Monday, August 05, 2024

Take the Super-Quick Poll: What Do You Call Yourself?

In my newsletter, I started down a bit of a rabbit hole. 


Action Item: 

Please Take Our Poll - What do you call yourself?

and 

What should we call the industry?

https://www.smallbizthoughts.org/what-do-you-call-yourself/

  • No name or email required


I have always been interested in the question: What should (do) we call our industry? What do you call yourself? As long as I can remember, I've referred to us as SMB IT consultants. Or sometimes SMB Consultants.

SMB = Small and Medium Business. In the UK, they prefer SME - Small and Medium Enterprise.

About twenty years ago, I loved the new moniker MSP - Managed Service Provider. I've become less happy with that every year since then. The primary reason for this is that so many people call themselves MSPs but only do break/fix. At the same time, we have a growing contingent of "MSPs" who only exist to rip off their clients and do the whole industry a disservice.

Ever since Dave Sobel, Ryan Morris, and I created the Killing IT Podcast, I've really like the term ITSP - IT Service Provider. I used this when I named IT Service Provider University and when I founded the National Society of IT Service Providers.

This term hasn't take the world by storm. I'll give it another twenty years before I pass judgement. Other terms I hear folks use with their clients or among themselves include Small Business Consultant, IT Consultant, or simply Consultant.

So I'm polling the universe: What do YOU call yourself? I am primarily interested in how you define yourself and your team internally. That is: Inside your company, what term(s) do you use?

The questionnaire is very simple. Boiling down this question might be difficult, so I've created a VERY straight forward questionnaire. It only has these questions:

1. How do you refer to yourself and your business?

2. Which one name would you like our industry to be known as?


There's also an open field to say anything else you wish on this topic (optional). If you want to get results, you can also drop your email address. Also optional. We will report the results here, obviously.

Please fill out this form: 

https://www.smallbizthoughts.org/what-do-you-call-yourself/


You are NOT required to give your name or email, but you may if you wish. 

And please go on forums, etc. and encourage others in our industry to fill out the form. 

Note: This poll closes Saturday, the 10th. So don't delay.

Thank you.

:-)

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