Adam Kerrigan MSP Business Strategy Review | Fox & Crow Group
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Adam Kerrigan Fox & Crow Group Review: Business Strategy and Biz Dev for the IT and MSP Community
Thank you to Adam Kerrigan for this review of his experience working with Ian and Carrie Richardson, Co-Founders of Fox & Crow Group.
First Published: October 1, 2025
Last Updated: May 1, 2026
In the IT channel, finding advisors who combine genuine business acumen with a deep understanding of how MSPs and technology companies actually operate is harder than it should be. Most business strategy consultants know business. Most IT channel consultants know the channel. Few know both well enough to advise on the intersection.
This Adam Kerrigan Fox & Crow Group review captures that combination directly — and specifically calls it out as valuable for the MSP and IT communities.
"Ian and Carrie have left an amazing impression on me. Their business acumen is solid, advice is friendly yet direct, and experience is deep. I've worked with them on business strategy and biz dev (cold calling still works people). I'd recommend them to anyone, ESPECIALLY my peeps in the IT and MSP communities."
Solid Business Acumen in an IT Channel Context
Kerrigan leads with business acumen — and it is the right place to start. Strategy advice that is not grounded in strong business fundamentals tends to be directional but not actionable. Good ideas without financial logic, market understanding, or operational awareness produce plans that look sound on paper but fall apart in execution.
What makes Fox & Crow Group's advisory work effective for MSP and IT channel clients is that it combines business fundamentals with sector-specific knowledge. Ian Richardson's experience building and operating an MSP — and then advising dozens more — means the strategy advice is grounded in how managed service businesses actually work: their margin structures, their delivery models, their client relationships, and their growth constraints.
That grounding makes the difference between advice that is technically correct and advice that is actually useful.
Friendly Yet Direct: The Right Balance in Advisory Relationships
Kerrigan's description of the advice as "friendly yet direct" identifies a balance that is harder to strike than it sounds.
Too much friendliness in a consulting relationship produces feedback that is encouraging but unhelpful — the consultant tells you what you want to hear to maintain the relationship. Too much directness without warmth produces defensiveness and resistance, making it harder for the advice to land.
The combination — honest assessment delivered with genuine respect for the person receiving it — is what makes advisory relationships actually change behavior. MSP owners who have received genuinely useful outside perspective almost universally describe it the same way Kerrigan does: it was direct, and it was delivered in a way that made them want to act on it rather than defend against it.
Business Strategy and Biz Dev: The Full Picture
Kerrigan notes working on both business strategy and biz dev — and specifically calls out cold calling as still effective.
That combination reflects the full scope of what Fox & Crow Group addresses with IT channel clients:
Business strategy — where the business is going, what markets to focus on, how to position against competitors, and what investments to make in people, process, and technology to support growth.
Business development — how to build pipeline, how to prospect systematically, how to develop referral relationships, and how to convert opportunities into revenue.
The cold calling aside is a pointed observation. In an industry that has largely moved toward content marketing, SEO, and LinkedIn outreach, direct telephone prospecting remains one of the highest-converting outbound activities available to MSPs — particularly for reaching decision makers who are not actively looking for a provider. Carrie Richardson's prospecting training has helped hundreds of IT channel professionals rediscover the telephone as a competitive advantage.
Deep Experience Worth Recommending to the IT and MSP Community
Kerrigan ends with a pointed recommendation: not just for anyone, but specifically for "my peeps in the IT and MSP communities."
That specificity matters. It reflects confidence that the Fox & Crow Group advisory approach is not just generically useful, but genuinely well-suited to the particular challenges that IT and MSP professionals face.
Those challenges include building sales capability in technical organizations, positioning managed services in a crowded market, growing revenue without compromising delivery quality, and building a business that works for its owner rather than consuming them.
Explore MSP business strategy and biz dev consulting with Fox & Crow Group.
See more Fox & Crow Group client testimonials and success stories.
Book a call to discuss business strategy for your MSP or IT channel company.
FAQ: MSP Business Strategy and Business Development with Fox & Crow Group
What is the difference between business strategy and business development for MSPs?
Business strategy determines where the MSP is going — what markets to serve, how to position, and what to invest in. Business development is how the MSP builds the pipeline and relationships that execute that strategy.
Does cold calling still work for MSP business development?
Yes. Direct telephone outreach remains one of the most effective prospecting methods for MSPs, particularly for reaching decision makers not actively searching for a provider. Fox & Crow Group's prospecting training helps IT channel professionals use it effectively.
Why does Fox & Crow Group focus specifically on MSPs and the IT channel?
Ian Richardson and Carrie Richardson both have deep roots in the IT channel — Ian as an MSP operator, Carrie as a channel sales and marketing specialist. That background produces advice grounded in real MSP experience rather than generic business consulting.
How do I start working with Fox & Crow Group on business strategy and development?
Book a strategy call with Fox & Crow Group to discuss where your MSP or IT channel business is today and what advisory engagement would be most useful.
The cold calling conviction Kerrigan describes is backed up in detail by Jeremy Heslop's MSP prospecting training review — which covers exactly what changes when telephone outreach is built on a real framework rather than willpower. For the business development side specifically, Karl Padpad's prospecting experience covers the same skills in a rep context rather than an owner one.
The combination of business acumen and IT channel depth that Kerrigan identifies is what makes Fox & Crow's full MSP sales approach work across every function — and how that combined expertise performs when applied to every stage of an MSP's sales process over two years is documented in full.