How ClearStack Works
One Audit. Then You Decide.
ClearStack doesn't ask you to sign a retainer on faith. Every relationship starts with an independent audit of what you're actually getting from your MSP and your technology spend. What happens after that is entirely up to you.
The Short Version
Three steps. No faith required.
A Fixed-Fee, Independent Audit
Three weeks, $2,500, no ongoing commitment attached.
A Findings Presentation & a Roadmap You Own
Whether you work with ClearStack again or not.
You Decide What Happens Next
If it's a fit, you move into ongoing fractional CIO support. If it's not, you walk away with a clearer picture than you had before, at a fraction of what a bad vendor decision would have cost you.
Most technology consulting starts with a pitch for your business. This starts with proof.
Why It Starts With an Audit, Not a Sales Call
You shouldn't have to take my word for it
A monthly retainer is a real commitment, and you shouldn't have to take my word for it that it's worth it. The audit exists so you're deciding based on a documented, independent look at your actual environment, not a slide deck and a handshake. It's also why the audit fee credits toward your first month if you move forward within 30 days. You're not paying twice for the same discovery work, you're just doing it in the right order.
The Independence Principle
Grading their own work
Here's the structural problem with asking your MSP whether your MSP relationship is healthy: they're grading their own work. That's not a character flaw, it's a conflict built into the arrangement itself, the same reason an accountant doesn't audit the books they kept.
ClearStack has no managed services division, no software to sell, and no commission arrangement with any vendor. Chris McGlasson spent years running an MSP before he sold it and started doing this instead, so the scrutiny he brings isn't theoretical. He knows precisely where an MSP can pad hours, delay a fix, or upsell a service that was never really needed, because he was once the one making those calls. That knowledge now works for you, not for the vendor billing you.
After the Audit
Where ClearStack fits, and what continuing looks like
Alongside Your Existing Team
Most companies this size aren't running with zero internal IT. Usually there's one or two people, an IT Manager or Coordinator, handling day-to-day tickets and acting as the go-between with the MSP. ClearStack doesn't replace that person or compete with them. I sit above the whole arrangement, coordinating your internal IT, your MSP, and your leadership so nothing is being evaluated by the same people responsible for delivering it. Your internal IT person often becomes an ally in this process. They're usually the one who's seen the gaps up close and never had the authority to do anything about them.
What Ongoing Support Looks Like
If the audit confirms it's a fit, the next step is a fractional CIO retainer: technology strategy, AI governance, vendor and MSP accountability, and budget ownership. It's priced plainly, because a moving target of a price is exactly the kind of thing this whole approach exists to prevent.
Retainer
$9,500 / month
Time Commitment
18 to 22 Hours
Per month
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you replace our internal IT person or team?
No. I coordinate above your internal IT and your MSP, not in place of either. Most clients find their internal IT person becomes a closer ally once someone senior is finally asking the MSP the questions they never had the standing to ask.
Are you affiliated with any MSP or software vendor?
No. ClearStack doesn't sell hardware, software, or managed services, and doesn't take commissions from any vendor. The audit findings reflect what I find, not what benefits a partner relationship.
What if the audit finds nothing seriously wrong?
Then you have independent confirmation of that, which has real value on its own, particularly heading into a renewal negotiation or a board conversation. It happens less often than most people expect.
What if we're not ready for ongoing support after the audit?
That's a fine outcome. The audit and the roadmap are yours regardless. There's no pressure to continue, and no penalty for stopping there.
How is this different from hiring a general IT consultant?
Most IT consultants either come from inside the MSP world and carry the same blind spots, or come from a general technology background without ever having run the specific kind of vendor relationship they're now evaluating. ClearStack's read on your MSP contract comes from having built and sold one.
Every relationship starts the same way.
One fixed-fee audit. No retainer required to find out if it's a fit.
Start With a Clarity Audit