Tracy Hardin Built an MSP from the Front Seat of Her Truck

When Tracy Hardin got fired just before Thanksgiving in 2000, she didn’t spiral. She sent Christmas cards.

It’s a sentence that tells you everything you need to know about her. When most people would have crumbled, Tracy went all in on relationships. And those relationships turned into referrals. Those referrals turned into clients. And those clients became the foundation of Next Century Technologies, the MSP she’s led since 2001.

But it didn’t start in a boardroom or a coworking space. It started in the front seat of her pickup truck.

Tracy wasn’t aiming to build a business. She just wanted to fix computers and pay the bills. But within a year of being fired from a toxic IT job, she found herself running solo support calls, juggling billing, and slowly realizing she could do more.

At one point, a client handed her a stack of old phone system manuals and asked her to figure it out. So she did. It wasn’t glamorous, but it added another service to her roster. That kind of scrappiness and willingness to learn on the fly became a trademark of how she ran her business.

Like many early 2000s tech shops, Tracy ran a break-fix model until it broke her. Malware was getting worse. Client needs were getting bigger. Her tools weren’t cutting it anymore. So in 2012, she made the leap into managed services.

“I couldn’t do a good job the way I was doing it,” she said. “I needed tools that ran 30 days a month, not me stopping by once.”

That mindset shift changed everything. She brought on her first admin, then a part-time tech who thrived under flexibility and brought world-class customer service to the table. Over time, she built a team that could deliver whether she was in the office or on vacation, without having to reinvent herself or compromise her values.

Tracy isn’t shy about the hardest part of growing an MSP: people. Hiring is tough. Letting go is even tougher. But culture is where she shines.

Her company treats people like humans. They work around family schedules. They prioritize respect. And they coach each other up instead of burning each other out.

“I’ve been treated badly,” Tracy said. “So I treat people the way I wanted to be treated.”

She now partners with her VP Ronnie Goodpastor, who helps keep things running smoothly when she’s away. But that didn’t happen overnight. It took years of documenting processes, developing trust, and putting values into practice even when it was uncomfortable.

Ask her about disasters and you’ll get stories. Like the time her cabling subcontractor showed up to a high-profile construction site in shorts, got kicked out, and nearly blew a $25,000 job. Tracy could have panicked. Instead, she rolled up with her team, took the lift certification class herself, and finished the job.

Over the next five years, that client brought in over half a million in business.

Not because things went perfectly. But because Tracy always showed up, did the work, and led with integrity.

Lessons from the Journey

• Believe in what you’re selling

You can’t sell managed services if you’re not sold on it yourself. The moment Tracy believed in the MSP model, she had no problem bringing her clients along for the ride.

• Build a business that can run without you

Vacation isn’t just self-care. It’s a test. Tracy knew her business was thriving when she could step away and nothing fell apart.

• Don’t settle for toxic clients or toxic hires

The wrong partner can sink a deal. The wrong employee can sink a culture. Cut ties fast and protect your team.

• Lead with values, not ego

Hiring people smarter than you isn’t a threat. It’s the whole point. Tracy built a team that excels because she doesn’t need to be the smartest person in the room.

• Integrity scales

You don’t have to lie, cheat, or underpay to grow. Tracy built a profitable MSP with a loyal team and a strong client base simply by doing right by people.

Tracy’s journey shows what it looks like to build a business with grit, adaptability, and a strong sense of values. Her path from solo tech to MSP leader proves that you do not need to cut corners to grow. You just need the right mindset, the right people, and a clear vision for what kind of company you want to build.

If Tracy’s story resonated with you, subscribe to the MSP Growth Podcast for more real stories and actionable insights from MSP leaders. To accelerate your own growth, explore the Gozynta Growth Program, built to help MSPs strengthen their strategy, streamline operations, and scale sustainably.

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