In this article 9 sections
Lessons from two decades building Netstar
In episode 2 of scaleUP, from HaloPSA and Scalable, Darren Strong and Morgan Aspinall talk to Mit Patel. He shares what he learned building Netstar over about 20 years to about £8M in revenue before his 2021 exit. The headline lesson: intentional planning is what drove consistent growth, around 25% year on year, and the absence of it is what keeps most MSPs stuck.
The common mistakes to avoid
Two mistakes come up repeatedly. The first is not planning at all: no targets, no budget, no clear picture of where the business needs to be in 1, 3 and 5 years. The second Mit calls shiny-toy syndrome, chasing the new idea from an event or peer group instead of making what you already do better. His one-line rule is exactly that: make it better. Small, repeated improvements to existing systems beat a pile of half-started initiatives.
Mit’s other recurring theme is investing in yourself: real time spent learning, from books, podcasts and people who have actually done the thing rather than only peers in the same position. He says most of what he knows came from getting it wrong first, which is why he weighs advice by whether the person giving it has actually done it.
Connect every decision to the long-term goal
Growth comes from connecting every decision to the goal, so effort goes where it moves the number. Decide the destination, then make every spending and hiring choice line up with one of the short, medium or long-term plans. If a decision does not move the business towards the number, question why you are making it. Discipline on client fit matters here too: the right clients let you build operations behind them and protect margin, where chasing every lead does the opposite.
Work the number backwards
The highest performers are intentional about a number. Mit’s method: decide the valuation you want, work out what revenue and profit the business needs to reach it, then break that into yearly targets. Mit estimates most MSPs grow 5 to 10% a year without a plan, and roughly a quarter of owners do not even know whether they want a lifestyle business or an exit. Being honest about that is the first decision, because every spending choice should line up with it.
Grow existing clients before chasing new ones
New-business acquisition is the most expensive growth. The easier wins are in the existing base:
- Quarterly or strategic business reviews, which build relationships and generate sales at the same time.
- Whitespace analysis, so you can see which services a client does not yet have.
- Standardised packages, which make reporting easier and reduce whitespace.
- A structured R&D habit, adding 1 new service a quarter that fits your client base rather than copying another MSP.
Build the sales team in the right order
Mit’s sequence, learned the hard way: first sales support to take the admin off the owner, then an account manager for existing clients, then hand off new business last, then a sales leader once the function is big enough. Keep account management and new business as separate roles. Marketing spend was around 6% of revenue with a long-term commitment to SEO, on the logic that a client’s lifetime value justifies a real acquisition cost.
Accountability, cadence and the owner’s blind spot
Growth needs rhythm. Netstar ran a weekly and monthly leadership scorecard, green or red, discuss the reds, move on from the greens. Measure the leading indicators that turn into revenue: activities, calls and strategic reviews booked, alongside the revenue figures themselves. The hardest accountability gap is the owner doing sales with nobody holding them to it. Mit’s filter is the highest and best use of your time, the work only you can do.
About Assurix
Mit founded Assurix in 2025, after this episode. Assurix is the live trustmark for MSPs. Assurix independently assesses 59 controls, and both pillars must pass. An Assurix assessor signs off, so the proof does not come from the MSP’s own marketing. Live-measured controls are checked every six hours and the rest on a set cycle, with a 30-day window to fix a failed control and public suspension if it is not fixed. The security pillar’s 40 controls are aligned to the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework 4.0, with 19 operational controls alongside it. A prospect can open the MSP’s Trust Portal to see what is checked, and its current status shows on the Trustmark Directory.
Common questions
What drove Netstar’s consistent growth?
Intentional planning. Clear targets, a budget to run to, and every decision connected to where the business needed to be. Mit credits this for around 25% year-on-year growth.
How should an MSP set its growth number?
Decide the valuation you want, work out the revenue and profit needed to reach it, then break that into yearly targets. Mit’s view is that most owners never do this, which is why they drift at 5 to 10% a year.
Where is the easiest revenue growth?
In existing clients. Quarterly business reviews, whitespace analysis, standardised packages and 1 new fitting service a quarter cost far less than new-business acquisition.
How do you keep a sales team accountable?
Run a weekly and monthly scorecard, green or red. Measure leading indicators that turn into revenue, activities, calls and strategic reviews booked, alongside the revenue figures.
What is shiny-toy syndrome?
Chasing the new idea from an event or peer group instead of making what you already do better. Small repeated improvements to existing systems beat a pile of half-started initiatives.
What is the one-line rule for MSP growth?
Make it better. Whatever tools, systems and processes you already run, improve them before investing in new things.
How does client fit affect growth?
The right clients let you build operations behind them and protect margin. Chasing every lead does the opposite, so disciplined client selection supports growth.
What is the Assurix Trustmark?
The live trustmark for MSPs. Assurix independently assesses 59 controls: 40 security controls aligned to NCSC CAF 4.0 and 19 operational controls built for MSPs. Live-measured controls are checked every six hours and the rest on a set cycle. An Assurix assessor signs off. A failure left unfixed for 30 days suspends the Trustmark publicly.
