Most small manufacturers get one of two bad options: a managed service provider that assigns a different technician every time and charges per seat for a helpdesk nobody calls, or nobody at all until something breaks. I am the third option, and I have been doing exactly this job for one company since 2012.
Taking on a small number of retainer clients, East Bay and remote.
This is stated plainly on purpose. A fractional engagement that quietly absorbs helpdesk turns into an unpaid full-time job by month three, which is bad for both of us. If you need helpdesk, I will tell you so and help you find the right provider.
Founder-run product companies, roughly twenty to sixty people, with real operational complexity and no internal IT. Usually manufacturing, e-commerce or both. You have outgrown the person who used to handle it as part of another job, and you are not big enough to hire a systems administrator.
Sole technical operator for Lollar Guitars, a manufacturer of roughly thirty people. Microsoft 365 and Exchange environment, systems administration, QuickBooks Enterprise, vendor relationships, internal tooling, and the e-commerce platform. Fourteen years, one person, no internal IT department.
Tell me roughly how many people you have, what you are running, and what is currently annoying you most. I will tell you whether a retainer makes sense or whether you need something else.
acousticmirror@gmail.com