3 Good Reasons to attend your local User Group Meeting

3 Good Reasons to Attend Your Local User Group Meeting

3 Good Reasons to Attend Your Local User Group Meeting image

Are you an MSP business owner? Have you seen posts on social media about local Peer or User Group meetings and wondered why on earth you’d bother to go along? Personally, I highly recommend them, and attended plenty when I ran my own MSP.

3 Good Reasons to Attend Your Local User Group Meeting

So, to help convince you, here are three reasons I’ve found for engaging with my peers and becoming part of my local user group over the past few years:-

  1. Why re-invent the wheel? Every problem you’ll face as a business owner or technician will likely have already been met and solved by one of your peers – doesn’t it make sense to learn from others rather than isolate yourself?
  2. There are hundreds of vendors with thousands of products out there. You could spend all day, every day researching, via White Papers, reviews and magazine articles, their latest and greatest offerings. Or you could visit your local user group each month and hear directly from your peers. Learn what works, what doesn’t, and even meet the vendors directly to discuss their offerings.
  3. Ever come across a project job you were under resourced to tackle alone? Are you a “one man band” or similar and can’t remember the last time you took a day off, or worry about what you’ll do if you’re off sick and unable to work? Wouldn’t it be nice to build relationships with your peers that would help you tackle this situation?

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I asked Tubblog Community Manager and peer group enthusiast, Stephen McCormick, to share his views on what they’re like:

“I’ve noticed that peer groups draw people with similar but unique businesses at different levels of operational maturity. However, no matter how long you’ve been running your MSP, or how large your client base is, we all have similar concerns and aspirations.

Peer groups give you a great opportunity to grow your networks and learn from peers. Collaborate on ideas and new ways of working. Form strategic partnerships where our goals may align. We might attend because we need another perspective in resolving issues we’re stuck on. And of course, it can be a lonely endeavour running a business on your own. So peer groups allow you to vent your frustrations and anxieties with others that probably feel those pains as well, which can offer a form of catharsis.”

So if you have not visited your local user group recently, I’d encourage you to pop along and get involved. And to help you, have a look at The Tech Tribe and CompTIA for some meetups in your area. At worst you’ll have an evening spent talking shop with some fellow business owners and technicians over a pint!
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RICHARD TUBB

Richard Tubb is one of the best-known experts within the global IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) community. He launched and sold his own MSP business before creating a leading MSP media and consultancy practice. Richard helps IT business owner’s take back control by freeing up their time and building a business that can run without them. He’s the author of the book “The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide” and writer of the award-winning blog www.tubblog.co.uk

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Comments

5 thoughts on 3 Good Reasons to Attend Your Local User Group Meeting

AMITPRO MEETING – ARDEN HOTEL – 11.01.11 « TUBBBLOG

11TH JANUARY 2011 07:57:02

[...] persuading? Here are 3 Good Reasons to attend your local Microsoft Partner User Group Meeting that you should [...]

BRIAN HENDERSON

26TH NOVEMBER 2013 07:22:16

Is there a list of groups somewhere? I'm in the west of Scotland if you know of any around this area that would be very helpful

RICHARD TUBB

28TH NOVEMBER 2013 08:37:49

Brian - I maintain a list of user groups for UK Managed Service Providers. There is a group in Edinburgh which may be useful for you.

STUART CRAWFORD

1ST FEBRUARY 2014 03:18:40

RIchard One other great reason...potential M&A. Stuart Crawford http://www.ulistic.com

RICHARD TUBB

4TH FEBRUARY 2014 10:44:36

Stuart - very true, my friend! Mergers & Acquisitions are a great way to grow your IT business. Wise words!

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