90-Day Start My MSP

A practical, realistic roadmap for IT professionals to launch a profitable Managed Service Provider and secure their first paying client.
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This is a 90-day, results-focused plan to help a capable IT professional start a small Managed Service Provider (MSP), build a credible operational foundation, and—most importantly—land the first paying client.

The goal is not to build a Fortune-500-scale MSP.
The goal is functional, credible, profitable.

This plan avoids the two fatal traps that kill most new MSPs:

  1. Overbuilding before revenue (complex RMM, SOC, automations, PSA systems, security stack, perfect documentation)
  2. Underpricing (attracting stressful, low-value clients)

This roadmap guides you toward:

  • a Minimum Viable Company (MVC)
  • a Minimum Viable MSP Tooling Stack (MVT)
  • a simple but effective go-to-market motion
  • an ethical, low-friction assessment
  • introvert-friendly lead generation
  • pricing that respects your expertise
  • and a structured onboarding workflow

At Day 90, your company is real, operational, and billing.

Week 1 - Establish the Company (Minimum Viable Company)

You need a business before you can run a business.

Legal & Administrative Setup

  • Create a LLC in your state
  • Get your EIN (free)
  • Rent a PO Box for privacy
  • Open a business bank account
  • Set up Stripe for easy payment collection
  • Create a basic liability insurance policy ($300–$600/year)

Domain & Professional Identity

  • Buy a .com domain
  • Create a professional email ([email protected])
  • Create a LinkedIn Company Page and assign yourself as the Founder/Engineer
  • Create a simple logo using Canva or a Fiverr designer
  • Save your brand assets in a single folder

These steps make your business “real” to you - which dramatically improves momentum.

Week 2 - Build the Minimum Viable Website

Clients need a simple, credible, professional place to learn who you are.
You do not need a giant website.

Create 4 pages:

1. Home

  • Who you are
  • What you do
  • Who you serve
  • Your value (stability, uptime, data protection, security)
  • A strong call to action: “Request a Free IT Health Assessment”

2. Services (High-Level)

Use three tiers that small businesses instantly understand:

  • Essentials - break/fix, hourly help
  • Standard - remote support, patching, monitoring
  • Premium - on-site support, backups, security stack

Avoid jargon. Focus on outcomes: uptime, reliability, fewer headaches.

3. About

  • Your background
  • Why you started the business
  • Your mindset: stability-first, professional, reliable

4. Contact

  • Phone
  • Email
  • Small form

This is enough to get a client. Don’t over-engineer.

Week 3 - Set Up Minimum Viable MSP Tooling (MVT)

Avoid the trap of building a massive enterprise stack.
You only need three tools right now.

1. PSA (Professional Service Automation)

ITFlow - open source, self-hosted, lightweight, functional.
Use Cloudflare Zero Trust for secure external access.

Use for:

  • Client records
  • Tickets
  • Time logs
  • Simple billing
  • Documentation

2. RMM (Remote Management & Access)

Do NOT deploy a huge RMM. You don’t need it yet.

Use one:

  • MeshCentral (simple remote access)
  • RustDesk (peer-to-peer remote control)

This is enough for Client #1.

3. Backups

Pick one:

  • Synology Active Backup (if applicable)
  • MSP360 (cheap + good)
  • Kopia (free, advanced)

Your only requirement:
You know how to restore data from it.

Week 4 - Pricing & Service Catalog (Keep It Simple)

Set these now to avoid panic discounts later.

Hourly (Break/Fix)

  • $120–$160/hr

Managed Workstations

  • Essentials: $50–$75/device/month
  • Standard: $90–$125/device/month
  • Premium: $150–$225/device/month

Servers/NAS

  • $150–$300/server/month

Projects

  • Network cleanup: $399–$899
  • New PCs: $199–$299 per system
  • Wi-Fi redesign: $699+
  • Backup implementation: $499–$1299

These numbers are normal.
Do not underprice - you’re not Geek Squad.

Week 5 - Identify Your Local Market (OSINT-Driven)

You are not knocking on random doors.

Your target customers:

  • Attorneys
  • Accountants
  • Dentists
  • Real estate offices
  • Home services (HVAC, electricians, plumbers)
  • Boutiques
  • Health practices (small, not major clinics)
  • Auto repair shops
  • Small manufacturers
  • Independent retail

OSINT Selection

Use:

  • Google Maps
  • Yelp
  • Local business directories
  • Chamber of Commerce lists
  • Street View
  • Their websites (age, SSL, tech maturity)

Track this in:

  • Google Sheets
  • Notion
  • or any CRM

Rank prospects:

  1. Low IT maturity
  2. Regulated industry
  3. High uptime sensitivity
  4. Friendly owner profile

You only want “likely buyers.”

Week 6 - Build Your Outreach Motion

Walking in cold is low-conversion and high-stress. Do this instead:

Step 1 - Email First

Send a short, low-pressure message:

Hi {{Name}},
I’m a local IT professional with 18 years of experience supporting small offices like yours.
I offer a free, 20-minute “IT Health Assessment” where I identify easy wins for reliability, backups, and security.

No pressure - if nothing needs improving, I’ll tell you.

Would you like to schedule a time this week?

{{Your Name}}
{{Your Company}}
{{Phone}}

Step 2 - Follow with Light Call

“Hi, I emailed you last week about a free IT assessment. No pressure - just wanted to see if you had any interest.”

Step 3 - Light LinkedIn Touch

Add the owner or office manager.

Step 4 - Physical Mailer (Optional)

VistaPrint postcard:

  • Your offer
  • Your logo
  • Your number

Not aggressive, but visible.

That is your entire motion.

Simple. Sustainable. Ethical.

Week 7 - The Assessment (Ethical, Non-Invasive)

You MUST have explicit consent.
Never conduct network scans without permission.

Part 1 - Conversation (10 Minutes)

Ask:

  • Number of devices
  • Servers? Cloud?
  • Who maintains IT now?
  • Backup situation
  • Wi-Fi reliability
  • Pain points (slow systems, downtime, ransomware fear)

Part 2 - Light Visual Assessment

With permission:

  • Look at their network closet
  • Check Wi-Fi encryption (WPA2/WPA3 vs outdated)
  • Check expiration on SSL
  • Look at PC age
  • Look at backup method (if any)

Part 3 - Deliver Immediate Value

Even one small actionable tip builds trust.

Examples:

  • “Your router is 9 years old - this is a risk.”
  • “Your server isn’t backing up anywhere - we can fix that cheaply.”
  • “Your Wi-Fi is using outdated encryption - easy fix.”

They should walk away thinking:
“This person knows what they’re doing.”

Week 8 - Build Your Service Proposal for Client #1

Keep it unbelievably simple.

1. Summary

  • What you found
  • Why it matters
  • What it will cost not to fix
  • What the recommended path is

2. The Offer

Choose one of:

  • Hourly
  • Essentials (simple monthly)
  • Standard (full remote support)
  • Premium (remote + on-site + backups)

3. The Price

State it plainly and confidently.

4. The Next Step

“Reply to this email with ‘Let’s move forward’ and I’ll send the onboarding steps.”

Week 9 - Onboard Your First Client

This is your first 30-day rhythm (and it becomes standard for all future clients).

Week 1 - Stabilize

  • Document all systems
  • Set up remote access
  • Ensure patching
  • Fix anything visibly broken
  • Inventory computers, printers, switches, Wi-Fi

Week 2 - Secure

  • Implement backups
  • MFA where possible
  • Update old equipment
  • Fix risky configurations
  • Clean up accounts

Week 3 - Optimize

  • Improve Wi-Fi reliability
  • Reduce clutter
  • Fix slow systems
  • Review vendor subscriptions
  • Document workflows

Week 4 - Roadmap

Provide a “Next 90 Days” improvement plan.

This creates recurring revenue.

Week 10 - Establish Operations Rhythm

Set up:

  • Ticket intake
  • On-call windows
  • Emergency protocol
  • Weekly review
  • Monthly client touch
  • Quarterly technology roadmap

This makes you look professional even as a solo operator.

Week 11 - Evaluate & Adjust Pricing + Workflows

Now that you’ve lived through one real client:

  • Adjust pricing
  • Update SOPs
  • Improve onboarding
  • Automate documentation
  • Clarify your service tiers
  • Build a standard checklist

Your business becomes sharper.

Week 12 - Land Client #2

Same motion:
Email → light call → assessment → proposal → onboarding.

At this point:

  • You know your pricing
  • You know the workflow
  • You know which clients are a good fit
  • You know what problems reoccur
  • You know what fixes sell easily

Client #2 usually arrives faster than Client #1.

This is the point where you can rightfully say:
“I run an MSP.”

Next Steps (Post–First Customer Growth)

Once the first client is billed and onboarded, these are the expansions to work on next:

1. Improve the Tooling Stack

  • Add monitoring
  • Add automated patching
  • Add ticket triage
  • Add basic security stack (EDR, DNS filtering)

2. Build Documentation Standards

  • SOPs
  • Tickets
  • Configuration templates
  • Onboarding scripts
  • Checklists

3. Create a Real Sales Engine

  • Website improvements
  • Google Business profile
  • Local SEO
  • Referral incentives
  • Quarterly newsletters
  • Stronger LinkedIn presence

4. Expand Service Catalog

  • VOIP
  • Network rebuild packages
  • Backup + DR
  • Compliance (HIPAA/Law/Financial)

5. Raise Prices Annually

MSPs grow through margin control and retention.

6. Decide Whether to Become an MSSP

Only if you truly want:

  • Log management
  • SIEM
  • Incident response
  • Threat hunting

It is entirely optional.

Final Thoughts

This plan is designed for a mid-career IT professional who suddenly finds themselves outside of the corporate bubble and needs a new income engine—one that leverages their deep skills without requiring sales theatrics or extroverted tactics.

If you follow this plan with consistency, your first paying client will arrive long before Day 90.

Small businesses desperately need experienced, trustworthy IT help.
When you show up with clarity, confidence, and the right offer, they will say yes.