A Practical Way to Improve Wellbeing as an MSP

All MSPs know the rhythm: the endless stream of tickets, client escalations, on-call weekends, the pressure of expectation that never really subsides. There’s pride in being the person who solves problems fast—but that same drive often comes at a price. 

For Paul Croker, who has worked with a range of MSPs across the UK, EU, and the US, the breaking point came when “all three sides of the triangle fell apart”. His father passed away, he was going through a divorce, and work was a mess. He realized he had nowhere to turn for stability: “I’m quite a strong person, but all these different facets were disintegrating in front of me and there was nothing I could put my faith in.” 

The unspoken load: Why MSP mental health is under pressure

Let’s be honest: the MSP business model isn’t built for work-life balance. Most teams grind in fast-moving environments with constant context-switching, limited staffing buffers, and tight margins. Throw in the emotional labor of supporting clients in crisis and it’s easy to see why you and your people can struggle. 

But there are deeper traits within MSP culture that make the problem worse: 

• Hero mentality: Being the one who fixes everything—even at your own expense— is often rewarded
• Stigma around vulnerability: Admitting you’re struggling still feels risky
• Poor boundaries: When client systems go down at 2am, someone must fix it – and that someone may be running on fumes already 

It’s inevitable that some individuals will start to cave under the pressure. So what can they do? “If the general office culture is good, simply explain the situation, and ask for help. The problem comes when the management isn’t so supportive,” says Paul. “You can’t speak up, but the problem is still there. And what about the remote workers, who might be living on their own, working on their own—they can end up in some pretty dark places. We need to figure out how we can offer help to them too.” 

Left unaddressed, small pressures or interpersonal problems can balloon into mental health risks, team churn, and burnout. 

For founders and leaders—whose state of mind and management style can make or break the vibe—any problems are doubly urgent. “You need to be really honest and open with yourself,” says Paul. “Am I doing too much, getting close to burnout? How am I leading the team? Speak to those you trust, your inner circle—family, friends or a senior person in the company—to validate how you’re doing. 

“I know one MSP owner who’s actually decided he’s not great at running a business. He told me, ‘I’m great at being a really good consultant, but I’m going to bring in an MD to run the show.’ Kudos to him.” 

Practical steps for a healthier MSP culture

Paul’s experience of varied company cultures has given him plenty of ideas for how they might be tweaked to foster better mental health. First and foremost, he believes it’s about getting people talking. “Plenty of people in this industry are detail-oriented—perhaps they’re on the autistic spectrum—and aren’t really given to speaking about themselves and their problems,” he says. 

That’s why normalizing the conversation is essential. Staff might not open up the first time the boss asks how they’re coping, but once they realize there’s no hidden agenda, they’ll see they can be honest. 

404: Stress Not Found

For those who’d prefer to air problems outside the work environment, Paul is now launching a dedicated initiative to help MSPs. Called 404: Stress Not Found, it’s a mental health community for people who know what it’s like to be the calm voice on a client call, when inside they’re really at their breaking point. 

Perhaps most crucially, 404 runs face-to-face events. “We wanted to be away from the screens and the keyboard. It’s about finding out who the people in the room are, who we all are when we’re not working,” says Paul. “You might be a gamer or a cyclist—you might meet someone else there who shares your interests.” 

Although the Covid pandemic brought the topic of mental health into sharp focus for corporates, MSPs are mostly still playing catch-up. 

404 offers a different path: a place for honest conversations, peer-driven support, and practical tools that respect the realities of MSP life. It’s about breaking the silence and giving MSP professionals a place to catch their breath—and reconnect with why they do the work in the first place. 

Want to be part of the MSP wellbeing community?

404: Stress Not Found has already held successful trial events in the UK and received interest from tech professionals and businesses in the US and Europe. Paul is now keen to hear from anyone who would like to organize a meet-up in their area, and in businesses willing to support the initiative and build a happier, healthier MSP industry. 

A website is in development, but if you’d like to get involved now, reach out to Paul via LinkedIn. 

Paul Croker is a director of 18iT, a consultancy that works with MSPs and businesses to deliver successful IT projects. He’s a leading figure in the MSP world and a frequent speaker at events.