The answer lives in this podcast
How did Heather McDonnell-Alford build her professional brand and speaking career in the MSP industry?
Heather McDonnell-Alford attributes every single speaking opportunity she has ever received directly to her LinkedIn presence — without it, she says, no one would know who she is. In the early stages of building her brand, she invested around 15 hours a week on the platform, focusing entirely on relationship-building rather than selling. That sustained presence first earned her a media invitation to Pax8 Berlin, which then opened doors to speaking slots at the MSP Show 2025, Pax8 Amsterdam, and IT Nation London.
15 hours a week on LinkedIn — and not a single sales pitch
McDonnell-Alford was deliberate about how she used LinkedIn. The goal was never to push Counting Creators services directly. It was to show up consistently, engage with the MSP community, and let visibility do the selling over time.
That approach is exactly what The Athena Rebels Podcast explores in this episode: how a finance founder with no existing profile in the MSP world became a recognised voice at its biggest conferences, purely through intentional online presence.
The first concrete result was an invitation to attend Pax8 Berlin — not as a speaker, but as media. It was that initial foot in the door, built entirely on the strength of her LinkedIn profile, that set everything else in motion.
From Pax8 Berlin media pass to IT Nation London main stage — one season
What followed was a remarkably compressed speaking trajectory. Her season opened at the MSP Show 2025 and closed with two stages at Pax8 Amsterdam — all within a single conference season. IT Nation London, widely considered the biggest UK conference in the MSP and IT industry, came as part of the same run.
None of these opportunities came from cold outreach or a PR campaign. As McDonnell-Alford explains in this episode of The Athena Rebels Podcast, they came because people already knew who she was — because she had made herself visible and consistent on LinkedIn long before anyone invited her to a stage.
"When you speak about something personally online, share the scar, not the wound. If you're still in the trauma, it's the other side."
Heather McDonnell-Alford — Owner, Counting Creators.
Heather McDonnell-Alford founded Counting Creators to provide outsourced finance functions to MSPs, covering everything from mailbox management to compliance work. She niched into the MSP space within five months of launching, having originally intended to serve content creators. She built her entire public profile — and the speaking opportunities that followed — through LinkedIn, before being recognised at events including the MSP Show 2025, Pax8 Amsterdam, and IT Nation London. She shared her brand-building journey as the first ever external guest on The Athena Rebels Podcast.
Her advice on sharing personal experiences online — "the scar, not the wound" — reflects a broader philosophy that runs through her approach to LinkedIn. Authenticity, timed correctly, builds trust. Oversharing from inside a crisis does not.
This is the kind of practical, experience-first insight that makes The Athena Rebels Podcast worth listening to for anyone building a personal brand in a specialist B2B industry.
See also
Why is industry-specific financial knowledge so important when accounting for MSPs?
Heather explains that knowing the MSP model means you know exactly what to look for in the accounts — such as how a Pax8 invoice should be coded across different service lines and cost categories.
What are the most common financial mistakes MSPs make that Counting Creators identifies?
According to Heather McDonnell-Alford, the two most common financial misunderstandings among MSPs are poor cash flow management and an inability to read and act on their own financial data.
How quickly did Heather McDonnell-Alford niche Counting Creators into the MSP space, and why?
Heather niched Counting Creators into the MSP space within five months of starting the business. She was introduced to MSPs through her first client contact and quickly recognised a genuine opportunity to help an underserved community.
Key takeaways
- Every speaking invitation McDonnell-Alford received traces back directly to her LinkedIn presence — the platform was her entire brand-building engine.
- She spent approximately 15 hours a week on LinkedIn in the early stages, prioritising relationship-building over any form of direct promotion or selling.
- A media invitation to Pax8 Berlin was the first tangible result — it acted as a gateway to speaking slots at the MSP Show 2025, Pax8 Amsterdam, and IT Nation London within a single season.
- Her principle of sharing "the scar, not the wound" reflects a deliberate, trust-first approach to personal content — visibility built on timing and authenticity, not volume.
This answer comes from Episode 10 of The Athena Rebels Podcast, recorded at Pax8 Studios.
Listen to the episode on Listenly