MSP Peer Groups Vs Solo Coaching: Which Is Better for Your Growth?

TLDR: Individual coaching delivers fast, personalized breakthroughs when you’ve got a specific obstacle in your sights. MSP peer groups offer diverse perspectives, built-in accountability, and a significantly lower price tag for long-term growth. The best choice depends on where you are, what’s blocking you, and how you learn best. Spoiler: many successful MSP owners use both.

Let’s get real for a second.

You’re running an MSP. You’re juggling tickets, chasing revenue, managing a team that may or may not be driving you slightly insane, and somewhere in the back of your mind, you know you need help to get to the next level. But what kind of help?

Should you hire a coach who works with you one-on-one, dissecting your business like a surgeon? Or should you join a peer group, a room full of MSP owners who’ve been in the trenches, who get it, who can call you out when you’re being ridiculous?

It’s not a simple question. And if you’ve been going in circles trying to figure this out, welcome to the club. We’ve got jackets.

The Case for Solo Coaching: Fast, Focused, and All About You

Here’s where individual coaching shines, when you can clearly identify the obstacle that’s blocking your progress.

Maybe it’s pricing. Maybe it’s delegation. Maybe it’s the fact that you’ve been avoiding a difficult conversation with your business partner for, oh, about three years now. (Not that we know anyone who did that.)

A good coach will get in your face, professionally, and force you to deal with it. They’ll customize everything to your specific situation. Your pacing. Your goals. Your blind spots.

When solo coaching makes the most sense:

• You need rapid results on a specific, identifiable problem
• Your challenge is sensitive or personal, something you’re not ready to share with a group
• You want someone who’s 100% focused on your business, not a room full of others
• You thrive with direct, one-on-one accountability

The catch? Premium coaching isn’t cheap. And you’re limited to one person’s perspective, brilliant as they might be.

If your coach hasn’t run an MSP, they might not understand why your client called at 2 a.m. about a “broken internet” that turned out to be an unplugged monitor. Context matters.

The Case for MSP Peer Groups: The Power of “We’ve Been There”

Now let’s talk about peer groups, specifically, groups designed for MSP owners.

Here’s the thing: some problems don’t have a clear right answer. Pricing strategy? Hiring decisions? Knowing when to fire that client who pays well but makes everyone miserable? These are the messy, gray-area decisions that benefit from multiple perspectives.

And who better to weigh in than other MSP owners who’ve actually dealt with the same nonsense?

What makes peer groups powerful:

• Diverse perspectives. Your peers have tried things. They’ve failed at things. They’ll tell you what actually worked, and what nearly tanked their business.
• Peer accountability. There’s something about telling a room of people you’re going to do something that makes you, you know, actually do it. Social pressure is wildly effective.
• Lower cost. Most MSP peer groups run between $500 and $2,000 per month. Compare that to premium coaching rates, and you’re looking at 15-20% savings, without sacrificing effectiveness for most growth-related goals.
• Built-in community. Loneliness at the top is real. Peer groups give you a network of people who get it. No explaining what an RMM is. No blank stares when you mention stack consolidation.

Research consistently shows that group coaching maintains substantial effectiveness for skill development and goal attainment, especially when participants share similar challenges. And let’s be honest: who understands the unique pressures of MSP leadership better than other MSP leaders?

So… Which One Is Better?

Here’s the honest answer: it depends.

I know, I know. You wanted a definitive answer. But this is one of those “it’s complicated” situations, and pretending otherwise would be doing you a disservice.

Let me give you a quick framework to figure this out.

Ask Yourself These Questions:

If you’re dealing with a specific, high-stakes obstacle and need someone in your corner right now, coaching might be the move.

But if you’re looking for sustained growth, ongoing accountability, and a community of people who truly understand MSP life? A peer group is hard to beat.

The Hybrid Approach: Why Not Both?

Here’s a little secret: many of the most successful MSP owners we work with do both.

They join a peer group for the ongoing strategic discussions, the community, and the peer accountability. And when something specific comes up, a major transition, an exit plan, a personnel crisis, they bring in a coach for targeted, intensive support.

It’s not either/or. It’s knowing when to use each tool.

Think of it this way: a peer group is your ongoing gym membership. Consistent, structured, keeps you in shape. A coach is the personal trainer you hire when you’re training for something specific, a marathon, a transformation, a major goal.

3 Things to Do This Week

Alright, enough philosophizing. Here’s what I want you to actually do:

1. Schedule a consultation with an MSP peer group leader. It costs nothing, and you’ll get a feel for how the group operates, who’s in it, and whether it matches your learning style. You can book a call with us here if you want to explore what that looks like.

2. List your top 3 business obstacles. Be specific. Then ask yourself: does this require deep, personalized expertise? Or would diverse perspectives from people who’ve been there be more valuable?

3. Consider a hybrid approach. If budget allows, there’s no rule that says you can’t have both a peer group for ongoing growth and a coach for specific challenges. The best investment is the one that actually moves you forward.

The Bottom Line

Look, you didn’t build your MSP by going it alone. You’ve got a team. You’ve got vendors. You’ve got clients who depend on you.

So why would you try to grow your business alone?

Whether you choose solo coaching, a peer group, or some combination of both, the worst thing you can do is nothing. Staying stuck on the hamster wheel, running faster and faster without actually getting anywhere… that’s not a strategy. That’s a slow burn toward exhaustion.

You deserve support that’s built for the unique challenges of MSP ownership. The question is just which flavor works best for you.

And hey( what better day to figure that out than today?)

Ready to get started? Contact us to learn more about joining an Encore Peer Group.

Get our book, The Pumpkin Plan for Managed Service Providers here!