Wes Spencer argues that MSPs obsess over buying the latest technology while neglecting staff development, even though people drive success, not equipment. He notes that people are the biggest expense on the P&L yet get the least investment, especially during downturns.
You know, it's kind of crazy. I wanted to share this. My buddy here at Empath, Keith Craig, our director of learning and development, said something awesome. He said, you know, I can go to a music store and I can buy the exact same guitars, the exact same drums, the exact same kits and sound panels and steppers and mixers and pedals and all this stuff that I know very little about. I go buy all of that, the exact same equipment that Aerosmith has. Doesn't make me Aerosmith. I— it, it's not the same. And, and there's a reality here for MSPs that we can go and buy all the right equipment, all the best tools, the stack of our dreams, and it really is our people that make the difference. It's really the, the tools are the raw materials. What your people bring to bear is the differentiator at your MSP. That is what makes you unique. And that is the thing that we need to invest in. Not that our tools aren't important, they are. Not that you shouldn't want the best that you can get, you should. But it's our people that make the difference. But let me just ask a brutal question to the audience here: why do so many of y'all just leave that alone? You don't invest in your people like you say you would like to. You keep your tech stack up to date, When's the last time you've updated your people? You go look at the P&L and your people are by far more expensive than your tools. And yet, why do we not invest in them? It's the biggest differentiator and the first thing that we ignore and the first thing that when times get tough, we start to tune down. And I think that's a shame.
