A VAR's Ascent To The Managed Services Summit

By The Business Solutions Network

After years of selling break-fix IT services, this VAR-turned-MSP figured out the secret to double-digit revenue growth and recurring revenue.

If you plan to climb Mount Everest (or any of the mountains in the Himalayas, for that matter), it’s a well-known fact that you’ll need to hire a Sherpa — a Nepalese who provides support for foreign trekkers and mountain climbers. Keep in mind that a good Sherpa isn’t cheap; you could pay up to $80,000 for your climbing expedition. But, when you consider that these skilled navigators may literally save your life, you probably won’t try to find the cheapest one.

This was the image Greg Gurev had in mind when he started MySherpa 13 years ago after losing his job of eight years as a director of sales at a technical staffing agency. Even though at the time Gurev was only a self-taught computer programmer and computer repair hobbyist, he had a love for technology and saw the growing importance IT was playing in the workplace. And, although he had never actually climbed a tall mountain, he was intrigued by mountain climbing and saw the role of the Sherpa as the perfect analogy of what an IT service provider is supposed to be for its clients. After beginning the transition to managed services five years ago — and refining its managed services offering three years ago — the Sherpa analogy has become even more relevant to how he conducts and grows his business.