For many managed service provider founders, selling their business isn't driven by a single factor but by a complex mix of age, timing, money, family, employee welfare, risk tolerance and what they envision for the next phase of their lives, according to a report published by CRN in 2026. The report profiles six MSP owners who sold their companies in the past five years, revealing that while some exited entirely, others rolled equity forward or stayed on to lead. Across different paths, common themes emerged: the decision is rarely about money alone, relinquishing control requires adjustment, and founders must confront difficult questions about their own goals.
Mark Essayian sold his Orange County, Calif.-based MSP KME Systems to Courser in 2024 after more than 30 years, saying he "didn't want to die at my desk," and began exit planning roughly 25 years into running the business. Tim Guim built New Jersey-based PCH Technologies for over 25 years before selling to San Francisco-based Evergreen in 2025, a holding company with more than 160 MSPs and over $1 billion in revenue, choosing them over the highest bidder because he felt competing offers viewed his company as a quick revenue add-on where he would "disappear." Bobby Umphlett sold North Carolina-based Cloud Server Techs to Michigan-based ITPartners+ in 2024 after about 15 years, saying he was debt-free and no longer needed to work 60 to 70 hours weekly, and narrowed down five to six potential buyers based on values, asking tough questions like whether they'd take on a client misaligned with their morals if the money was large enough. Christopher Luise sold Adnet Technologies, which he co-founded in 1991, to Denver-based New Charter Technologies in 2021 at age 54, prioritizing his team and the opportunity to roll equity forward rather than chasing the highest price. Simon Beckett sold UK-based Dynacom IT Support Limited to Shoothill, a UK MSP with £5 million to £10 million in revenue, in 2025 after recognizing the industry was moving toward compliance and paperwork that didn't appeal to him. Michael Goldstein ran Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Lan Infotech for 17 years before selling to Fort Myers-based Entech in 2025, saying he wanted to shed everyday billing and accounting issues while staying involved in sales, marketing and development.
The due diligence process emerged as the most challenging phase for nearly all six founders. Guim said the time commitment was the biggest surprise, requiring him to pull contracts, financial scenarios, vendor and customer agreements while keeping the sale secret, and he wished he'd prepared earlier for tax planning and GAAP-based accounting requirements under private equity. Beckett discovered during due diligence that his MSP made a surprising amount from licensing and virtually nothing from hardware, saying his perception of how the business worked wasn't actually accurate, and he found the legal documentation bewildering without dedicated representation to work alongside the buyer's legal team. Goldstein said buyers go through every nook and cranny, requiring founders to check their pride at the door, and recalled the last mile as attorneys fighting over words with blood pressure rising until he had to draw the line. Essayian cautioned that what matters most to buyers are the financials, balance sheet, profit and loss statement and customer base, not a founder's ego or the story behind the business, and he worked with advisors years ahead of the sale to increase monthly recurring revenue.
The hardest adjustment for founders who stayed on was surrendering control, even when the upside was significant. Guim said the blunt truth is that when you sell the business, it's not yours anymore, and while you may get to call some shots, it's ultimately owned by somebody else. Luise said he wasn't just looking at price but at what happens after the deal, needing the price to be fair but not necessarily the best, wanting something more balanced. Beckett said the biggest change is not being in control of how communication works anymore, with clients still coming to him but decisions no longer his to make, and things that used to take an hour now taking a week because there are more stakeholders. Umphlett said that for the first time, he took a vacation without his laptop, only checking email at night instead of always being on call. Goldstein, who always liked being in the driver's seat, said he's not great in the passenger seat, but recalled a recent flight when the plane's Wi-Fi went down and instead of sweating it like before, he just watched a movie.
The report suggests MSP founders should start preparing years before a sale, hire advisors who specialize in their industry, and be brutally honest about their goals rather than their ego. Essayian's advice to other owners was to write down what they want, including how much money and what kind of life, then build the business to support that life, not their ego. Luise told other MSP owners considering a sale to understand why they're doing it and be honest with themselves, asking whether they're actually ready to give up control. Beckett said his biggest regret was not taking enough professional advice, noting that while his accountant was brilliant, he should have had someone dedicated to working alongside the buyer's legal team, as the deal nearly fell apart at the last minute because of things they'd glossed over. The common thread: selling a business is as much a personal decision as a financial one, and the price tag is rarely the whole story.