(Part 3) Top products from r/msp

I realized a few years into my business that:
-I was not able to grow the business because it seemed I was always dealing with emergencies.
-I was not able to fix things right first time because there was another emergency
-I was spending lots of my time doing entry-level tasks
-I was getting older and my marriage was suffering because I was doing 100% of everything in the business.
-I was not performing preventative maintenance because I was swamped with "real work" to do.

I was 40 - still crawling around under desks, still doing 100% of the work, on call 24/7, not able to go after better business and not expanding margin. I was EXACTLY what I swore I'd never become.

Here's what I did:

I started by documenting and defining several easy-to-replicate procedures - software installation/update, new PC setup, disk usage clearing, backup troubleshooting, You should have ticketing, admin, and billing systems that work reasonably well. It can help to track your time accurately in a PSA tool so you have some idea how much time these tasks take.

I hired a good, trustworthy local kid with interest but no experience in IT. Started him part time "we'll try this for 30 days and see if it's a good fit - either of us can walk away with no hard feelings if it's not working out" - on some CompTIA training videos and working through the documentation I had made up. At first he was doing a lot of software installs, new PC setup, and very basic troubleshooting. Kind of like a doctor/resident relationship, I would explain my process and talk through every step I was taking and why...and I'd ask him to talk through his through process when fixing issues and guide him to the way I'd do it.

I also grabbed many of Karl Palachuk's SOP guides as a foundation, and the Best IT Service Delivery Book Ever by Simpson for him to go through.

He picked it up very quickly, and started spending some time fixing our automation and integrations - making us both far more effective. He started working with our backup vendor on fixing backup alerts, then patch management, etc.

A couple years later, he's had a couple raises, we're looking at hiring another 1-2 techs this year and an office admin. Cash flow is better, I've been able to land bigger clients than I could as a Single Point of Failure consultant.
Took a vacation last year for the first time in forever. The business continued to operate.

It hasn't been painless, but it's been pretty smooth and a great opportunity for both of us - I get part of my life back, he now has a career doing work he enjoys, and I have time for some of the higher-level work, like security architecture discussions with our bigger clients, and determining our path for more security consulting work.

What would I do differently?
I would have started sooner. I would have hired this guy back when I was working with Continuum and taught him to manage our interactions with their NOC. I would have had more processes documented and emphasized his role in maintaining and expanding those docs.

I did try working with a couple outsourced helpdesks but my clients wanted me or someone directly under my supervision - the outsourced helpdesks had too many exceptions and limitations for us to go forward.

I highly recommend David Finkel's "Build a Business, Not a Job"
https://www.amazon.com/Build-Business-Not-David-Finkel/dp/1450709842

and Chris Ducker's "Virtual Freedom: How to Work with Virtual Staff to Buy More Time, Become More Productive, and Build Your Dream Business" - most of his concepts also work with an outsourced NOC, SOC, or helpdesk.
https://www.amazon.com/Virtual-Freedom-Become-Productive-Business/dp/1939529743/ref=sr_1_5_twi_pap_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519146561&sr=1-5&keywords=virtual+assistant

Hello

James here.

Please feel free to reach out via our website chat, call or contact form and we will be happy to send you everything you need to research us including pricing and how it all works.

Benchmark 365 offers a month to month service with L1/2/3 support, dispatch and 24x7 services for MSPs. Our partners save between 50-70% of labor costs working with us and are able to provide their customers with consistent round the clock services.

You might be interested in this MSPs very recent and very thorough review of Benchmark 365’s service.

If you’re still considering whether offshoring is right for you I discuss options and ways to go about it in this new book: Infinite Scale

Cheers,

JV

Beyond "one that pays on time and never calls," this isn't really something anyone can answer for you, because what's ideal for me isn't necessarily ideal for you, isn't necessarily ideal for the next guy. It's going to boil down to what vertical you want to work in, what kinds of budgets you want to work with, how many users you guys can handle, etc. I would recommend picking up The Pumpkin Plan (I got my first copy of it from my local library, so check there) and running through the exercises in that book. It will help you identify who you have now that's a great fit and how to use your existing relationship with them to hone your business to appeal to more people just like them.

> sforming from break-fix to monthly contracts. How do you price the monthly contracts, what do clients get? 2) I'd like to scale employee-wise. Meaning, I'd like to have a number of techs working along-side me. How do they get paid, as a salary?

I'm currently reading it, almost finished, like 30 pages only left but when I started reading it, I quickly bought also the The E-Myth (revisited edition) from Micheal Gerber. You should definitively read it too. I'm a tech on the break/fix model since the last 9 years and in the next months I will switch to a MSP model. Other quick recommandation if you need help/inspiration to create your service agreement, buy also the Service Agreements for SMB Consultants, from the same author of Managed Service in a month. Definitively worth the money and time to read it.

The Divide by Matt Taibbi - it's super infuriating and super interesting, doesn't play favorites to either party, just policies that are choking society ad contributing to making the richest richer!

https://www.amazon.com/Divide-American-Injustice-Age-Wealth/dp/081299342X

I used this for Foundations: https://www.amazon.com/ITIL-Foundation-Exam-Study-Guide/dp/1119942756

Read it once, spend an hour tops on the included flashcards, then passed handily. The test itself is 70% just knowing the vocab and a few of the common workflows.

The book is a good reference manual afterward, it's pretty well written and describes ITIL principles well.

Only one title of overlap, nice.
Out of your list, where would you start? Have you read any other in our original list?



Built to Sell, John Warrillow

The Automatic Customer, John Warrillow

How to Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors, Lawrence Steinmetz

Start With Why, Simon Sinek

Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek

The E-Myth Revisited, Michael Gerber

Selling the Invisible, Harry Beckwith

What Clients Love, Harry Beckwith

Question Based Selling, Tom Freese

It's an older book but this one is still got some great tips:

https://www.amazon.ca/Time-Management-System-Administrators-Working/dp/0596007833

I have a partner and our firm is stronger and my life is better for it. There is another person who cares as much as the other, both day to day and when one of us is on vacation. It also helps with the "hiring a salesperson" problem that every MSP faces at some point.

I believe we are the in minority with a successful partnership, most of the stories I hear are about failure and bad relationships. I would try to avoid a financial only partner, not worth giving up equity just for money.

A partnership is a relationship, there will be highs and lows and you won't always agree. ALL partnerships end, plan and discuss and write down how that should and can happen. Highly recommend this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Partnership-Charter-Start-Right-Business/dp/0738208981

Nigel Moore's new book is a good read for figuring out how to price and package plans:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0648656403/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

The exam reference book for this subject is extremely comprehensive: https://www.amazon.com/70-398-Planning-Managing-Devices-Enterprise/dp/1509302212

Pretty sure he's talking about The War of Art.

​

https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Winning-Creative-Battle/dp/1501260626

The Foundation Bible of starting an MSP: Managed Services in a Month by Karl Palachuk Amazon Link

I'll also throw a vote in for Traction as a general business book.

And my personal people/team management bible that I bring into every company I work with: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Amazon Link