Sales and marketing

MSP Shark Tank: HTG Offers $50,000 for Marketing Initiatives

HTG has launched a Shark Tank of sorts for its IT service provider members. The organization's goal: Inspire MSPs to write innovative marketing plans for 2017, and then award three MSPs some cash to spend on those marketing plans. The grand prize is $25,000, followed by $15,000 for the second-place winner and $10,000 for third place.

Founded in 2000 Arlin Sorensen, HTG is an international community of experienced MSPs and IT industry vendors focused on business and personal growth, execution and accountability. HTG provides peer groups and coaching and consulting services, and has member companies throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Roughly 450 peer group members meet face-to-face or online to share, benchmark, learn and set goals.

The HTG Shark Tank contest works as follows:

  • Write your marketing plan
  • Email it to Becky Teal/HTG by January 10th
  • Finalists will be notified by January 15th
  • Give a brief 10-minute presentation to our "Sharks" at the Q1 Community Day/Phoenix on February 8th
Arlin Sorensen Arlin Sorensen

Submissions must also include:

  • Answering the question, "If I had $25k to grow my business, how would I use it?"
  • A budget showing how the prize money would be spent
  • A member/vendor plan, proving that you are working with key vendors to plan at the next level
  • Some details as to how you'll work with key vendors to be successful; does not need to be vendor-specific

The twist? You gotta be an HTG member to participate -- but there's still time to join the organization to qualify for the contest, Sorensen says.

Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.