Act like an in-house team: How Insource IT grew 56%

Hassan Sillem founded Insource IT in Perth, Western Australia, in 2015, the name carried an idea: clients should feel like they have an IT department inside their own business, not a supplier working at arm’s length. That philosophy still guides the MSP’s 13 team members today.

MSP Success sat down with Sillem, Insource IT’s managing director, to learn how referrals, deep client relationships and a habit of small, steady process improvements have helped him scale without losing the personal touch.

MSP Success: What was your revenue growth in 2025, and what has your average been over the past three years?

Hassan Sillem: Our year-on-year revenue growth in 2025 was 56%, and our average over the past three years is 43%.

Most of our growth came from expanding our work with existing clients as their businesses grew. When clients receive dependable service, they’re more likely to expand the relationship and recommend us to others.

MSP Success: What are your top three growth indicators, and why?

Sillem: The first is revenue growth. It confirms whether the business is growing at the pace we expect and whether that growth comes from existing clients, new clients or project work. It helps us decide where we need additional sales activity or account development, rather than looking only at the top-line figure.

The second is profit margin. Revenue growth is only valuable if the work remains commercially sustainable. Margin helps us identify where pricing, labour effort, supplier costs or service scope need closer attention, and whether we have the financial capacity to invest in additional people or systems.

The third is recurring revenue, which measures the stability and predictability of the business. It helps us track the balance between contracted managed services and one-off project work. It also informs decisions about capacity, recruitment and how much focus to place on converting suitable clients to longer-term managed service agreements.

Reviewing growth and profitability monthly has encouraged us to look at how we can scale more efficiently. We’ve been introducing more automation into our day-to-day workflows, which helps us deliver work more consistently and lets our team focus on technical work and client engagement.

MSP Success: What is the biggest change or habit that accelerated your growth?

Sillem: We became more deliberate about positioning Insource IT as an extension of the client’s business, rather than simply an external IT supplier. We returned to the original thinking behind our name: giving clients the experience of having an in-house IT capability that understands their operations, keeps them informed and contributes at a strategic level.

We’ve also applied the idea behind “Atomic Habits,” by James Clear, that consistent small improvements become meaningful results over time. Rather than attempting large changes all at once, we capture operational issues in our EOS issue tracker and work through the IDS process: Identify, Discuss and Solve. It’s a repeatable habit of addressing root causes, improving one process at a time and following through, which has strengthened our service consistency as we grow.

MSP Success: How do you win new clients?

Sillem: Our best client relationships usually begin with a trusted introduction, such as a referral from an existing client, vendor or peer network. We also use targeted networking to start a conversation before a formal sales process begins. Our website helps build awareness, but referrals often result in the best clients.

From the first contact, we focus on understanding the organisation’s priorities, frustrations, risk profile and plans for growth before we discuss products or pricing. A face-to-face discovery meeting is valuable because it establishes the relationship and shows us how the business operates.

MSP Success: What was your biggest growth challenge this past year?

Sillem: Making sure the business continued to scale in a structured way. A significant existing client expanded, which contributed strongly to our growth and gave us the opportunity to look closely at how our systems and processes would support a larger business.

We responded by introducing more structured systems to track operational issues, improve workflows and identify gaps, while continuing our relationship-building and networking. If we approached the same period of growth again, we’d introduce some of those improvements earlier. It reinforced the importance of continually improving the systems behind the business as it grows.

MSP Success: Which frameworks, programs or peer groups have helped you grow?

Sillem: Two influences have been particularly valuable. TruPeer has given us access to other MSP owners facing similar operational and growth challenges. The practical exchange of experience has encouraged us to compare approaches, challenge our assumptions and bring useful ideas back into the business.

EOS has helped us create more structure around priorities, accountability and issue resolution, particularly through the IDS process. Rather than allowing issues to remain unresolved, we have a consistent way to identify problems, agree on what needs to change and follow those actions through.

MSP Success: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned about growing your business?

Sillem: An MSP creates the most value when it understands the client’s business, not just its technology. The closer we are to the client’s operations, priorities and future plans, the better we can anticipate risks, recommend practical improvements and make IT decisions in the right business context. That principle was part of the original idea behind Insource IT: clients should feel that they have an IT capability within their own business, rather than another supplier.

MSP Success: What advice would you give an MSP owner looking to grow over the next 90 days?

Sillem: I’d start by getting closer to existing clients before chasing every new opportunity. Schedule purposeful conversations with key clients to understand where their businesses are heading, what risks or operational frustrations are emerging, and where technology could improve efficiency or resilience. Then ask satisfied clients for introductions to organisations that could benefit from your services.

At the same time, regularly review your sales pipeline, recurring revenue and delivery capacity so growth activity stays realistic and consistent. A common mistake is confusing having more clients with building a better business. The goal should be the right clients, with clear expectations, sustainable pricing and a service model your team can deliver.

For more great interviews with MSP leaders, read our previous MSP Spotlight featuring John Kistler, Turn client relationships and automation into lasting success .