By chance, I stumbled upon the multi-talented entrepreneur, Nik Robbins, founding partner at “Be Top Local” and driving force behind several coaching programs for emerging entrepreneurs. He had a lot to say about his life experience. Here is some of the thought-provoking conversation we shared:
So Nik, what’s your story? How did you get to this point in your career?
Frankly, it hasn’t been an easy road. I was a borderline drunk/drug addict who was going nowhere. I wasn’t a focused kid and took seven years to finish my four year university degree. But after college, I experienced a flicker of hope. I went into sales for different organizations like the NFL and the NBA, and it was during this period that I came to believe I was born for more and had an entrepreneurial spirit that I had to chase. But quitting a dependable 9-5 job, and entering the ‘dog-eat-dog’ business world felt like a cataclysmic decision at first. Reality started sinking in when I didn’t make many sales for several months. Somehow, I was miraculously surviving day by day. Someone thankfully opened my eyes to running a FB agency. Needless to say, that changed everything.
Wow! That’s quite intense! Your story is fascinating. That can’t be the end, or was it?
Certainly not! When it looked like I was beginning to get the hang of it, life dealt me several heavy blows. The growth of the agency has had major ups and downs. At one point, we made a strategic decision to start a new division, and that move ended up costing us a couple hundred thousand dollars. In spite of these setbacks, I was confident about my purpose in life. I had my share of bad luck in the past, so I knew this phase would only last a moment and at some point this too would pass. This really helped me push on, regardless of how challenging the current situation was.
What a story! What were some of the things you did that helped you through this phase?
I was conscious of where I was going. Keeping my eyes on the prize was perhaps one of the most beneficial things I ever did. I ensured negative thoughts never filtered into my mind. I believed in the power of meditation, which helped me greatly. I developed a steadfast habit. The first thing I would do was meditate. Then, I’d drench myself in motivational messages as I went through my normal routine. This was extremely helpful in keeping negative emotions and thoughts from entering my brain.
Interesting! What would you consider the most instrumental life lessons that propelled you to reach your current height?
If there’s anything I learned from life, it’s how important the brain is in achieving your goal. I believe we are defined by what we feed our brain. I invest a lot of resources into personal development, and it definitely pays off. Not a day passes that I don’t speak positivity into my life, and I don’t stop there. I set a next course of action, then plan, execute, and repeat. Having a vision, matching it with belief, and following it up with hard work has always been enough to succeed.
That’s awesome! What are your plans for the future, Nik?
I have always wanted to make the world a better place. One of the areas I am most passionate about is creating a sustainable change in our educational system, as I believe personal development and mindset preparation is an area that needs to be introduced early. The world needs to heal, and mindset training and personal development can make this possible through a steady approach to rewiring the brain. This should be made a part of our educational system at a very early level.
That’s an incredible goal. Congratulations Nik on living your best life! Also, good luck on your future endeavors. I am thankful that you decided to have this conversation with us. What are your final words for our readers?
The biggest thing we are missing in our lives is belief in ourselves and our abilities to make our dreams become a reality. If you want to make a change in your life it is possible – but it all begins with a belief. I want to encourage more people to believe in themselves. From there you create a plan and take action. We tend to over-complicate things way too often, but creating massive change in your life really is that simple. Belief. Plan. Action.