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So, as the title suggests, I am thinking of starting my own consulting company. I’m researching the tax implications but wanted your advice on the technical side of things. I plan on offering a pretty wide range of services such as server administration, contract work, and technical support. Are there any specific things that I should know about running an MSP?

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Look at this article, specifically my replies - not to say the others aren’t relevant, but mine are what I’m pointing out. :slight_smile:

http://community.spiceworks.com/topic/479385-how-much-should-i-charge-for-it-services

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Thanks for the tips.

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Keep it focused. I worked for an MSP where we did everything and the owner was always adding on things we supported. It was detrimental to the company.

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Simon, I live in a rural area and would be pretty much the only MSP in the area. Would it be feasible to start with a broad range of services and narrow them down as I expand?

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If you think you can handle it all, try it all. You’ll soon find out the services that are profitable to you. Some services are just not worth it IMHO.

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Which services have you found that aren’t worth offering?

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There are a lot of factors to keep in mind, many can be mitigated by working with other companies that provide services that are not your core. By that I mean, finances, marketing, sales, HR if you plan on hiring/grow. Find a good distributor to work with, network with other MSP’s so if you’re client has a remote office you can still support them with remote hands on support.

Create a business plan. I can’t emphasize that enough. Many people go into something without any structure. How do you measure success? How do you identify failure? What are your goals so you know when you reach them.

Its great that you’re looking to start something on your own, definitely do your due diligence before you make that step

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@Djaxis, Thanks for the advice. I’m definitely still in the research and preparation stage of the process and won’t move forward until I have everything mapped out in a business plan. Do you have any distributors that you would recommend?

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Ingram Micro and Synnex are both good. D&H is ok

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Thanks for the heads up on them. I wasn’t sure if I would have to deal with being a reseller or not so you mentioning distributors and giving suggestions is very helpful. Thanks!

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