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Overcoming Key Fears to Succeed as an MSP Company

Bill Hogan , , , , ,

MSP companyRunning an MSP company can be challenging and, sometimes, things can be downright scary. We are not talking about the truck that ran a red light just as you were about to get going on green or even that dark parking lot with the busted lights. No, we are talking about that nagging, gnawing fear that builds up inside and can really impede progress in business. What are some of those fears and how does the company overcome them?

Fear of the Unknown

This is the old bogeyman, the monsters under the bed. This was what led you to pull the covers over your head as a kid, terrified of what you could not see out there in the dark. It is also what allows everything from specialists in your own industry to entire specialized industries to keep others out and prevent them from making progress.

However, if you do not even know what the problem is (that might prevent you from making progress), how do you even know that there will be a problem? After all, if you do encounter a problem, at least then you will have some idea of the scale of the challenge. Heck, you might even recognize some bits of the problem you can actually solve. However, if you do not move forward— into that deep, dark unknown— you will not even arrive at something that might constitute an actual problem.

Therefore, the only problem you end up with when you fear the unknown is not moving forward. But doesn’t that mean we know what our problem is? That is right, we are not moving forward.

Now we know what the problem is, we also know what the solution is. We are not moving forward. The solution is to move. Oh yeah, it might not be forward but at least if you move, you stand a risk at hitting a problem. Then, you will be in a position to develop a solution.

When you boil it all down, most fears are little more than fear of the unknown, and we just solved that one. Everything else is easy, right? What is another fear you might face in the MSP company?

Fear of Change

Oh boy, this is another big one. Perhaps the biggest problem involving fear of change is that most of us will not even admit that we are upset, angry, indecisive, or otherwise perturbed because we cannot face change.

For most of us, there is only one way to exorcise the demons of this worry and that is exercise. Learning to face change and overcome it is actually little different from building a muscle or developing a skill of physical dexterity.

Therefore, a great strategy for overcoming the fear of change is approaching it like any other exercise. Start small. Start by lifting small weights and get used to that. Find some small changes that you can make in either your personal or professional life.

If you always have your desk arranged a certain way, try a very new arrangement. Then, next week, change it again. If you always park close to one particular store at the mall, try parking on the far side. Change things up in little ways and the bigger changes will become less scary.

Fear of Failure

Few fears have more ability to prevent both people and an MSP company from fulfilling their maximum potential. Whilst overcoming this one is much like overcoming the fear of change, there is one big nugget to understand with this one. Stop seeing failure as a problem and start seeing it as a badge of honor. Only by attempting something can you ever put yourself at risk of success. After all, we learn from mistakes. The more mistakes we make, the more we learn.

In addition, here is the golden secret: you have never ever failed at something until you stop trying. The double-golden secret- Even if you quit trying, you can always still have another go!

Bill Hogan

Bill Hogan is President of Partners Plus. A fast growing IT Support firm based in the Philadelphia area. Bill has been helping make life with business computers easier since 1981. His education as an Electrical Engineer at Penn State started a dual approach toward gaining expertise in both programming and computer networks. In 1991 he formed Partners Plus, Inc., to provide managed IT services to companies in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, based on being a business operations ally and understanding the need to speak to company leaders in plain English rather than ‘techno-babble’. And while others tend to focus their attention on the mechanical components of a computer system, Bill and his staff take a more global approach - how a network can be best used as an integral, reliable asset to the business owner’s goals. In 2007, after years of frustration with the sub-standard services he saw during network audits, Bill published “Hassle Free Computer Support” to educate business owners with the information they need to get superior technical support for their businesses A firm believer in keeping current with advances in technology and processes, Bill lead Partners Plus to become a Microsoft Certified Partner in 1998 and a Gold Certified Partner in 2008. And, Partners Plus Inc. has been selected by Microsoft as being in the top 1% of Partners serving the Small and Medium Business Market on the East Coast. Bill is internationally certified in Network Operations and is certified by Microsoft in project management and multiple Microsoft technologies. He also held the position of representative for the Mid-Atlantic region on Microsoft’s Advisory Board which manages all Microsoft Small Business certified partners. Partners Plus provides managed it services to clients in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley and helps them choose, implement, and manage IT and cloud solutions that are cost effective and reliable. Partners Plus’ pro-active approach to IT support is ideally suited for companies in Wilmington, Delaware or Philadelphia who depend on reliable IT infrastructure, but don’t want to spend a lot of money to keep your IT services in Delaware that way. Partners Plus clients have come to appreciate the Partners Plus team focus on operations and the ability to get the core of problems quickly, and the knowledge of how to resolve issues as quickly as possible. With the institution of the Partners Plus Protection Program, the company can now monitor, identify and resolve many network issues in minutes without coming onsite.