

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Natarelli.
Dan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When I was 21, I became a professional bowler. I had taken it up at 12 years old and really loved the sport. I was on and off the pro tour for the next 3 years.
I incurred a wrist injury and while in rehab, I bought a PC out of the PennySaver to follow my friends on the PBA tour using a dial up modem and Prodigy. I went back 3 months later to upgrade and guy offered me a part time job because he needed help. Since I realized my bowling career was over, I soon went to full time because I enjoyed working on computers so much.
I worked for him for 2 years and got hired at a new company just starting out. It was me and another tech and he had one client and when I left we had over 300 on the books. I now learned how much I enjoyed running a company along with the tech work.
In 2000, I decided to leave that company and find another position closer to my house. I had a friend that needed some work done on the side and while I was doing that, he told another friend about me and I started working for both of them and that is when the light bulb went off. I knew how to run a company and how to be a good tech, so I decided to venture on my own and open up the company in May of that year.
As of today, I have been a tech now for 25 years and I have run my own company since May of 2000. My company grows every year and last year I purchased another small company and I am currently running both.
I also just recently became the president of my networking group called the Team Westlake Business Alliance. It is a great group of professionals and I am truly honored to be their current leader. Our group is by far the best I have ever been in and not only do we do a ton of business together, but I have formed some lifelong friendships.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say it hasn’t been smooth but I am sure all small businesses run into the same obstacles that I did. I think the scariest thing is when the phone wouldn’t ring for a few days. I really loved what I was doing and didn’t want to take a corporate job.
In 2008 during the crash, I hadn’t realized that over 30% of my business was tied into the Mortgage field. Losing that much business in 6 months crushed my bottom line but I then decided to try and focus on getting new insurance companies as clients. Luckily, I had some great friends help me do that so I wasn’t down too long.
The current “struggle” is trying to hire someone that I can trust to work for me. I can’t give just anyone access to my client’s data so it is taking me a while to find the right person. I will but I just want to make sure we are a good fit together.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about MSP Pros – what should we know?
We are a full-service IT Company.
We take care of all small businesses IT needs. We install new computers, servers, routers, firewalls, and of course printers into the office and make sure everything talks and works together. We also go into companies and secure the network using higher end firewall and wireless products.
We are a full-fledged Managed Services business that will be proactive to try and prevent problems instead of being reactive after the problem happens.
I am mostly proud that if you asked all of our clients they would say they have been very happy with our service. They would feel like we have a great response time for the industry and our billing is very fair.
The thing that sets us apart is that I know we are in a customer service business and we go above and beyond to make the client happy whatever that takes. Long nights and weekends if that is what they need. We try to please them as much as humanly possible and it isn’t about the money. Obviously, we are in business to make money, but if you put that on the back burner you can really provide great service at a very fair price.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I feel the biggest reason that I am successful is that I am a kind, caring, and compassionate person. In my field of work, I understand how people feel when the technology they need to work doesn’t work so they are stressed out when they call. I have learned to first try and calm the situation down, get to the problem, and fix it as quickly as possible.
The other main quality I have learned is patience. I am not saying I am Mother Theresa, but clients really can’t believe how calm and soothing I am when they call me for service. I am glad I learned how to have that early in my career.
Pricing:
- My hourly rate for onsite service calls in 125.00 an hour
- My hourly rate for remote work in 100.00 an hour
- Managed Service plans start at 29.99 per month for the home user and 40.00 a system for the business user
Contact Info:
- Address: 2207 Lupin St.
- Website: www.msppros.com
- Phone: 805-915-3500
- Email: dan@msppros.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MSP-Pros-181101808581390/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Msppros
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/msp-pros-simi-valley
Image Credit:
Holly Freeman
Jamie Hessler
Laura Leach
Karen Cormier
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
Linda Coburn
July 4, 2017 at 17:03
You couldn’t have picked a better guy to write about. I’ve known Dan since he first started his business. I’ve used his services for work and personal and he really is the best with anxious clients! He is very responsive and he’s also just a super nice person which is helpful when things seems to be crashing down around you.