A pivotal moment in a business accelerator program helped Julio Lopez, founder and CEO of IT for Education, find his true vertical niche—helping K–12 schools thrive—and the company hasn’t looked back. Since then, IT for Education has grown 1,141%, earned a 2024 MSP Titans of the Industry Award, and set its sights on national expansion. In this interview with MSP Success, Lopez shares the metrics that matter, the leadership lessons that changed everything, and why staying focused on your mission is the ultimate growth strategy.
MSP Success: What are the top three business indicators you use to measure your
company and why?
Julio Lopez: I use three growth indicators to measure my company’s success: Increase in the number of schools the MSP serves, EBITDA, and increase in monthly recurring revenue [MRR]. The key to the success of IT for Education is just staying committed to evolving one day at a time. We operate on Entrepreneurial Operating System [EOS], which means every year, we hold an annual meeting to set our goals as a leadership team. Sticking to that plan, putting in the effort, and suiting up and showing up every day—that’s what it’s all about. It’s not rocket science.
MSP Success: Your MSP focuses on the K-12 education market, after years of serving
different verticals. What led you to working with K-12 schools as your vertical niche?
Lopez: I noticed that my messaging became diluted when meeting with different clients. I couldn’t fully showcase my expertise in using technology to help businesses grow and evolve. One day, I was talking to a hotel, and the next, I was speaking with a school. The lack of focus on a particular vertical kept conversations at a surface level. Then, in 2017, I participated in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. I’ll never forget Brett Trembly, an attorney and fellow business owner in the program, once told me, “Julio, the riches are in the niches!” That advice really stuck with me. I realized that by focusing on one specific vertical, I could make a much greater impact.
I grew up in a chaotic home and saw education as my escape. Now I feel that in our own unique way, we are helping faculty, staff, and educators empower students to find their own paths to success.
MSP Success: What were your main business challenges this past year related to growth?
Lopez: Part of it is personnel. Sourcing qualified team members is one of the challenges for a growing company. The other is establishing standard operating procedures. Our goal is to take this business national. We want IT for Education to become the top IT service provider for K-12 education in the country, and then, God willing, expand to other countries. But it starts with that proof of concept in Florida and then having a scalable model. We’re currently working through the challenges of creating this model so that we can strategically expand it nationwide.
MSP Success: Has there been a vendor or tool that has been instrumental in getting you to where you are today?
Lopez: We didn’t do any consistent marketing before joining Robin Robins and TMT in June 2020. Others include one of my mentors, Paul Cissel, who founded three IT startups. The Kaseya and IT Nation communities have also been instrumental.
MSP Success: Who is the most impactful business leader whose techniques or leadership style you try to emulate and why?
Lopez: One person I’ve observed is Arnie Bellini, co-founder and former CEO of ConnectWise. I watched Arnie over the years; how he engaged with his team and was deeply committed to helping partners like us succeed. He listened to our feedback with the intention of serving his partners. Arnie understood if he evolved as a human being and business owner, that would have a ripple effect and would inspire others around him to do the same.
MSP Success: What is the top lesson you’ve had to learn that has been instrumental to your company’s growth?
Lopez: That I can’t do it alone. You have to invest in people and not try to go it alone. Get involved in peer groups. Over the years, peer groups have been essential in easing the learning curve for both me and my team. Learning from folks who have walked the path and are further along in their journey has been key. One of the most rewarding gifts is that we then get to serve others starting in their journey.
MSP Success: Looking back, what advice would you give yourself now?
Lopez: I would have told my younger self to prioritize putting our vision for our MSP on paper from the beginning and revisiting it annually. And that this vision will naturally evolve over time. Don’t get caught up on exactly how you will get there, and it might not turn out exactly as you initially imagined. But the act of documenting it, even as a small team, was a game changer for us, for sure.
