In the years before I founded Giant Rocketship, I owned an MSP. Like many MSP owners, I often found myself looking for ways to give back to my community. After all, we’re in a unique position to help businesses and organizations thrive with technology. But here’s one hard-learned lesson: offering something for free almost always backfires.
When I owned my MSP, I was big on contributing to the community. Each year, we would select a non-profit to receive a free, full-service contract for a year. They got everything: agents, licenses, and the same SLA-backed support our paying clients received. It felt like a win-win—helping a local organization while building goodwill.
But it never worked out the way I hoped.
The clients we offered free services to always, always, turned out to be our worst clients. They were dismissive, ignored advice, and ultimately created more frustration than the paying customers who expected premium service. It wasn’t because they were non-profits—I’ve had fantastic experiences with paying non-profit clients. The problem was rooted in the psychology of “free.”
In the MSP world, free services send an unintentional message: This isn’t worth paying for. Even when you deliver top-tier service, the client subconsciously values it less because they didn’t have to sacrifice anything for it. It’s like handing someone a free car—if they didn’t buy it, they’re less likely to maintain it or listen to the mechanic when it needs repairs.
For example, one non-profit client balked at upgrading an old server, even though we discounted the hardware and labor to nearly nothing. But they had no issue spending full retail on non-essential projects that cost far more. Their lack of investment in our advice stemmed, I believe, from the fact that they hadn’t invested in our partnership.
The problems with offering free services aren’t unique to my MSP experience—they’re a recurring theme in our industry. Here’s why this happens:
After learning this lesson the hard way, I shifted my approach. Instead of offering free services, consider these alternatives:
These strategies maintain the value of your work while still allowing you to give back in a meaningful way.
Although I’m now focused on running Giant Rocketship, which helps MSPs streamline their ticket lifecycle, my experience as an MSP owner taught me invaluable lessons about the dangers of offering free services. One of the most important? Respect your own work. If you don’t, your clients certainly won’t.
Generosity is admirable, but it has to be balanced with a clear understanding of your business’s worth. Free services might feel like a kind gesture, but they often lead to strained relationships, unrealistic expectations, and a lack of respect for your team.
So, the next time you’re tempted to offer something for free, think twice. Instead, find ways to give back that reinforce, rather than undermine, the value of what you bring to the table.