#24 – From the Trenches - Starting an MSP - Sales, Tools, Automation (Chris Hart)

New founder Chris shares the real playbook for launching (again): lean tools, aggressive outreach, and a focus on recurring revenue. If you’re an MSP owner or IT leader eyeing your next growth phase, you’ll learn concrete tactics you can reuse immediately. ✅ Enjoyed this episode?  Like, subscribe, and share your biggest takeaway below.  https://beringmckinley.com/bering-mckinley-podcast-blog  Chris, founder of IronGate MSP, joins BMK Vision “In the Trenches” to break down how he’s building a modern managed services practice from day one—without bloated software or guesswork. You’ll hear how his first tech gig at 18 set the course, why he sold an earlier MSP, and what’s different this time: a sales-led approach, disciplined proposals, and a ruthless focus on MRR stability. The episode is a candid look at tool selection, vertical targeting, outbound prospecting, and using automation to stay proactive for clients. 👉 Launching lean: choosing an all-in-one PSA/RMM to avoid heavy contracts and minimums while you scale 👉 Sales first, not “word of mouth”: cold email sequences, local chambers, targeted mailers, and structured discovery to book meetings 👉 Proposals that win: align pricing to the problems uncovered (e.g., internet reliability + SD-WAN) instead of cookie-cutter bundles 👉 Projects vs. MRR: take smart projects that lead to managed services while tracking recurring revenue as the North Star 👉 Automation & AI opportunities: process optimization (Zapier/Make) and documentation integration to deliver consistent, proactive service “Visit https://beringmckinley.com for more MSP resources.” 🔗 Resources & Links • Chris Hart - IronGate MSP: https://irongatemsp.com • Bering McKinley MSP Consulting: https://beringmckinley.com ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Why start an MSP (again) and family stakes 00:00:32 – First IT story: from printers to servers at 18 00:02:08 – SBS 2003, first client win, and the MSP spark 00:04:40 – Leaving a stable job to launch IronGate MSP 00:06:41 – Year-one goals: 15 clients and $100K revenue 00:09:55 – Avoiding pitfalls: sales process and proposal discipline 00:13:33 – Outbound engine: cold emails, social, chamber networking 00:15:27 – Funnel metrics and next-step mailers + call-downs 00:18:54 – Discovery and assessments that drive tailored proposals 00:20:42 – Projects as a bridge to recurring revenue 00:22:37 – Tooling on a budget: lean PSA/RMM strategy 00:25:43 – Being truly proactive: cadence, checklists, automation 00:28:59 – MSP role in client automation and AI enablement 00:33:11 – Check-in plan and big goal: Florida’s largest MSP 00:34:03 – Markets served and where to connect 🔍 Primary Keywords starting an msp, msp sales strategy, recurring revenue msp, cold email for msp, msp proposal process, network assessment msp, sd-wan for smb, msp go to market 🔍 Secondary Keywords irongate msp, orlando msp, celebration fl it support, msp tool stack, psa rmm selection, ai workflow automation, zapier make integrations, windows 10 eol outreach #️⃣ Hashtags #beringmckinley #bmkvisionpodcast #msp #mspowner #mspsales #recurringrevenue #psa #rmm #smbit #automation #ai #zapier #makecom #outbound #coldemail #discoverycall #proposal #sdwan #orlando #florida