I was talking to an MSP owner the other day who wanted to “get to the next level.”
I asked him what metrics he was tracking.
He said, “Profitability.”
Good start
Then, “Topline revenue.”
Meh.
And then,
“Number of employees.”
I paused.
Then I asked him if he had really given this some through. He said no, and well, that is why I am writing this blog. This is something you should think about.
The Island Test: What Would You Measure?
Let me make it simple.
If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only get three numbers a day from your MSP…
What would they be?
Seriously—stop reading and think. I’m giving you survival tactics. Because most of what MSPs track is useless in real time.
Trailing metrics? Profitability? Top line revenue? Nice for your slide deck.
But they don’t help you run the business.
You don’t need a rearview mirror.
You need a dashboard.
Here’s What I’d Want Every Day on That Island
1. Appointments Sat
Not “first-time appointments.” Not “prospect meetings.”
Appointments. Period.
Why? Because every time your sales team sits with a client—there’s a chance to find a need, solve a problem, or unlock a referral. That’s pipeline at the top, baby. Same for your prospect meetings. You have to look at both, but I only want one metric, so here we are.
In my MSP, I knew that if we had meetings happening, we had momentum. If that number dried up? Red alert.
2. % Tickets to Endpoints
You want to know how your clients are feeling? You don’t need CSAT surveys.
Watch your tickets.
This is your early warning system. High ratio? You’ve got a problem coming. You have a noisy day. And if that noise isn’t going down, it’s about to become heat. And heat turns into churn.
Every ticket is a cry for help—or worse, a brewing complaint.
Watch this number like it’s a stock ticker for your MSP’s customer satisfaction.
3. Revenue to W2 ($ to W2)
This one’s your oxygen mask. How much income do you generate for every dollar you spend on labor?
If that number is below 2.0, tighten your belt—or raise your prices. If it’s 2.1 to 2.5? You’re in the sweet spot.
Above 4? You’re burning your team out. Expect resignations, mistakes, or worse—flatline performance.
Too many MSPs add headcount without looking at this number.
Then they wonder where their margins went.
When the Numbers Scream—Listen
Let me give you a quick punch of truth:
If your % tickets to endpoints is going up, and your $ to W2 is going down?
Don’t hire.
You’ve got an efficiency problem—or a pricing error.
Either way, throwing bodies at the issue will make it worse.
Figure Out Your Metrics—Then Go Sit on That Island
If you can’t leave your business without a daily play-by-play and 42 Slack channels, you don’t have a company. You have a job with overhead.
Pick your three numbers. Build the dashboards. Then go test it.
See if your MSP can survive with you checking in once a day—armed with only the metrics that matter.
Because if it can’t? You don’t need a new tool. You need a new strategy.
Want help building a security-led business that scales with data, not noise?
Let’s talk. I’m here for it. Or better yet—grab your metrics, go to your (imaginary) island, and see if your MSP runs without you.
If not, you’ve got work to do.
