Hi everyone
First of all, I have to say that I’m happy I found LTS’s Youtube Channel and this forum ! Thanks a lot for all the content and discussions we have.
As Tom says on his website, I totally agree with this idea of “people focused” services. I would love to get people to view technology as it is : something that should brighten their day and help them achieve what they want smoothly, not something that gives them headaches every day of the week.
I don’t know how people see IT in the US and other countries in the world, but where I live (New Caledonia), most people have the “break and fix” mentality, which prevents them from enjoying their tools to the fullest.
After working for a company for 10 years (ISP Hotline + Helpdesk, onsite and remote support, among other things), I have been working solo for the past seven years. I am on the verge of getting a second person onboard but of course, revenues need to grow first !
I am trying to get my actual customer base to switch to an MSP model, but most of them don’t see the point. Of course, they are not aware of all the work that has to be done in the shadows, and as long as their computers work, they feel like there’s no need to pay for anything. I still have to find the right way to explain how much it would benefit them all year long.
There’s also “competition” from huge companies that cut their prices dramatically in order to kill the smaller companies, and “tech savvys” (like the brother or cousin who knows a thing or two about computers).
There are a little less than 300 000 people in New Caledonia, that would make around 100 000 people in the workforce, and 80% of the companies are solopreneurs.
My goal in 2022 is to educate people on the benefits and well-being they would get by choosing to switch to an MSP model, even if that person in working alone with a single computer. I’d like to make them understand that their IT is actually an asset in their company and that if treated properly, it could help them save so much time and headaches, which would indeed make them feel better day in and day out.
Most people usually complain about their IT, saying that it never works as it should and that there’s always too much money to put into it, so the goal I’m trying to reach is not a walk in the park, but that’s a challenge worth taking
I’m trying to free up some time to communicate again on my company and services (I totally stopped writing articles and posting on social media 2 or 3 years ago, which is a mistake ) and create content around all that, but I was wondering how IT people from much bigger countries would approach that subject ?
Of course, the customer base here is pretty low, but I think no solopreneur has ever been approached for MSP services, above all with their well-being and success in mind. If I’m doing things right, that’s gonna be more than enough happy customers to serve !
Has anyone ever been able to get solopreneurs and very small businesses to subscribe to their MSP services ? Is it something that could prove viable ? I feel like those kinds of services can help solopreneurs develop their projects in the best conditions available, and at least they would not feel completely lonely as they would have someone by their side for the technical side of things !
Thanks a lot for your insights