Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Gilligan.
Hi Jennifer, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
How I Went from Newsroom Dreams to Co-Running an IT Company (Yes, Really)
If you’d told college-me I’d end up co-running a tech company, I’d have laughed, handed you your coffee back, and asked what you spiked it with.
Back then, my plans were loud and unapologetic. I was at the University of North Texas, chasing a Broadcast Journalism degree. The goal? Tell real stories, break news, and maybe collect an Emmy or two along the way. I minored in English, almost picked up Political Science just because, and honestly, it felt like the perfect formula for a newsroom legend.
But instead of a newsroom, I landed in Atlanta and, like plenty of twenty-somethings, stumbled into marketing because someone took a chance on me. Zero plan. I joined a scrappy tech startup where things moved fast and broke faster, and I became the translator between ‘developer speak’ and actual human language. Then I jumped to Harland Financial Services and got my first taste of big company life: meetings about meetings, endless process maps, the whole circus.
Then life flipped the script. I got married, moved back to Texas, and while juggling a toddler and my sanity, my husband launched an IT company. A year later, I realized he needed help. ‘Helping’ turned into running marketing, untangling ops messes, wrangling clients, handling finances, and doing everything except crawling under desks to fix servers—though I’ve done my share of troubleshooting, too.
That company became IntegraMSP. Fast forward sixteen years, and here I am: President.
No MBA. No fancy playbook. Just a lot of trial, error, showing up, and leading the way we live: with integrity. The name says it all.
It’s not flashy. It won’t go viral. But it matters. We built a company that puts people first, shows up when it’s inconvenient, and owns its mistakes instead of spinning them.
Funny enough, I still use my journalism chops every day: asking sharper questions, actually listening, and spotting the story behind the surface. I still write, still speak up for people and ideas I believe in, and I still end up translating tech into plain English. Full circle, after all.
This wasn’t the plan. Turns out, it was the right one.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Has it been a smooth road?
Not even close.
We faced every kind of bump, detour, and roadblock you can think of. Imagine trying to start a business while also taking care of a toddler. It was anything but calm. I was juggling marketing, operations, client issues, and invoices, often figuring things out as I went. More than once, I found myself in meetings secretly Googling terms just to keep up.
In those early days, we couldn’t afford backup plans. Cash flow was as tight as skinny jeans after Thanksgiving. Every mistake cost us, and I made plenty. Some weeks, it felt like all we did was put out fires—tech problems, staffing issues, you name it. The work was tough and honestly, it was exhausting. Working with your spouse brought its own challenges. Some days we worked perfectly together. Other days, we needed a break and separate spaces. Sometimes, we still do.
But the hardest lesson was learning to say no. No to clients who weren’t a good fit. No to burnout. No to trying to do everything myself. I had to learn to set boundaries, trust the systems we built, and know when to step back so I could actually lead instead of just get by.
Smooth road? Not a chance. But real? Every step of the way.
We’ve been impressed with IntegraMSP, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At IntegraMSP, we’re not your typical IT team. We work behind the scenes to keep your systems running, your data safe, and your day free from unexpected tech problems.
We help small to mid-sized businesses like construction firms, manufacturing teams, and logistics companies. Our clients don’t want tech jargon—they just want things to work. We cover everything from cybersecurity and cloud support to backups, help desk issues, and those moments when something just isn’t working. If it plugs in or connects to Wi-Fi, we’ve probably fixed it.
What sets us apart is how we show up for our clients. We don’t oversell, and we don’t disappear after onboarding. We never wait for things to break just to charge you extra. Our name says it all: Integra. Integrity comes first, always.
What I’m most proud of? Some of our clients have been with us for over 10 years. In this industry, that’s rare. But we’re not like everyone else.
At the end of the day, we keep good businesses running. No fluff. Just tech that works and people who actually care.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory is a kind of cheesy one – but I think it speaks to who I am as a person. Back in the day when Cable TV was new – I discovered musicals. My favorite thing to do was to dress up in the princess costume that my grandmother had hand-sewn for me and then put on a good musical and act it out in front of the TV screen. One of my favorite musicals to sing to (and dance) was Oklahoma. I would sing, twirl, and dance all over the living room.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://IntegraMSP.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/integramsp
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifergilligan/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/integrasys-it-llc
- Twitter: https://x.com/Integramsp
