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What is Heather McDonnell-Alford's advice for MSPs who want to start building a presence on LinkedIn?
Never outsource your personal LinkedIn content. Your brand is fundamentally you — generic or AI-looking posts will not generate real engagement. McDonnell-Alford's core principle is relationship first, every single time: find out about people, make warm connections, and engage with genuine intent before you ever lead with a sales pitch.
15 hours a week — and not a single post ghostwritten
In the early stages of building her profile, Heather McDonnell-Alford spent approximately 15 hours per week on LinkedIn. That investment was not spent scheduling content through an agency or generating posts with AI tools. It was spent in conversations — commenting on other people's posts, sending direct messages with real context, and showing up consistently as herself.
The reasoning is straightforward: if someone reads your post and then meets you in person, the two versions of you need to match. A ghostwritten LinkedIn presence creates a gap that erodes trust the moment a real interaction happens. As McDonnell-Alford explains in The Athena Rebels Podcast, that authenticity is not optional — it is the entire foundation of a personal brand that actually converts.
Warm connection over cold pitch — every time
McDonnell-Alford draws a hard line between connecting with people and selling to them. Her approach starts with curiosity: read what someone has posted, understand what they care about, and respond to that before introducing yourself or your services. Commenting with genuine intent — not a generic "great post!" — is what opens a conversation worth having.
This approach is what she credits directly for her speaking career. Without a consistent and personal LinkedIn presence, the invitations to the MSP Show 2025, two stages at Pax8 Amsterdam, and IT Nation London — described as the biggest UK conference in the MSP and IT industry — simply would not have come. Every opportunity, as she explains in this episode of the Athena Rebels Podcast, traced back to a real relationship built on the platform first.
The implication for MSPs is concrete: LinkedIn works as a business development channel when it functions as a relationship channel. Treating it as a broadcast tool — pushing content, automating outreach, delegating your voice — produces the generic, low-engagement results that most people complain about. The discipline of showing up personally is the differentiator, a point McDonnell-Alford makes with particular clarity in the Athena Rebels Podcast.
"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
McDonnell-Alford founded Counting Creators, an MSP finance company handling outsourced finance functions from mailbox management through to compliance work. She niched into the MSP space within five months of launching the business — originally intending to serve YouTubers — after identifying a genuine opportunity to help a specific community. She built her entire professional profile and speaking pipeline through LinkedIn, going on to speak at the MSP Show 2025, two stages at Pax8 Amsterdam, and IT Nation London in a single season. Her story is explored in depth in episode 10 of the Athena Rebels Podcast.
See also
How did Heather McDonnell-Alford build her professional brand and speaking career in the MSP industry?
Heather attributes all of her speaking opportunities directly to her LinkedIn presence, stating that without it no one would know who she is. She spent approximately 15 hours per week on LinkedIn in the early stages of building her personal brand.
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 the business.
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.
Key takeaways
- Never delegate your personal LinkedIn content — outsourcing or AI-generated posts undermine the authenticity that makes a personal brand work.
- Relationship first is the non-negotiable rule: engage with genuine curiosity before any mention of services or a sales pitch.
- McDonnell-Alford invested around 15 hours per week on LinkedIn in her early growth phase — the time commitment reflects how seriously she treats the channel.
- Every speaking opportunity at major MSP events — including IT Nation London and Pax8 Amsterdam — was a direct result of relationships built on LinkedIn first.
This answer comes from a real podcast episode. Hear Heather McDonnell-Alford in her own words — and discover every episode of the Athena Rebels Podcast on Listenly.
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