Channel programs news
Joseph F. Kovar
“Each owner has their niche. … Let’s get them into our system and get them started. And we spend a tremendous amount of time teaching MSPs how to market and sell and deliver,” said Roger Lewis, CEO of CMT Solutions.
Franchising: Breaking down the barriers to MSP business
In IT, there is no such thing as inducing recurring revenue.
MSPs get into the business after a few years or sometimes decades of selling and delivering hardware and software, while others get into the business after years of working as service providers or suppliers.
However, some entrepreneurs may jump straight to establishing their own MSPs through franchising. One franchise operation focused solely on helping entrepreneurs build an MSP operation is Austin, Texas-based CMT Solutions, which, according to CEO Roger Lewis, has found a formula to help other MSPs become one.
[Related: The 20’s MSP M&A Spree: Six In A Month, Dozens More To Come]
CMIT offers all the support and tools needed to get started as an MSP, along with a partner network that includes vendors such as Microsoft, Dell, Lexmark, Intuit, Barracuda and Kaseya-Datto, Lewis told CRN.
Potential MSPs, Lewis said, “come to our system, and we’ll get them started. And we spend a tremendous amount of time teaching MSPs how to market and sell and deliver services. There is ongoing training. We connect them with partners and solutions and the IT stack and teach them how to be successful in the IT space.
CMIT already has more than 250 states covered by MSPs in the US and continues to grow. The company is franchising its first Canadian MSP as part of a pilot project to expand into that country. And the company is growing. This year, franchise-wide revenue topped $100 million for the first time, Lewis said. The company was acquired by Craftsmen Capital in December 2018 and has not received any foreign investment since then.
Here’s what Lewis has to say about CMIT and the franchising side of the MSP business.
Joseph F. Kovar
