Business of Tech: Daily 10-Minute IT Services Insights Exploring Evergreen's Long-Term Investment Strategy, People, & Global Expansion w/ Jeff Totten
Host Dave Sobel interviews Jeff Totten, the founder and CEO of Evergreen, a company that takes a unique long-term investment approach in the managed services provider (MSP) space. Jeff shares insights into Evergreen's philosophy, which is heavily inspired by Berkshire Hathaway's model of acquiring businesses with the intent to build and hold them for the long haul. This strategy emphasizes the importance of investing in people and maintaining the culture of the companies they acquire, ensuring that founders can feel proud of their legacy even after selling their businesses.
Jeff discusses the dual challenge of people management that Evergreen faces: nurturing their internal team while also investing in the leadership of the acquired companies. He highlights the role of their chief people officer in sourcing and retaining top talent, as well as the importance of preserving the local culture of the businesses they partner with. By injecting additional talent into these organizations, Evergreen aims to enhance the existing culture rather than disrupt it, fostering an environment where employees can thrive and grow.
The conversation also delves into Evergreen's decision-making framework, which prioritizes focusing on key areas such as acquisitions and talent placement. Jeff explains how they utilize first principles thinking and consider the long-term implications of their decisions, ensuring that they align with the company's values and mission. He emphasizes the importance of measuring success through customer and employee satisfaction, as well as organic growth, which is vital for the sustainability of their business model.
As the episode wraps up, Jeff reflects on Evergreen's recent international expansions and the lessons learned from entering new markets. He notes the differences in maturity levels among MSPs in various regions and the importance of building local trust. Looking ahead to 2025, Jeff identifies new customer acquisition and the integration of AI and robotic process automation (RPA) as key focus areas for Evergreen, underscoring the potential for these technologies to enhance service delivery and operational efficiency in the MSP sector.
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