Lucas L.

TBH, GTM already has too many variables. Every task whose cognitive load you can remove from yourself, you should. I'd just find a reseller/provider you can trust and stick with them while you learn the ropes of everything else.

Hey! I own MilkBox. I think here is not a good place to drop a pitch, so I'll keep it holistic/non-salesy. It's a pain in the ass to set it up yourself. High cost in terms of time/effort (even if you hire a VA, you still gotta check everything). You are the one who needs to fix every issue. I haven't set up mailboxes directly with Google/Microsoft since 2022/2023, so IDK if there's a difference in performance now. Back then, I AB tested it and saw no difference. Across providers, there's definitely a difference in performance (reply rates) and management quality. Google is usually good for lower volume & Microsoft setups are usually better for high volume, as they are cheaper per inbox. I'd avoid custom SMTPs since you're a beginner - but if you do use it, use a mix of multiple providers to diversify the risk.