3 min read

#56 – From the Trenches: Copier Roots, 10X Growth & MSP Ambition (Dan Strull – GoodSuite)

Picture of Josh Peterson Josh Peterson : Updated on December 29, 2025

From the Trenches

In this episode of From the Trenches on the BMK Vision Podcast, Josh Peterson sits down with Dan Strull of GoodSuite for a grounded conversation about one of the most under-discussed MSP growth paths: the transition from copier and imaging roots into a real, technology-led managed services business.

This is not a “copier-to-MSP success story” the way people usually tell it. Dan is candid about what actually happens in the middle: cash-flow lessons nobody teaches, operational friction when two business models live under one roof, and the leadership discipline required to build a modern MSP without letting the legacy division dictate every decision.

If you’re an MSP owner—or a hybrid dealer/MSP leader—wrestling with profitability, sales structure, and the shift from “we can do IT too” to “we are a technology company,” this episode will feel uncomfortably familiar in the best possible way.

Why “accidental MSP” origins create leadership problems later

Many MSPs don’t begin with a grand strategy. They begin with proximity. In Dan’s case, it started the way it did for many copier dealers: as devices moved from analog to digital, dealers found themselves on client networks—installing drivers, troubleshooting issues, and doing real IT work long before they had a formal MSP identity.

The first phase feels easy. The second phase is where leaders get exposed—because the business must decide whether technology is a side service or the future operating model of the company.

“We can help with that” is not a business model
Execution standards define identity—not tools
Leadership decisions determine whether MSP growth is real

The MSP problem this episode actually solves

Hybrid organizations inherit structural tension. One division is mature, relationship-driven, and operationally stable. The other is strategically essential, margin-sensitive, and still building muscle.

This episode addresses three issues that quietly stall MSP growth:

Scaling managed services without financial clarity
Forcing one sales structure to sell fundamentally different offers
Running “one company” while the economics behave like two

Dan’s perspective matters because he has lived through the mistakes—and paid for them.

One P&L, two realities

Dan describes operating with a single P&L across imaging and MSP operations. That decision simplifies reporting—but it introduces friction if leadership doesn’t accept the tradeoffs.

The deeper lesson is this: financial clarity is not an accounting preference. It is an execution requirement. When reporting is unclear, decisions become emotional—and emotional decisions quietly destroy margin.

Visibility drives discipline
Complexity hides margin erosion
Clarity enables scale

Net profit is noisy. Gross profit tells the truth.

Net profit can be distorted by overhead allocation, legacy costs, and timing. Gross profit is harder to manipulate.

If gross profit is healthy, the business has options. If it isn’t, scale only amplifies pain.

Gross profit reveals delivery health
Net profit often lags reality
Strong GP creates strategic flexibility

Why copier sales success doesn’t transfer cleanly to MSP sales

Imaging sales and MSP sales are different crafts. One is product-driven and relationship-heavy. The other is outcomes-driven and trust-dependent.

Forcing the same team to sell both usually results in frustration, stalled MSP growth, or both.

Some reps can transition—with intent and support
Most firms eventually need MSP-specific sales leadership
Structure matters as much as compensation

Adjacent services as a growth lever

AV and physical security come up as natural adjacencies: same buyer, same budget conversation, minimal conceptual leap.

The challenge isn’t opportunity—it’s operational packaging and execution focus.

Adjacency only works when repeatable
“We should do that” must become a process
Execution beats ideas every time

10X ambition without 10X chaos

Dan’s goal is to grow from roughly $13M to $25M without doubling infrastructure. That requires leverage, not heroics.

Scaling well means the organization becomes capable of carrying ambition—without burning out people or degrading service.

Systems create leverage
Infrastructure doesn’t need to scale linearly
Growth must be operationalized

Episode highlights

Xerox roots and early network exposure
Cash-flow lessons founders learn the hard way
The identity shift to IT-led MSP
Gross profit as the true health signal
Sales structure realities
Scaling from $13M to $25M

About the guest

Dan Strull is the founder and CEO of GoodSuite. With decades of experience in imaging and technology-led businesses, he brings a disciplined, execution-first perspective to MSP growth and financial decision-making.

Connect with Dan on LinkedIn →