There comes a time in the lifecycle of an MSP, that a life event happens and the owner is ready to sell. Before that day happens to you, you need to make sure that you’re business is ready. You should start doing that 3-5 years before your sale–ideally. You can also do it at the last minute but you’ll be rushed. Regardless, you’re going to have to answer a lot of questions. Don’t be that guy that doesn’t know what his business is worth or that gal that hasn’t organized the books in a way that anyone else can understand how you make money and really don’t be that tech that has never thought about the business beyond the paying the bills and taking home some money. Making a plan, doing it right will result in a bigger offer from buyers to fund your what’s next.

In my 10 years of consulting MSP business owners on how to sell their business, this are the questions that you need to know the answer to before you sit down to review and offer on your business.

Read the table of contents and the introduction below

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Sections and Chapters

Section 1: Mindset, Timing, and Strategy

1. The emotions of selling your business
2. When is the best time to sell your MSP?
3. How is the market for MSPs?
4. Should you run your business like you’re going to sell it?

Section 2: Value and Preparation

5. Finding your number
6. What is my business worth?
7. What can I do now to increase the value of my business?
8. What red flags might decrease the value of my MSP?
9. What documentation do you need to prepare for a sale or buyer due diligence?

Section 3: Buyers, Deals, and Process

10. How do I find the right buyer?
11. Why is an elevator pitch critical for selling your business?
12. What questions should I ask a prospective buyer to protect myself and my team?
13. What deal structure or payment terms are typical?
14. How do you evaluate offers or letters of intent?
15. What is the process and timeline for selling an MSP?

Section 4: Risk, Protection, and Life After

16. What will happen to my personal guarantees, leases, and liabilities?
17. What are common mistakes MSP owners make when selling?
18. Should you use a broker or DIY the sale? What are the tradeoffs?
19. What are the tax implications and strategic options for minimizing taxes on an MSP sale?
20. How can and should an owner stay involved during or after an MSP sale?

Introduction

You’ve worked hard to build your MSP from nothing, and now you are wondering if you should sell it. Maybe you want more time with family, space to pursue other ideas, or a path into retirement. Selling a business is a natural part of the lifecycle, but most of us started as technicians, not as business‑lifecycle experts.

Buyers and their brokers usually know they have the upper hand. They have deal experience, advisors, and a playbook. You have one shot at getting this right. Getting ready to sell is full of risk, unfamiliar terms, and documents you have never seen before—all while you are carrying the hope that this deal will fund your “what’s next.” It is no wonder the process feels stressful.

If you are within about five years of selling your MSP—or responding to an unexpected offer—you are in the right place. This book is designed to surface the questions you should be asking about preparing for and selling your business, and to help you start answering them in a calm, structured way. Most owners at this stage do not know who they can trust. Think of this book as an early, trusted partner: something you can lean on to understand the landscape before you sit across the table from a buyer.

Across the chapters, you will get clearer on whether and when to sell, how your business is valued, what deal structures mean, and how to avoid common mistakes. You will not learn every possible nuance of M&A, but you will understand the core decisions that shape your net, after‑tax outcome and the life you want afterward.​

These twenty questions are not an exhaustive list. They are the questions MSP owners most often ask—and the ones that do the most damage when ignored. This is not legal or accounting advice. It is practical guidance from years of hearing the same concerns, watching owners wrestle with them, and helping many through successful exits.

How to use this book

As explained in the Author’s Note, this book was inspired by the simplicity of the childhood game “20 Questions”—but the work you will do with it is anything but casual. The book is organized into four sections that together answer twenty core questions about selling an MSP.

Each chapter follows the same pattern:

• First, a direct, practical discussion of the question and what you need to know.
• Then, the story of Skyler, a fictional MSP owner whose journey is drawn from the real experiences of many sellers. Skyler’s story is meant to make the concepts more relatable and to give you a sense of what another owner’s path can look like. Selling is often a very private process; you rarely get to see anyone else go through it. Skyler fills that gap.
• Next, a short Key Takeaways section so you can quickly recall what matters without rereading the entire chapter.
• Finally, a set of reflection questions that invite you to apply the chapter to your own business, numbers, and goals.

This book is meant to be worked with, not just read once and shelved. Start at the beginning, move through each chapter, pay attention to how Skyler handles the same decisions you face, and then do the work of answering the questions in a way that fits your MSP and your vision for what comes next.

Who is the author?

My name is Amy Babinchak, and I sold my MSP after 23 years of ownership. By the time I did, I had already spent years helping other MSPs through their own exits, answering questions in communities and mastermind groups, and watching what went well—and what went wrong. My career has been centered on helping: solving hard technical problems, supporting IT professionals, and guiding owners through high‑stakes decisions. Again and again, the most important progress has started with a good question. If you bring your honest numbers, fears, and hopes to the questions in these chapters, this book will meet you halfway and help you move toward a sale that funds the life you want next.