Hey all – figured I’d start documenting my journey here. I just turned 26 and recently got married. Shortly after, I had a serious health scare that derailed about six months of my life. It was rough, but my wife stuck by me, and I started to see things more clearly during that time.
One major realization? I hated being at the mercy of a job. I was constantly anxious about losing my health insurance, falling behind at work, or missing a promotion while I was recovering. Then my great-grandfather passed away—he helped raise me. I couldn’t even attend his funeral because I had no PTO left. That, plus getting chewed out for not logging time sheets on a Sunday after working 13 days straight, was my breaking point.
So I quit.
Before that, I had been half-assing my IT consulting side hustle, with one client paying me $45K/year. Just days after quitting, I landed another client for $65K/year. So technically, I hit six figures fast—but not as glamorous when you're married, living in a HCOL area, and covering your own insurance. Still, I’m grateful. It's a strong start.
At that point, though, I realized I was drifting. “IT consulting” is too vague. How do you market something that undefined? I originally avoided calling myself a Managed Service Provider (MSP) because I hated the industry—but like MJ says in Unscripted , he started with limos even though he didn’t love them.
So I rebranded. I’m going all in on being an MSP—but one focused on real value, not just nickel-and-diming clients.
Where I’m at now:
Main challenge: Balance. I’ll spend 12 hours fixing a client issue and have nothing left in the tank to work on the business. But I know that if I want to grow, I have to force myself to focus on sales and marketing, even when I’m tired. I’m naturally wired to deep dive into technical issues—I need to shift gears and treat my business like a product, not just a job.
I’ve also been operating from a place of fear—scared to lose clients, especially when one makes up a big chunk of revenue. But that mindset kills growth. I’m working on breaking that.
Anyway, this post is part rant, part intro. I’ll keep updating this thread as I figure things out. There’s no real playbook here, and I know a lot of you have walked this road already.
Wide open to feedback, ideas, or even a kick in the a$$ if needed.
One major realization? I hated being at the mercy of a job. I was constantly anxious about losing my health insurance, falling behind at work, or missing a promotion while I was recovering. Then my great-grandfather passed away—he helped raise me. I couldn’t even attend his funeral because I had no PTO left. That, plus getting chewed out for not logging time sheets on a Sunday after working 13 days straight, was my breaking point.
So I quit.
Before that, I had been half-assing my IT consulting side hustle, with one client paying me $45K/year. Just days after quitting, I landed another client for $65K/year. So technically, I hit six figures fast—but not as glamorous when you're married, living in a HCOL area, and covering your own insurance. Still, I’m grateful. It's a strong start.
At that point, though, I realized I was drifting. “IT consulting” is too vague. How do you market something that undefined? I originally avoided calling myself a Managed Service Provider (MSP) because I hated the industry—but like MJ says in Unscripted , he started with limos even though he didn’t love them.
So I rebranded. I’m going all in on being an MSP—but one focused on real value, not just nickel-and-diming clients.
Where I’m at now:
- 3 clients total (2 legacy consulting, 1 MSP)
- ~$112K/yr in contracts + some extra from projects
- No marketing yet, no real sales process
- Website is under construction
Main challenge: Balance. I’ll spend 12 hours fixing a client issue and have nothing left in the tank to work on the business. But I know that if I want to grow, I have to force myself to focus on sales and marketing, even when I’m tired. I’m naturally wired to deep dive into technical issues—I need to shift gears and treat my business like a product, not just a job.
I’ve also been operating from a place of fear—scared to lose clients, especially when one makes up a big chunk of revenue. But that mindset kills growth. I’m working on breaking that.
Anyway, this post is part rant, part intro. I’ll keep updating this thread as I figure things out. There’s no real playbook here, and I know a lot of you have walked this road already.
Wide open to feedback, ideas, or even a kick in the a$$ if needed.
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