Nashville Computer doesn’t negotiate when it comes to its security stack. Clients that balk at adopting the whole stack or want some a la carte options are not the right fit—and owner and President Charles Henson isn’t afraid to say so. That laser focus on security, plus an aggressively creative client acquisition strategy and a great culture, have been key to steady 20% YoY revenue growth for the Nashville, Tennessee-based MSP.
A Long-Standing Legacy
Nashville Computer (NCI) was originally founded by Kerry Couch in 1988; Henson joined the organization in 1991, at age 21. “I remember sitting down with Kerry during my interview, and he asked what my long-term goals were,” recalls Henson. “I said, ‘I want to sit in your chair.’ He laughed and told me I wouldn’t like it because it’s not a lot of fun sometimes… We joked about that over the years—sometimes he’d find me sitting in his chair, and we’d share a laugh.”
He continues, “Kerry was the type who’d go above and beyond for his employees and clients. I’ve seen him help people with their mortgage payments, bills, whatever they needed—and this family-first legacy is still important to us today.”
The business grew rapidly, and as Couch grew older, he had conversations with Henson about selling him the business. “The problem was that if we kept growing the way it was, I was never going to be able to afford it without equity,” Henson recounts. “Kerry listened, and over the next several years, I became a 20% owner. I was also made managing partner, which was a good learning curve for me.”
However, Henson says they were all blindsided when Couch was diagnosed with cancer and passed just 90 days later. Not only that, but their account manager, Justin Lipscomb, suffered a fatal heart attack just two months later. “It was a dark time for the organization,” says Henson. “Living with the heartache of losing two integral people to the company while also absorbing those responsibilities as I became the primary owner—it was a lot.”
With such big shoes to fill, Henson focused on maintaining Couch’s legacy as he learned how to run the MSP on his own. “For the next year after Kerry’s passing, we kept everything the same,” Henson explains. “I wanted to ensure we didn’t make any mistakes and maintained what had already been there. His traditions live on—through things like the company’s annual summer picnic and Christmas party—but the biggest way is through our people-orientated culture. We know that by taking care of our employees, they in turn will take care of our clients.”
This culture has resulted in a high employee retention rate, with many of their workers having a tenure of one or more decades.
Creating Unapologetic Security Standards
Looking forward, Henson started to make some changes. They used to offer three or four different security stack options. Now, rather than tailoring their offerings to each client, NCI sells one security stack to their customers. This allows them to streamline their process and ensure that every customer is held to their rigid security standard. Prospects who can’t afford NCI’s prices or are uninterested in investing in their own security are weeded out, leaving the MSP only with secure, high-quality clients.
“Security is not optional,” Henson says. “You have to secure your clients. If you don’t, there will be issues. We fully secure our clients, and they still [get tricked into doing] a wire transfer or an automated clearing house (ACH) transfer.”
To better protect about user ignorance and human error, NCI includes on demand phishing training and dark web monitoring as part of their security stack. Additionally, they’ve recently begun reselling Cork’s cyber-warranty services, which gives their clients coverage for up to $500,000. This choice ensures that NCI’s customers will still be protected, even in the event of a successful ransomware or phishing attack.
Switching to only one offering has made a major difference. “We realized that not every client is a good fit for us,” Henson explains. “And if they don’t want the full security stack, they can’t afford it, or they pretend like they can’t afford it, then they don’t value what we’re doing. Aligning our goals with our clients’ goals, which is protecting their investment and their business, has really allowed us to continue to grow.”
He adds, “Our goal is to be a trusted advisor for our clients while giving them the best experience and keeping them secure. Moving forward, a big part of this will be helping our clients meet compliance standards and using third-party tools to validate their security.”
Developing A Killer Referral Program
Another large part of NCI’s steady 20% YoY growth is due to their ongoing referral program. For every referral that becomes a client, the MSP gives the person who referred them a $250 gift card. Then, that person is entered to win a giveaway worth $2,000; NCI holds these giveaways per every five referral clients. So far, the MSP has given away a Disney vacation, a Peloton bike, and a Gatlinburg vacation. And now, they’re upping the stakes and giving away a Tesla once they hit 25 referrals.
This strategy might sound crazy to some, but it’s clearly working—NCI has onboarded 14 new clients in the last year alone. And thanks to their minimum cost system for their security stack, they’re getting great return on their investment.
Good Odds For Continued Growth
Since its founding, Nashville Computer has been expanding its client base from Nashville to Michigan, Georgia, and beyond. Plus, with the rate they’re adding new clients, the odds of their double-digit growth numbers continuing are high.
