Building an MSP from the ground up

Dickinson did her due diligence.

“I started talking to dentists. I was seeking to understand from them, mainly—why do you keep buying such awful computers and then expecting magical results? I started realizing more and more that I have a platform and an ability to talk to dentists about technology.”

It was then that Chief Technologist and Founder Tasha Dickinson decided to start a business. Pulling from her deep technical background in computer science, product management, and product marketing, Dickinson began building an offering to meet the needs of modern-day dental practices.

Her conversations went beyond the surface. She started by sharing and socializing technology education at industry events, which led to offering risk assessments. She realized quickly that dentists just didn’t have time for these critical efforts. As a result, her focus on cybersecurity evolved out of these conversations. Dickinson explains, “I started getting more and more people saying to me, quietly, that they were a victim of a cyberattack. Something needed to be done. Every time I talk [to dentists] about their technology infrastructure, I can make a recommendation to them like, ‘You definitely need this!’”

As businesses started returning to the office, opportunities followed. In fact, it was a significant uptick. This was great for Siligent as a nationwide single vertical business. But the challenges remained, and they were accelerated as patients returned to the office. Dentists simply do not have the time to juggle it all.

And then there’s Dickinson

What did she have to juggle?

Well, for starters, she was managing an MSP.

She was raising three kids.

Her husband, a dentist himself, was working 60-80 hours a week.

That’s a lot for a party of one.

Enter, ConnectWise.

Why ConnectWise?

Dickinson had an EDR solution in place and quickly decided that she needed an RMM tool and additional cybersecurity offerings.

“At first, I wasn’t in a business position yet to go ahead with ConnectWise RMM as a solution. I wasn’t ready. So, I actually started with N-able. N-able was good, but not great. And then, my partner approached me with Kaseya. I decided to give it the old college try! Given my background, I felt confident that I could figure it all out. But no. It didn’t work out. It didn’t make sense. It was cumbersome. Nothing worked right.”

In search of something more seamless and automated, Dickinson continued talking to ConnectWise. “I liked them. I liked the ConnectWise philosophy, and over time, it really stood out to me. I decided to make the switch. I moved over to ConnectWise and haven’t looked back.”

“When I started looking around [for a technology partner to help me scale]. I had a list of things that mattered to me. ConnectWise hit all those markers.” Her sales contact at ConnectWise, Charlie, set her up with ConnectWise RMM and MDR which she credits, “These tools allowed me to scale. I was able to make little jumps and grow a lot quicker.”

Siligent entered a transition period from Kaseya to ConnectWise. She praises the ConnectWise account management team and process by saying, “I think having a person who can guide you through everything that you bought is helpful. I have to say, with Kaseya, the onboarding experience wasn’t great. For me, the onboarding aspect is so important, and you guys are hitting it out of the park.”

Partnership in growth

Starting any business comes with risk and the stress of balancing limited resources with unpredictable demand. For Dickinson, the most significant lever for growth occurred when another ConnectWise sales leader, Corby, suggested enlisting the resources of the ConnectWise Dedicated Technician program, and Charlie insisted that she join the Partner Program.

“I wasn’t sure if I needed a full-time or part-time tech, but I was able to bring on a ConnectWise Dedicated Tech so that I could spend more time in other areas of my business. I’m able to get more into sales. I’m getting into marketing. These are priorities that require my focus while ConnectWise is helping the technology run in the background.” Dickinson considers herself “lucky” to have a true partnership with ConnectWise where resources are accessible and always suggesting ways to help her business grow. Dedicated tech allows her to get the support she needs at a predictable cost, and as she says, “There’s a finite number of resources out there. They were willing to help me find the right person at a cost that worked for me.”

Through the Partner Program, with business guidance from Kyle and technical expertise from Lydia, she’s had access to the ConnectWise bench of cybersecurity experts and marketing materials to not only help her mature as a business but connect with her customers in a more meaningful way. As she hits her stride with her cybersecurity offering and starts evaluating relationships with clients, she happily reports, “Our endpoint count has actually gone down (sorry, ConnectWise), but our MRR has gone up!”

Not only has Dickinson benefitted from meaningful relationships with sales and partner program contacts, but she’s also been amazed by the IT Nation™ community and how easy it has been to connect with product and engineering resources at the conferences.

Her advice? “Wake up early. If you see a fun run on the schedule for IT Nation Secure or Connect—don’t miss it! You might just end up getting to ask a group of developers your most technical questions or hearing about the future of the Asio platform from the general manager himself.”

Reflecting on her experience to this point, Dickinson leaves us with this:

“Not everyone gets to have their own business, keep up with the hectic schedule of three kids (how can you say no when your child asks to join an after-school math club?), and attend tradeshows to build their business. I’m able to do this because I have the technology working in the background and a partner that has my back. This is what makes ConnectWise different.”

“I don’t know how I got the Dream Team with ConnectWise, but they’ve been amazing and steering me through all of this. With them, we are ruling the world.”

Keep it up, Siligent! Rule on.

Check out Siligent’s website to learn more about their mission to protect the future of dental practices.