How are you going to manage your finances as you transition from break-fix and solutions selling to managed services? How will the transition impact your cash flow? Get Started: Register to enter our Resource Center, where you’ll be able to download numerous guides to building and running your managed services business. And check back often. We post new guides in the MSPmentor Resource Center every week.
So, you want to launch a small business or reposition your company as a managed service provider (MSP). What steps can you take to maximize your chances for success? I’ve written a four-part blog to cover that very question. Tune in each day this week for the next chapter. Here’s part 3: Cash flow.
So, you want to launch a small business or reposition your company as a managed service provider (MSP). What steps can you take to maximize your chances for success? I’ve written a four-part blog to cover that very question. Tune in each day this week for the next chapter. Here’s part 2: The two people you need to call before incorporating.
It costs a small fortune — $100,000 or more — to become a managed service provider. At least, that’s what some folks claim. Truth is, there are lots of ways to get started as an MSP without mortgaging your house or maxing out your business’s line of credit.
First, let’s start with some myths: Why do newcomers think they’ll need a big checkbook to become an MSP? Part of the problem involves market research, and the resulting editorial coverage. Here’s a prime example.
I hear it every day: Managed service providers (MSPs) and Software as a Service (SaaS) companies are immune to the economic slowdown. Generally speaking, I believe the best MSPs and SaaS providers will hold up reasonably well during the turbulent economy. But I believe nobody really is fully immune to a weak economy.
If you’re still blinded by the MSP and SaaS hype, check out this video for a timely reality check focused on the Web 2.0 craze. (Oh, and a tip of the hat to Jennifer at Blanc & Otus PR for the heads up):
I just spoke with Joe Quaglia, senior VP of US marketing for Tech Data Corp. Quaglia heads up Tech Data’s managed services strategy — known as VARChoice. The conversation gave me a better feel for Tech Data’s business plan in the MSP space, especially as it relates to Ingram Micro’s Seismic strategy.
I’m not here to say one strategy is better than the other. But as VARs and managed service providers evaluate potential distribution partners, here are some of the key messages and strategies I’m hearing from Tech Data and Ingram Micro, respectively.
I attended two different conferences this week, one located in San Francisco and the other hosted in Las Vegas. While one conference was filled with upbeat attendees, the other event was clouded by economic uncertainty.
It was quite literally a tale of two cities — and two industries. While San Francisco and the broad IT industry worries quite a bit about the economy, attendees at the Kaseya User Conference in Las Vegas were generally upbeat about their business prospects.
We were meeting for breakfast, but Autotask CEO Bob Godgart wasn’t ready to pick up his fork. Instead, he opened his HP notebook and walked me through his vision for multi-partner customer engagements. Everyone from ConnectWise to OnForce (and soon, Partnerpedia) has communities to help VARs and managed service providers outsource work to one another. But I could tell Godgart has something different in mind. So we pushed aside breakfast, and dove into conversation.
I’m packing my bags and heading to the Kaseya User Conference in Las Vegas, which runs June 1-3. On the one hand, I expect to hear plenty of “Kaseya” centric news at the event. But I will also be digging deeper, meeting with managed service providers and corporate IT leaders, to hear about their experiences and learnings in the managed services market. Here are five trends or themes I’ll be exploring.
