Evergreen Managed Services Provider Business Model

Over the recent holiday weekend, I was looking at long ago article I wrote and stumbled upon a nugget from late 1998 – over 20-years ago. The conversation about three consulting fundamentals is the classic Finder, Minder, Grinder business model. Fast forward the movie 20-years and my latest book (“How to Be an MSP”) is an updated view of the Finder, Minder, Grinder model. So clearly this conversation has stood the test of time!

December 1998 “Three Consulting Fundamentals” (Redmond Channel Partner Magazine)

It’s 11 p.m. Do you know where your life is? That’s a question I recently faced as I sat down to reflect on consulting and write this column. As a consultant, you have lots of freedom to work the hours that you want to work. Paradoxically, you have the freedom to work too many hours.

It was my great pleasure to be on the “How To Be A Consultant” panel at MCP Magazine’s TechMentor conference this past August in San Jose, California. From the standing room-only crowd, questions peppered the panelists regarding the perception and reality of being a consultant, MCP-style. Based on my own interactions with the audience, I made several observations about the nature of consulting that I’d like to share with you now. First and foremost, consulting is divided into three roles: finder, minder, and grinder.