Tales From The
Ticket Queue
A personal platform from Liam McNaughton, sharing 25 years of MSP and business experience, distilled into ideas, training and real stories from the IT front line.
Articles & write-ups
View all articles →Bonus Schemes: The Gift That Keeps On Taking
I tried a bonus scheme once. Clear metrics, achievable targets, even extra holiday. It became the most divisive thing I ever inflicted on a team. Here's what went wrong.
The Retainer Email That Nearly Emptied My Client List
When I ran my first IT consultancy in Sheffield I had over a hundred clients on my books. Then I looked at the accounts, sent one email, and lost most of them. Here's why that was exactly the right move.
Why Every Server Deserves a Name (And Server1 Just Won't Do)
Servers used to be physical things you built and looked after, and giving them a proper name instead of SERVER01 made all the difference. Here's why naming your kit mattered, and some of the best names from twenty five years in the trade.
Why There's No Music In My Office, And What My Gym Taught Me About It
A noisy PT at my local gym got me thinking about why music in shared workspaces almost always ends up serving the person who chose it rather than everyone who has to listen to it. Here's why I've banned it from every business I've run.
What you'll find in the queue
Four recurring threads: practical, honest and built to help you work smarter.
100 Business Lessons
Practical lessons for building a real business, every one from real world experience.
Dental IT
Tales from a niche: two decades of running IT inside dental practices.
Tales From The Queue
Real MSP stories from the ticket queue, and the lessons they leave behind.
Tenacity IT
Notes from building a South Yorkshire managed services business.
25 years of MSP life,
unfiltered
I'm Liam, 25 years in IT and managed services. This is where I share the good, the bad and the really bad, so others can learn, laugh and build better.
Expect straight-talking, a bit of northern bluntness, and the odd swear or two. It's UK-centric, but wherever you're reading from, you're welcome here. No salesy pitches, no influencer stuff, no partner or vendor sales or influence, just real experience, written the way I'd explain it to a mate over a pint.
Fair warning: mild language ahead, and every view here is my own, not necessarily that of my companies or their employees, partners or associates.
"Still learning. Still sharing. Still in the queue."
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