growth . That growth revealed the next big lesson she had to learn : how to hire , manage and build a solid team .
Within a period of six months , she got nailed by a series of setbacks that most businesses would not survive .
The first employee she had to fire for nonperformance took Robins ’ entire client list to her competitor . When she filed for a cease and desist for a violation of confidentiality , they filed a counter against Robins for defamation of character as a counter-bargaining tactic — a claim that was later dropped .
“ This first employee was a really bad egg who should have been fired much earlier , but I didn ’ t have the courage and hated confrontation , so I ignored a lot of the misbehavior ,” Robins said . “ But a bad employee is like a cancer . They never get better when ignored and end up destroying the attitudes of their coworkers and your culture .” This became public and caused a number of additional problems with other clients .
The next employee , a friend of the fired employee , up and quit without notice , angry that her friend was fired . Also disgruntled , a salesperson Robins hired repeatedly refused to make the calls she was hired to do , saying they were “ beneath ” her . Consequently , Robins had to let her go . In retaliation , the employee attacked Robins publicly , making false claims about what she was doing in the business , forcing Robins to get a lawyer involved . Another employee , who was going through a tough personal time , was also failing to do her job . That was a friendly , mutual parting of ways , but still a hardship , since Robins ’ staff was falling apart rapidly . As if that wasn ’ t enough , Robins discovered another employee stealing from her when petty cash went missing and the employee made personal charges on the company credit card . In all , five of seven employees either had to be fired or quit .
Then , in a cruel plot twist , Robins was diagnosed with melanoma and suffered a miscarriage , all within that same six-month period . “ It was , without a doubt , one of the darkest periods of my life ,” Robins said . “ It was all 100 percent my fault . But the good news is that hardship is a very effective teacher , and I learned lessons I ’ ve never forgotten that have served me to this day .”
Despite long hours , a grueling schedule to keep the business going and facing enormous personal difficulties , she was determined to succeed . Fortunately , the melanoma was caught in time and had not spread , and the employees were replaced with a stronger team , most of whom are still with her today . The business continued to grow . And the best news of all , Robins delivered the first of two healthy baby girls roughly one year later .
From those ashes , she ’ s gone on to build a solid , debt-free , high-profit , fast-growing , multimillion-dollar business that looks very different from the early days . She has mentored , coached and helped over 10,000 MSPs and IT services
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