Chris Tate welcomes MSP community pillar Richard Tubb for a candid conversation about his journey, the shocking announcement of his step-back from the industry, and the critical shifts MSPs must make to thrive in the age of AI.
Richard shares his personal, life-long struggle with depression and the importance of open discussion around mental health within the male-dominated IT and MSP space.
He recalls a pivotal moment speaking at a CompTIA (now GTIA) event where he openly discussed his challenges, noting a significant shift in the industry's willingness to engage with the topic since then.
He highlights that the challenges faced by MSP owners are often the same, but the willingness to discuss them openly is finally improving.
Richard details his evolution from working in corporate IT (Ernst & Young, NHS, GE Capital) where he learned about standardization, systems, and processes, to becoming a "one-man band" MSP.
A major turning point was reading Michael E. Gerber's The E-Myth Revisited, which inspired him to build a business that didn't solely rely on him.
The creation of the Tubbblog started as a way to share his MSP journey, offering "secret sauce" information which was groundbreaking at the time. After a life event (the passing of his father), he sold his MSP and focused on the blog, which grew into a media and advisory business.
He also mentions his books, including The IT Business Owner's Survival Guide and his most recent, Business Networking for Geeks.
Richard discusses the huge community response to his decision to step away from the active center of the MSP industry.
This was not a snap decision but a pivot following life reflection, spurred partly by recognizing the immense pressure on business owners who manage teams and the acceleration of change due to AI.
His decision allows him to focus on "fun stuff," advisory work with a select few, and continuing to write books. He aims to get to 20 books, like his hero, Carl Palachuk.
Crucially, he has joined the board of 404 Stress Not Found, a non-profit mental health organization, to help support the community in this vital area.
Richard delivers his final, strong words of advice on the future of the MSP:
He stresses that the "fixing stuff" days are rapidly disappearing due to AI and self-repairing technology. The runway for MSPs who resist change has run out.
The future role of the MSP will be closer to a business consultant or an advisor, focusing on connecting different systems (middleware concept) and helping clients understand how technology can help their businesses grow.
This shift requires a different, more human-centric skill set: listening, taking a big picture view, and communicating clearly—skills that the most successful MSPs have been honing for years.
A thought-provoking point is raised about the unsung contribution of content creators:
AI models like ChatGPT absorb years of publicly available content (Richard's blogs, podcasts, books, etc.) to serve up answers without attributing the source.
Richard asks, "Where is the motivation for people to continue giving their knowledge away and not being rewarded for it, if it's just the AI companies that serve it up?"
Book: The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
Book: The IT Business Owner's Survival Guide by Richard Tubb
Book: Business Networking for Geeks by Richard Tubb
Non-Profit: 404 Stress Not Found (Supporting IT professionals' mental health)
Richard's Blog: richardtubb.co.uk (His personal blog)
Richard's Archive: tubblog.co.uk (The original Tubb Blog content archive, remaining online indefinitely)
Connect with Richard on LinkedIn here Music - https://www.purple-planet.com
