1. Pick a narrow local niche
Choose one type of business within driving distance: dental practices, accounting firms, law offices, physio clinics or real estate agencies. They all run similar software, have compliance worries, and talk to each other. Saying you look after dental practices in your city beats saying you do IT support.
2. Find businesses showing signs of IT pain
Search Google Maps for your niche in your area and check each website. Look for expired SSL certificates, broken contact forms, Gmail addresses on the site, or job posts for an office manager who also has to 'handle IT'. Each of those is a specific reason to get in touch.
3. Message the office manager or practice manager
At small firms, the practice manager or office manager usually owns IT problems, not the owner. Find them on LinkedIn or call the front desk and ask who deals with computer issues. Example: 'Hi Sarah, I noticed your site's security certificate expired, which shows a warning to visitors. I fix this kind of thing for local clinics. Happy to sort it free so you can see how I work.'
4. Lead with a small free fix
Offer one concrete, low-risk job: a backup check, Microsoft 365 security review, Wi-Fi fix or new-starter laptop setup. Doing it well earns trust much faster than a pitch. When you're done, write down what else you noticed and suggest a monthly plan.
5. Get referrals from accountants and bookkeepers
Accountants, bookkeepers and office fit-out companies see many small businesses up close and hear their IT complaints. Ask one directly: 'When clients mention IT headaches, who do you send them to? I look after small offices nearby and would gladly return referrals.' Two partners like this can keep you busy.
6. Answer questions in local and niche communities
Join your town's Facebook business groups, local subreddits, and Nextdoor, and search for posts like 'IT person recommendation' or 'email not working'. Give a useful answer in the thread before you offer help. Also watch r/sysadmin and r/msp to see which problems small offices keep running into.
7. Show up where owners meet in person
Go to your chamber of commerce, BNI chapter or a co-working space meetup. Bring one short story about a problem you fixed for a similar business. Ask the people you meet what's annoying them about their tech, then follow up within 24 hours.
8. Track every conversation and follow up
Use a simple spreadsheet with name, business, problem spotted, date contacted, and next step. Most small business deals close on the second or third follow-up, often after their next outage. Hulby, an AI cofounder, can do this prospecting and follow-up daily for a founder.
People asking this right now
Real, public posts from the last few weeks. Each one is somebody you could help today.
Mistakes to skip
- Targeting every business instead of one niche you can talk about specifically.
- Messaging the owner when the office manager is the one who feels the pain.
- Selling managed services contracts before proving yourself with one small fix.
- Contacting someone once and never following up.
Want this done for your IT support business, every day?
Hulby finds the people asking for what you built, writes every reply and email, and keeps you on it until they pay. Free to start.
Find my first customersQuestions
How many clients do I need to start?
Three to five small offices on monthly plans can cover your basics. Work out your own number from your costs and pricing.
Should I charge hourly or monthly?
Start hourly or with a fixed price for one-off fixes. Then move clients to a per-user monthly plan once they trust you.
Do I need certifications first?
Not to land small office clients. Being reliable and responding fast matters more to them. Microsoft 365 knowledge helps.
How do I compete with big MSPs?
Be local, quick to respond, and focused on one niche. Big providers often won't bother with 10-person offices.