Embrace Chaos
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
After having him speak at a Producers Club meeting in 2014 , I convinced Robert Herjavec , CEO and co-founder of the Herjavec Group , to allow us to bring 20 MSPs to his Toronto headquarters to see the inner workings of a $ 400 million MSP ( his revenue at the time ). It was an absolutely brilliant experience for all , with many lessons and insights that even I personally use to this day .
I had my leadership team in attendance , and one of the shining moments of the day was when my COO , Nicole Rogers , came to me and said , “ Now I get it .” She was referring to the pace , complexity , and intensity his entire team was running at and why it was necessary for growth . To quote Robert , you must EMBRACE CHAOS ( the title of a chapter in his book , “ Driven ”). For years , I suspect she thought I was crazy , constantly pushing the limits of what our company could do , always inventing , always starting multiple projects at once , and never slowing down .
But , as Robert so elegantly summed it up in that chapter title of his book , every entrepreneur must not just tolerate chaos , or worse , try to avoid it — we must embrace it , nurture it , and welcome it . There ’ s profit in the chaos . No business grows and competes effectively at a steady jog , much less a snail ’ s pace . Your competition will crush you before you have a chance to get out of bed in the morning . A big contributing factor to why so many businesses stay small is their dislike of and aversion to messes and chaos . Small is easy . Small is controlled . Small is predictable . But most important , small feels safe , delivering a false sense of security to the owner . Of course , there is no such safety in business . The ONLY real security you have is your ability to produce results in any type of circumstance .
Another chapter in Robert ’ s book is “ Appreciate What It Takes To Succeed .” Specifically , you have to be intensely determined . Casual wishes attempted with easy buttons and “ hacks ” don ’ t work here . You ’ ll give up way too soon and fall short of what ’ s necessary for sustainable , profitable growth .
We all know that the constant commonality among all exceptional people is a strong work ethic and a willingness to do things that other people simply refuse to do . Yes , talent and intelligence matter , but there are a whole lot of people who are extremely smart and extremely talented who never amount to much in their lives , going completely unnoticed and unrewarded for their talents . They ’ re constantly pumping the brake , looking for the easy way out , wanting a vacation over a good opportunity . A common desire of the poor is to win the lottery so they never have to work , but what kind of life would that be ? What would get you out of bed in the morning ? What would challenge you ? What would be your purpose in life ? Your calling ? Not having to worry about money is not necessarily a bad thing , but the second half of that — the “ so I never have to work again ” — is a sad and pitiful wish you really don ’ t want to come true .
And finally , Robert ’ s curiosity and interest in learning is abundantly clear . He always has a
“ Shark Tank ’ s ” Robert Herjavec Meet And Greet With Our MSP Clients At The 2018 IT Sales And notepad and pen in his suit jacket ,
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and on several occasions during our interactions , he whipped it out to jot down a note or two about my thoughts in this industry , marketing , managed services , etc . We should all do this . I can ’ t tell you the number of speakers I ’ ve had on stage who have zero curiosity about our community and what we do .
Most people only pay attention to the people and things they already know , listening only to the opinions of people who inherently agree with their point of view . They treat the news , things they read , and people they follow like a finicky 3-year-old at a buffet line , selecting only the stuff they like over taking it all in and exploring some things that might not initially taste good but are very good for you . But as an entrepreneur , you need a lot of input from a lot of sources — different industries with various models and marketing campaigns , approaches to customer service , pricing , hiring , and distribution . Eclectic input is fodder to stimulate your thinking . An unstimulated mind is one that doesn ’ t grow or expand . Ask yourself : HOW could I use this in my business , even if it ’ s not entirely apparent from the start ? Many call this “ creative thinking ” or “ thinking outside the box ,” but what they miss is that you have to get out of the box entirely before you can see other possibilities . You can ’ t read the label from inside the jar .
Here ’ s one final note about Robert : Many people have asked me , what is he really like in person ? I am happy to report that the Robert you see on “ Shark Tank ” is the Robert you see in real life . He is , without a doubt , a deeply genuine , driven , intensely smart , passionate serial entrepreneur as well as a happy person who loves his life .
Want to see Robert in action talking about keys to succeeding as an MSP ? Go to MSPSuccessMagazine . com / robert . n
4 | MSPSuccessMagazine . com • VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2