One of the most repeated—and most ignored—warnings in the MSP world?
“Don’t go into business with friends, no matter how good of a friend they are, they are not the exception to the rule.”
It’s not because your friend is a bad person. It’s because business is brutal, and friendship doesn’t come with clauses for equity, strategy disagreements, or 2 a.m. incident escalations.
For many MSPs, the dream of building something together with a close friend becomes a source of burnout, betrayal, and breakup, personally and professionally.
I saw a great comment by a reddit user where they offered a gem of wisdom:
“Partnerships only work in odd numbers, and 3 is too many!”
In plain English? Two-person partnerships are fragile. Three-person ones are chaotic. And in small MSPs, that means decisions grind to a halt, accountability gets blurred, and ego clashes can sink your business.
Here’s why even close friendships often crumble under the weight of business ownership:
When one person outworks the other (even unintentionally) frustration builds. And it’s far worse when you expected loyalty or understanding because of your history.
Disagreements about money, reinvestment, salary splits, or client acquisition quickly turn personal. Friends don’t always agree on what’s “fair,” and there’s no HR to mediate.
Friends avoid hard conversations. Co-founders can’t. When it’s time to fire a client, pivot your services, or take on a risky loan, you need clear, rational leadership, not emotional debates.
When a partnership sours, someone usually wants out. But who owns what? Who gets the clients? Who keeps the branding, the tools, or the reputation?
Friendships don’t prepare you for buyouts, legal negotiations, or PR fallout.
If you're considering co-founding an MSP, ask yourself:
Do we share the same vision?
Have we discussed exit strategies?
Are our work ethics and risk tolerances aligned?
Can we argue productively?
Are we documenting responsibilities and equity in writing?
If the answer to any of those is “I don’t know”—hit pause.
You can hire your friend.
You can collaborate on projects.
But going 50/50 without structure? That’s a gamble few survive.
One partner constantly says, “I’ll get to it later.”
Major decisions keep getting delayed.
One person does all the sales—or all the delivery.
Profits are unevenly distributed.
You’re afraid to bring up an issue.
Each of these is a symptom of a friendship-first, business-second model—and it rarely works.