Brian HoppeBoard-Level Advisor to MSP CEOs, Brian Hoppe Coaching · Board-Level Advisor to MSP CEOs at Brian Hoppe Coaching

Why One MSP Owner Says: “Don’t Do a Merger”

14 Oct 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief monologue, an MSP owner reflects on a past 50/50 partnership where his co‑founder was largely silent, highlighting the challenges of equal‑share arrangements. He then recounts a peer from his HTG days who entered a merger, later had to reverse it and buy out the other partners, concluding that mergers are fraught with long, painful integration paths. The speaker advises MSP owners to avoid mergers altogether and instead pursue acquisitions, arguing that trying to merge ideas and cultures leads to persistent problems.

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I had a very successful partnership, 50/50 partnership. My business partner was silent and very silent in the business. But then I can point to also, you know, plenty where it was like, and if he's listening, he would know, a friend, good friend or peer from the old HTG days did a merger and he eventually ended up having to undo it, you know, buy out the other partners. And he was like, whatever happens, never do a merger. Just don't do a merger, do an acquisition. If you're always trying to figure out, okay, well, let's just take the best idea, then it's going to be a very long path to actually get integrated. And then you're going to— yeah, you're just going to have problems, right?