Can “Nice” Leaders Scale a Business? Systems, Culture & Growth with Neil Shaw | What One Thing Pod
Can you really scale from 4 to nearly 40 people and keep a calm, positive, nice culture? In this episode of What One Thing, hosts Hayley Baxter (Corbarr Accounting) and Phil Davenport (Affirm IT Services) talk with former MSP owner Neil Shaw about growing an IT business fast – without losing your values or your mind. Neil shares how he: Grew an MSP from 4 staff and 25 clients to nearly 40 staff and 150+ managed clientsUsed systems, processes and documentation to stop everything falling apartD...
Can you really scale from 4 to nearly 40 people and keep a calm, positive, nice culture?
In this episode of What One Thing, hosts Hayley Baxter (Corbarr Accounting) and Phil Davenport (Affirm IT Services) talk with former MSP owner Neil Shaw about growing an IT business fast – without losing your values or your mind.
Neil shares how he:
- Grew an MSP from 4 staff and 25 clients to nearly 40 staff and 150+ managed clients
- Used systems, processes and documentation to stop everything falling apart
- Developed leaders from within the team using management and leadership training
- Built a culture that kept staff churn incredibly low over 7 years
- Balanced being “nice” with still being clear, fair and commercially focused
If you’re an IT business owner, accountant, or run any growing SME, this episode will help you think differently about what leadership looks like – especially if you don’t fit the traditional “hard-nosed” mould.
In this episode you’ll learn:
- The first steps to systemising your business as you scale
- How to avoid departments becoming disjointed as you grow
- Why regular, focused meetings beat complicated management fads
- The power of being transparent with your team and your clients
- The one piece of advice Neil would give any business owner on a growth journey
🎧 Listen now and find your “one thing” to move your business forward.
About Neil
Been in the IT industry for 30 years. Various roles including PC builder, onsite engineer, consultant, and director, throw in a failed MBO and then having a silly idea to start an MSP - Co-founded True MSP in 2017 and exited in Jan 2025.
What One Thing Podcast – with Phil & Hayley
Each week, business owners share the one thing that made the biggest difference in their business journey — and hosts Phil (Affirm IT Services) and Hayley (Corbar Accounting) dive into the lessons, laughs, and lightbulb moments along the way.
If you’re a UK business owner looking for real stories and practical insights on growth, leadership, IT, and finance — this is the podcast for you!
Connect with the hosts
Phil Davenport | Affirm IT Services
LinkedIn
https://affirmit.co.uk/
Hayley Baxter | Corbar Accounting
LinkedIn
https://corbar.uk/
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