Boot Strapping an IT Support Business (MSP)

Things against You:

• Track Record
• Established Competition
• Durability
• Experience
• Finances
• People who’ve promised customers and not delivered and/or disappeared without a trace

Things for You:

• You (and your smile):
  ◦ You’re keen and need to survive
  ◦ You have the skills (or should have)
  ◦ Your life/work experiences elsewhere.

It’s you against the world. Enjoy it – it’s great, it can be done and it’s very satisfying, and perhaps one of life’s best learning experiences. If you succeed, the rewards are plenty, and not just financial. You’ll feel empowered and know how to survive in almost any circumstance.

How to stack the deck in your favour

• Get in front of a potential customer – networking will deliver best at first
• Remove the risk from buying from you: 
  ◦ Price
  ◦ Technical Risk
  ◦ No tie in
• Be honest and up-front
• Do what you say you will
• If there is one thing that you can impress a potential customer with, it’s who you’ve done similar work for previously. So highlight previous (and perhaps unpaid) work or consulting, and use your previous work to demonstrate your track record as soon as you have some. Market your track record. On our website, it just told of projects we had done or were doing currently. People can get the picture rather than from pages of techno-babble.
• Continue until you learn a bit about the business
• Meet some people (and potential partners)
• Consider financing your business, if it looks rewarding and suitable risk – finance properly
• Tune your operations, perhaps make use of some software which makes you more efficient, reduces risk, organised and delivers better service
• Nail & Scale

That’s how I did it and managed to form and run one of our country’s biggest and most well-reputed IT Support Companies.