#28 - From The Trenches - Micro MSP Growth & Streaming (Daniel Oquendo)

Most MSP strategy content is written for companies already “past the gate”: a team in place, a sales motion humming, and enough margin to experiment. But the market is increasingly shaped by a different operator—the micro MSP owner who carries delivery, client management, and business leadership in one body. That operator isn’t playing the same game, and pretending they are leads to the wrong advice, the wrong pricing posture, and the wrong definition of growth.

In this From the Trenches episode, Josh Peterson sits down with Daniel Oquendo of Whispering Dragons to explore what it actually takes to build a durable micro MSP serving small and local businesses: the discipline to scale through partners instead of payroll, the courage to price in a way that protects long-term viability, and the leadership responsibility of educating clients who still believe “an antivirus equals safety.” Daniel’s story is a reminder that “small” is not a constraint—it’s a design choice. When you commit to the underserved end of the market, you win not by out-tooling bigger MSPs, but by building trust, clarity, and operational leverage.

Why micro MSPs are a different business model—not a smaller version of a bigger one

Micro MSPs aren’t “early-stage MSPs.” They’re a distinct operating system. The constraints are real—time, attention, and context switching—but so is the advantage: proximity to the client, faster feedback loops, and the ability to win on trust rather than brand.

Daniel’s approach highlights a critical truth: if you choose the micro-business segment, your product is not just managed services. Your product is translation—turning complex risk and regulatory expectations into simple, defensible decisions for owners who don’t live in IT.

• Micro clients don’t buy “tool stacks”—they buy confidence and continuity
• Education is not marketing; it’s risk management for the client and margin protection for the MSP
• Operational leverage comes from partnerships, automation, and crisp boundaries—not headcount

The real MSP problem this episode solves

Many MSP owners feel busy but not in control. Work expands to fill every hour, yet the business doesn’t feel sturdier. Micro MSP owners feel this most sharply: every compromise in workflow, every exception, every “just this once” becomes permanent.

This conversation cuts to three realities that quietly determine whether a small MSP survives:

• Pricing courage: you can be loved by clients and still be undercharging yourself into extinction
• Client education: if the client doesn’t understand risk, they will unintentionally push you into an unscalable service model
• Leverage design: the only way to stay small and still be excellent is to design the business around force multipliers

Pricing isn’t a number. It’s a leadership decision.

One of the most telling moments in the episode is when Daniel describes a client insisting he raise prices—because they want him to remain in business. That sounds like a feel-good story, but it’s actually a leadership warning label:

If your best clients are worried about your pricing, your business model is already fragile.

Micro MSPs can’t rely on scale to cover mistakes. Pricing has to do three things at once:

• Cover delivery at a sustainable margin (without heroics)
• Fund the time required for preventative work and client education
• Protect the owner’s ability to stay healthy, present, and consistent

In other words, pricing is how you tell the truth—about what your service requires and what it’s worth.

How a solo MSP scales without staff: build a “shadow team”

Micro MSPs don’t scale by trying to do everything. They scale by deciding what they will never do alone. Daniel’s model is a practical version of what many mature MSPs forget: you can build a “team” out of vendors, partners, and standardized response systems.

• Use vendor capabilities as a force multiplier for monitoring and response
• Standardize actions you take during incidents so decision-making is faster and calmer
• Design the business so critical events trigger a process—not a panic reaction

This is how you stay small and still deliver “big MSP” outcomes: you build leverage into the operating model, not into your calendar.

Streaming as strategy: education as a market wedge

Most MSPs treat content like an accessory: something you do “when you have time.” But in micro-business segments, education is often the entire wedge. If the client still believes consumer-grade security assumptions apply to business risk, they will default to underinvesting—until something breaks.

Daniel’s work in streaming is a useful lens for MSP owners: the point isn’t to become an influencer. The point is to create a repeatable way to turn your judgment into a public asset—without revealing sensitive operational specifics.

• Share stories, patterns, and decision frameworks—without sharing exploitable details
• Use recurring content to reduce “education debt” across your entire client base
• Build community trust in a segment where word-of-mouth remains the dominant growth engine

Episode highlights

• 00:04:00 – Transition from game development to managed IT services.
• 00:08:30 – Solving a critical certificate issue for a detention system client.
• 00:15:50 – Pricing transparency and trust—clients insisting on paying more.
• 00:18:30 – Operating as a solo MSP with 20 clients and vendor alliances.
• 00:21:30 – Educating micro businesses on cybersecurity and compliance.
• 00:43:30 – Beam Media: simplifying streaming and enabling monetization.
• 00:51:20 – Using streaming to educate and engage the small-business community.

About the guest: Daniel Oquendo

Daniel Oquendo is the owner of Whispering Dragons, a micro MSP serving small and local businesses with a focus on reliability, client education, and practical cybersecurity. He is also involved in Beam Media Corp., exploring how streaming technology can help creators and businesses distribute content more effectively and build stronger digital communities.

Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn →

Frequently asked questions

What is a “micro MSP”?
A micro MSP is typically an MSP run by a solo owner (or very small team) that delivers managed services to a smaller client base, often local and underserved, using leverage through partners and standardized operations.

Can a solo MSP grow without hiring?
Yes—if growth is defined as durability and margin, not headcount. The key is building a “shadow team” through vendors, automation, and consistent incident response processes.

Why do micro businesses resist MSP services?
Many believe consumer assumptions apply to business risk (e.g., “I have antivirus, so I’m covered”). Education is required to translate modern threats, compliance expectations, and liability into business terms.

How should a micro MSP think about pricing?
Pricing should sustain the business long-term, fund preventative work, and protect owner capacity. If pricing is too low, the MSP becomes a burnout machine—even if clients are happy.

Is streaming or content creation useful for an MSP?
It can be—when used as an education engine. Recurring content helps reduce “education debt” across clients and builds trust in markets where word-of-mouth drives most growth.

What does “co-opetition” look like in the MSP world?
It means recognizing you may compete in the market while still cooperating for shared learning, referrals, and community improvement—especially when serving segments larger MSPs avoid.

Related resources from Bering McKinley

• How to build profitable service agreements for MSPs
• Improving MSP financial operations through better data

About the host

Josh Peterson is the CEO of Bering McKinley and host of the BMK Vision Podcast. Through the From the Trenches series, Josh highlights MSP leaders who challenge default industry thinking and build durable, execution-driven businesses.

Connect with Josh on LinkedIn →

Want to continue the conversation?

If you’re building a micro (or growing) MSP and want help creating clarity, discipline, and execution that scales—explore Vision or apply to be a guest on the podcast.

👉 Apply to be on the BMK Vision Podcast
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