Start an IT Managed Services Business

Recurring per-seat contracts make MSPs one of the most sellable service businesses, but the grind of the first ten clients filters most people out.

1. 1

   Start with break-fix clients

   Take hourly IT work for a handful of local businesses first. You learn their environments, they learn to trust you, and both feed the conversion to contracts.

2. 2

   Pick your core stack

   An RMM like NinjaOne or Atera, a ticketing system, endpoint protection, and backup. Per-tech pricing keeps the stack affordable before client one.

3. 3

   Define per-seat packages

   Tiered flat pricing, for example $75 to $150 per user per month, with inclusions and exclusions in writing. Vague scope is how MSPs end up working free.

4. 4

   Set up the MSA and insurance

   A managed services agreement covering response times and liability, plus cyber liability and E&O insurance. Clients handing you their network will ask.

5. 5

   Convert your best three clients

   Pitch the flat monthly contract as insurance against downtime, using their own outage history as the math. Three contracts is a real recurring base.

6. 6

   Document and systematize

   Document every client network and build onboarding checklists from day one, so hiring your first tech multiplies you instead of drowning you.

7. 7

   Niche to raise rates

   Verticalize into dental, legal, or medical offices where compliance raises the stakes and the per-seat price. Niched MSPs also sell for more later.