“ Part of growing a business is being able to hold the line as you go through intensely difficult periods . But every time you push through , you get a little stronger and gain more skills and more confidence .”
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firms who have enrolled in one or more of her programs — a number that grows every year . She runs the largest C-level IT peer group , and her annual event is one of the largest in the industry . “ Many of the vendors joke that joining my program is a rite of passage for small MSPs to grow ,” Robins said . “ One recently said they thought I was written into the journey of becoming an MSP ; you get a PSA tool and RMM and then you join Robin Robins .”
Today , Robins ’ company is not only the largest reseller of CRM and marketing automation systems to the MSP industry , but it ’ s also the # 1 reseller of Keap in the world . Recently Robins launched Big Red Media , a marketing firm dedicated to helping vendors selling to the MSP channel through effective strategies and media to acquire new partners . She also launched Big Red Virtual , a virtual event platform “ birthed ” from her annual event , which became the biggest and most successful virtual event in IT history after she quickly pivoted from a live event to a virtual one in just a few short weeks due to the forced COVID-19 shutdown . This platform took off in sales , as organizations flocked to Robins team seeking direction on how to deliver a successful virtual event .
Reflecting on the hardships she faced , here are insights into how Robins proactively turned adversity into triumph and how you can , too .
Don ’ t retreat — double down .
Everyone goes through periods of time where everything goes sideways at once . It ’ s during these times you must dig in even deeper , and be courageous . “ There are times when you think , I can ’ t even breathe . I ’ m so crushed . I ’ m so disheartened . I ’ m so frustrated . I don ’ t want to do this anymore ,”' Robins said . “ You want to give up . In those moments , you ask yourself , ‘ Why am I doing this ?’ and second guess your choices and abilities . How you handle those moments determines whether you recover and grow or sink . Far too many hit that wall and retreat . Big mistake . Part of growing a business is being able to hold the line as you go through intensely difficult periods . But every time you push through , you get a little stronger and gain more skills and more confidence .” you , even well-meaning people who should be on your side . You must stand strong and be okay with being unpopular . You cannot run a business trying to keep everyone happy . You ’ ll end up making everyone mad or get nowhere fast .”
Be grateful for all experiences , good and bad .
Don ’ t try and avoid the bad experiences , and don ’ t complain about how hard it is . Ever . Instead , change your mindset to expect problems and see them as an opportunity to get stronger and develop a clearer vision or learn a new skill . When you do that , you are better equipped to overcome problems faster , even in situations you ’ ve never encountered before . “ I don ’ t have it all figured out ,” Robins said . “ No one does . I deal with all kinds of new problems every single day in business . But every problem I solve , every challenge I overcome , makes me smarter and stronger when it comes time to handle the next one .
“ Part of growing a business is being able to hold the line as you go through intensely difficult periods . But every time you push through , you get a little stronger and gain more skills and more confidence .”
Make adversity your vitamin .
Don ’ t try to make everyone happy . “ Far too many business owners are bullied into timidity in marketing for fear of what others might think or say ,” Robins fervently proclaimed . “ When you ’ re running a business and making tough decisions , you ’ re absolutely going to be met with criticism and opposition . People will try to undermine you and crush
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