How to Avoid Burnout as a Solo MSP

In this video, I share how to avoid burnout as a solo Managed Service Provider.

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Transcription:

So the very first tip is to:

Choose your clients wisely. I know when starting out you might be eager to get any client you can. But not all clients are the same. Some will think you are an absolute hero who saved the day.
While others will resent paying your monthly bill and try to nickel and dime you.

If there are any red flags that a prospect might become a problem then you should trust your instinct and avoid them. You need to determine whether they are a good fit for you, just as they are determining whether you are a good fit for them. A bad client will absolutely destroy you.

The next thing to help prevent MSP burnout is to start trying to systemize and outsource as soon as possible. I get that nobody can do it as good as you, so write a system on how to do it YOUR way. One of my early hires was for customer support. I created systems on what to do in common situations. (If this happens, then do that). If it falls outside the system, assign it to me and I’ll handle it and possibly add that situation to the manual for future use. I had fears that my customers wouldn’t be looked after as well if I wasn’t doing it, but they were being looked after BETTER because I now had a dedicated person to respond to them much sooner, rather than me only having a little bit of time each day.

You’ll be surprised how inexpensive it can be to get someone to do a few hours work for you. Young adults fresh out of university are often good options. Especially if all they have to do is follow your system. That said, if you hire a professional to do professional work like accounting then let them do it their way, since you are hiring them for their skills. You may say, that’s all well and good Bryce, but what if I am not getting enough clients to be able to pick and choose, and not enough revenue to start outsourcing?

Spend YOUR time on marketing. Make it your main task. It’s fun to learn new skills and tweak our tech stack, but it doesn’t really generate money.

If you don’t have the money to market, spend the time and when you get busy, you can spend the money.

Once you have money coming in, you are less desperate and don’t need every client.

Once you have the money coming in, you are less desperate and you don’t need every client. you can outsource the tasks that really burn you out and you can start gearing up in a way your business starts to become a real business, rather than just a job for yourself.

That’s it for this video, I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for watching.

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