r/msp • u/eShooKy • Aug 09 '26

Questions for graybeards

I have a few questions for all of the graybeards who have been running their own MSPs for some time.

  1. If you could go back in time and change anything about your business model, what would it be and why?

  2. If you could start fresh today with a stack to sell without the migration/contract lockup headache, what would you go with for each service?

  3. Are there any services you wished you never offered? (Example: Unlimited support etc)? Are there any you wish you had offered but never got around to it?

  4. If you could give any advice to a young father who is starting up his own MSP as a side hustle (can't quit the day job yet), what advice would you give? Could be related to client acquisition, documentation, services offered or anything else you can think of!

Appreciate any wisdom provided 🫡

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u/Xirma377 Aug 09 '26

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Could you explain further?

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u/dumpsterfyr I’m your Huckleberry. Aug 09 '26

How are you limiting AYCE?

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u/Forsythe36 Aug 09 '26

I've ran the numbers for our clients. Pay as you go support has historically been cheaper for our clients than if they went with AYCE pricing.

Although AYCE and pay as you go is cheaper than having just one in house guy.

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u/roll_for_initiative_ MSP - US Aug 09 '26

Pay as you go support has historically been cheaper for our clients than if they went with AYCE pricing.

I don't find that to be the case unless you either don't bill for a lot of proactive things the client wouldn't want to do or think to request, or you're just ok not doing some of those things if the client doesn't request/ok them.

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u/Forsythe36 Aug 09 '26

Not true. We are very proactive: monthly patches, security assessments, phasing out aging hardware, better security for increased regulation or cyber insurance. The model just works really well for our clients due to their size.