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Private equity is often treated like the enemy of MSP owners. Reed Wilson once saw it that way too.
Reed, CEO of Courser, joins Brian Hoppe to explain how the right private equity partnership helped turn a $10 million MSP into a $175 million organization with approximately 650 employees and 25 acquisitions.
They discuss why Courser keeps its local MSP brands, what changes after an acquisition, and why the skills needed to build an MSP are not always the same skills needed to scale one.
Reed also breaks down Courser’s approach to organic growth, board management, leadership hiring, and using machine learning to identify at-risk clients before they churn.
In this episode:
- What MSP owners misunderstand about private equity
- How recurring revenue helped Reed’s MSP reach $10 million
- Why Courser preserves the local brands it acquires
- How Courser transforms a new MSP after an acquisition
- What it takes to manage an MSP with 650 employees
- How machine learning reduced churn among at-risk clients
- Why builders are not always the right people to scale a company
For MSP owners considering private equity, acquisitions, or their own role in the next stage of the business, this conversation offers a candid look at what changes when an MSP grows beyond the founder.
Key Moments
0:00 - Introduction
1:07 - Meet Reed Wilson
1:25 - What MSP owners get wrong about private equity
5:20 - Building an MSP from the ground up
8:54 - Moving from project work to recurring revenue
12:29 - Why Reed finally considered private equity
15:33 - Scaling Courser to $175 million
19:40 - Transforming an MSP after an acquisition
27:15 - Learning to work with a board
30:10 - The difference between builders and scalers
37:03 - Building an organic growth engine
40:07 - Using machine learning to reduce client churn
46:24 - Reed’s biggest leadership mistakes
50:05 - Leadership lessons and rapid-fire questions
54:59 - Where to connect with Reed Wilson
Connect
Brian Hoppe:
https://brianhoppe.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhoppe/
Reed Wilson:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sreedwilson
https://www.gocourser.com/
