MSP appointment setting in Honolulu: who to call first

7 things to know before prospecting MSP in Honolulu

1. 01656 IT services firms work the Urban Honolulu metro (-2 in a year), about the national concentration.
2. 021.6 target businesses per IT firm ranks Honolulu #84 of 100 markets.
3. 03The biggest buyer group is construction contractors: 241 sites with 20 to 499 employees.
4. 04Urban Honolulu over-indexes on nonprofits and member organizations at 3.30x the national mix, so build references inside that group.
5. 05Medical, dental and outpatient practices added 79 establishments in a year: new sites without a managed service provider relationship.
6. 06Tier 1 is 212 sites with 50 to 499 employees among construction contractors and medical, dental and outpatient practices; those deserve two or three contacts each.
7. 07Santa Rosa (2397 miles) has more target businesses per IT firm, if your engineers can cover it.

These are the 12 industries Abstrakt's SDRs call for MSP work, with how many of each are in the Urban Honolulu metro and who to ask for. Compared with the U.S. as a whole, Urban Honolulu leans toward nonprofits and member organizations (3.30x), private schools and education providers (1.67x) and architecture and engineering firms (1.53x). Build the list around those categories. Manufacturers and wealth management and investment firms are thinner than the national mix, so treat them as selective targets.

1. 01
   Construction contractors241

   Ask for: Owner or president 86 with 50 to 499 employees 1.04x U.S. mix +8 in a year
2. 02
   Medical, dental and outpatient practices187

   Ask for: Practice administrator 69 with 50 to 499 employees 1.32x U.S. mix +79 in a year
3. 03
   Wholesale distributors153

   Ask for: Owner or president 57 with 50 to 499 employees 0.95x U.S. mix -10 in a year
4. 04
   Nonprofits and member organizations123

   Ask for: Executive director 24 with 50 to 499 employees 3.30x U.S. mix +6 in a year
5. 05
   Manufacturers91

   Ask for: Owner or president 37 with 50 to 499 employees 0.66x U.S. mix +2 in a year
6. 06
   Architecture and engineering firms67

   Ask for: Principal or owner 25 with 50 to 499 employees 1.53x U.S. mix +10 in a year
7. 07
   Private schools and education providers66

   Ask for: Head of school or director 23 with 50 to 499 employees 1.67x U.S. mix +11 in a year
8. 08
   Real estate brokerages and property management offices54

   Ask for: Broker-owner 21 with 50 to 499 employees 0.94x U.S. mix +4 in a year
9. 09
   Accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms26

   Ask for: Managing partner 8 with 50 to 499 employees 1.31x U.S. mix +6 in a year
10. 10
    Law firms25

    Ask for: Managing partner 5 with 50 to 499 employees 1.15x U.S. mix +30 in a year
11. 11
    Insurance agencies and brokerages25

    Ask for: Agency principal or owner 7 with 50 to 499 employees 0.93x U.S. mix +11 in a year
12. 12
    Wealth management and investment firms6

    Ask for: Firm principal 0.76x U.S. mix +3 in a year

Businesses are establishments with 20 to 499 employees (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023), the small and mid-sized range MSPs sell to; the SBA Office of Advocacy counts firms under 500 employees as small businesses. Change and concentration: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2025 Q2.

Real estate brokerages and property management offices run larger in Honolulu than across our 100 metros, which puts more of them in Tier 1. Manufacturers, private schools and education providers, accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms and law firms run smaller, so those groups need a seat-count question before a meeting is booked.

• Construction contractors are the largest group in Honolulu with 241 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Santa Rosa has (171): close to the national mix, up 8 establishments in a year, and typical in size (19% with 50 or more employees).

• Medical, dental and outpatient practices are the second-largest group in Honolulu with 187 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Santa Rosa has (99): more concentrated than nationally (1.32x), up 79 establishments in a year, and typical in size (18% with 50 or more employees).

• Wholesale distributors are the third-largest group in Honolulu with 153 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Santa Rosa has (97): close to the national mix, down 10 establishments in a year, and typical in size (20% with 50 or more employees).

• Nonprofits and member organizations are the fourth-largest group in Honolulu with 123 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Santa Rosa has (39): more concentrated than nationally (3.30x), up 6 establishments in a year, and typical in size (10% with 50 or more employees).

• Manufacturers are the fifth-largest group in Honolulu with 91 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, fewer than Santa Rosa has (204): less concentrated than nationally (0.66x), up 2 establishments in a year, and smaller than across our 100 metros (23% have 50 or more employees, against 32%), so confirm the seat count early on the call.

• Architecture and engineering firms are the sixth-largest group in Honolulu with 67 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Santa Rosa has (27): more concentrated than nationally (1.53x), up 10 establishments in a year, and typical in size (19% with 50 or more employees).

After those six come private schools and education providers (66), real estate brokerages and property management offices (54), accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms (26), law firms (25), insurance agencies and brokerages (25) and wealth management and investment firms (6), smaller groups to work by fit rather than volume.

Where a rule or a client review puts a date on security work in Honolulu: medical, dental and outpatient practices (187, HIPAA), manufacturers (91, CMMC where they supply defense work), accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms (26, the FTC Safeguards Rule), law firms (25, client security questionnaires), insurance agencies and brokerages (25, carrier and state insurance data security requirements) and wealth management and investment firms (6, SEC and FINRA exams); together, 360 businesses where the first message can lead with the requirement instead of the service.

Employee bands: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, establishments with 10 to 499 employees; suppressed size classes count as zero. Concentration and one-year change: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2025 Q2. The 100-metro average is the same share summed across every market we publish.

656 IT services firms are based in the Urban Honolulu metro. That is 2 fewer than a year ago. When an IT firm closes or sells, its customers go looking for a new one. The IT services industry is at about the national concentration. 1.6 target businesses per IT firm puts Honolulu 84 of 100 markets. That is toward the crowded end, so growth here comes mostly from displacing incumbents at renewal. If you can serve Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz, they have more target businesses per IT firm than Honolulu.

Tier 1 covers construction contractors, medical, dental and outpatient practices and wholesale distributors with 50 to 499 employees.

A new office or location needs network, devices and security set up before people move in, and the provider who does that work is in the best position to support it after.

• Medical, dental and outpatient practices: 79 more establishments than a year ago

  In this category the usual openings are a new location, a HIPAA risk assessment, an EHR or practice management change, a security incident.

• Law firms: 30 more establishments than a year ago

  In this category the usual openings are a phishing incident, a client security questionnaire, a new office or partner group, a document management change.

• Private schools and education providers: 11 more establishments than a year ago

  In this category the usual openings are a device refresh, a wireless upgrade, a new building, a summer project list, a security incident.

• Wholesale distributors: 10 fewer establishments than a year ago

  An acquisition puts a business under new owners, who usually review who runs IT and fold it into their own systems.

• 2 fewer managed service providers than a year ago

  Clients of an IT firm that closed, retired or sold have to decide who supports them next.

More questions for every prospect type, and how to follow up after the meeting, are in the MSP prospecting playbook.

If your engineers travel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, San Francisco and San Jose are the closest metros we track. Here are the same counts used above for Honolulu.

• Santa Rosa, CA

  2397 miles away, with 705 target businesses and 105 IT services firms, or 6.7 businesses per IT firm (#7 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is manufacturers.

• Santa Cruz, CA

  2413 miles away, with 255 target businesses and 60 IT services firms, or 4.3 businesses per IT firm (#23 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is medical, dental and outpatient practices, and it over-indexes on nonprofits and member organizations at 1.31x the national mix.

• San Francisco, CA

  2430 miles away, with 6,338 target businesses and 2,802 IT services firms, or 2.3 businesses per IT firm (#66 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is construction contractors.

• San Jose, CA

  2454 miles away, with 2,531 target businesses and 1,561 IT services firms, or 1.6 businesses per IT firm (#85 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is manufacturers.