)
• ICS has nearly tripled the size of its company, growing organically and through M&A
• General Informatics has grown from 50 employees to 170 in 12 months with quarter-over-quarter growth of over 300%
• The Purple Guys has grown to 160 employees
• Cantey Tech is looking for nine more years on the Inc. 5000 list

Abe Garver is MSP Team Leader & Managing Director at FOCUS Investment Banking