IT Consulting Business - Side Hustle

[roborobs computer repair]

Although I no longer have the Roborob's Computer Repair business and I'm in the corporate world, I miss the ability to help people and assure their companies are secure. So I've decided to start an IT Consulting Business on the side of my current position. Eventually I'll get back in to the MSP side of things. I need your help brainstorming.

So many small to medium sized business' networks are far from secure. Whether it is a lack of knowledge of best practices for passwords or having their networks wide open to outside traffic due to open ports on their network and devices. What I'm thinking of doing is offering services such as:

1. Security Assessments
2. Security Training
3. Network Design
4. Hardware Consulting

My thought was to reach out to the local IT companies and partner with them on other services such as the on the ground installs and day-day support for these clients and focus my attention on the consulting side of things.

I already have someone I could partner with for network/surveillance installs.

My question is, how would you approach a scenario such as this with a potential partner company? What would you look for in a similar partnership? What benefits would expect?

 

[Mick]

I think you might find this a tough sell. Most SMEs seem to think that as long as Maisie's computer turns on in the morning, they're fine. Trying to persuade them to invest money insuring against something that might never happen is going to be hard. On the subject of partnering with other providers: Why would they bother? They've either got a foot in this door, in which case they may as well hire their own guy (or girl, obvs), or it's just not part of the deal they offer, or they reckon they can do it themselves as a sort of after-thought/add-on. I reckon a lot of businesses will just regard this as dead money. And, just as most drivers don't crash most days, most businesses aren't hacked. I'd like to be wrong, but I'd think long and hard before I invested too much time or money in this it if I were you. Do you actually know of any local firms who'd buy these services off you? Anyone you could bounce the idea off? And - getting someone to say "Yeah, sounds like a good idea" is one thing. Getting them to actually put their hand in their pocket is quite another. Good luck!

 

[roborobs computer repair]

I think you might find this a tough sell. Most SMEs seem to think that as long as Maisie's computer turns on in the morning, they're fine. Trying to persuade them to invest money insuring against something that might never happen is going to be hard.

I'd pitch it something like like any insurance policy for their business. Is it likely your business will burn to the ground in a fire or flood because of a leak in the roof? No, but you have insurance to protect you in case it does. Is it likely that Joe Dilly is going to fall on your property and break his leg and sue you cause there was a slick spot on your floor? No, but you still have liability insurance. Having a security audit on completed on your network and systems is just that a level of insurance that your data, and your customer's data more importantly is safe. If your company does get a virus or ransomware and is down for a day or longer how much money would you lose?

• Payroll - Five Employees @ 10/hr = $400/day
• Sales - $2,000-$10,000
• Fine - $1,500 per instance of PII data

In this very conservative scenario you're looking at upwards of $5,000 on the low end. This doesn't count if you are sued by any of your clients for data lost. Which is better spend a couple hundred dollars now or thousands of dollars if something happens?

I believe pitching it in this way will get people to at least open their ears a little and be more receptive to the idea of securing their networks and their data.

We recently switched banks at my FT job and were asked to A) perform an internal security assessment and B) have an external security assessment completed in order to process credit card information through our network. This would apply to many businesses as almost all take credit cards and store PII in on form or another. Companies can be fined upto $1500 per instance when PII data is breached or accessed due to HIPPA and other privacy protection acts.

If I can offer security to these and save them money in the long run I think it would be a great service.

Do you actually know of any local firms who'd buy these services off you? Anyone you could bounce the idea off? Good luck!

So far it's just an idea and I'm putting it out here as a sounding board.

 

[Mick]

Well, you've obviously given it considerable thought and I guess the only way to find out if you're right is to try it! However - one other thing occurs: If you're keeping the day-job on, clients are going to have to see you at weekends or in the evening, I assume. That's to say, in their own time, not company-time. Can't see that helping much. Would like to be wrong about this and I wish you all the best. Maybe post back here and let us know how it goes?