Stop Working IN Your Business And Start Working ON Your Business

  • Company: Orbis Solutions
  • Year Founded: 2010
  • Headquartered: Las Vegas, NV
  • Geographic Market: Predominantly Las Vegas, Nevada, with additional customers across the United States
  • Top Growth Indicator: Revenue
  • YoY% of Growth: 25% over the last seven years
  • CEO and Founder: Sean Connery

First, Can We Discuss Your Name, Sean Connery. What Has That Been Like For You In The Cybersecurity World, Sharing The Name With An Actor Known As A Secret Agent? Any Story To Share?

Not exactly a story, but sure, marketing is always attempting to draw a line between me and that spy. It does allow me to make an entrance when I speak with C-level executives and business owners, and you know they remember my name. Easy for me to start with, “Hi, my name is Connery, Sean Connery, like the actor.” When I spoke at the Harvard Club of Boston, I held out an S.T. Dupont 007 pen and started, “ I have a pen of poisonous nerve toxin that could obliterate the room, but you look like a good crowd, so I will put it away for now.”

Sadly, with the actor retired for several years, younger business owners think the name is familiar, but they aren’t sure.

What Are The Top Three Metrics You Use To Measure Your Business And Why?

It depends on which hat I’m wearing. If I’m in a tech mode helping with our technology needs for our clients, maybe I’ll look at first-call resolutions or service-level agreements. If I’m addressing marketing and sales, I’m going to look at the cost of leads. There are a lot of metrics, but the top three for Orbis Solutions are:

  • Profit And Revenue Growth: We use this to measure the company’s progress. Without it, we wouldn’t know if what we are doing is working or not.
  • Profitability And Risk Management Of Each Client
  • Customer Satisfaction: This is our largest metric. We want our clients to be raving fans. I once heard a customer of ours was bragging to everyone at a golf tournament about how astounded he was that we had a tech on-site within 15 minutes when he had a server issue. We want each customer to feel amazed by our impeccable service. There’s tremendous value in word-of-mouth advertising.

What Is A Decision That You Made To Kick-Start Your Business Growth?

It was a no-brainer — I hired my wife Kelly. She runs our marketing and sales departments. Kelly was in the President’s Club of FedEx and Kinko’s and the Chairman’s Circle of American Express. She consistently achieves 20% year-over-year growth for our business, and that is her own goal! The best decision we ever made was having Kelly leave corporate America and help grow our own company to start a legacy. I’ve seen some businesses where the business owner’s spouse will run a department, but this is not the same. Kelly does her thing and does it well. Anyone can appreciate it because the work she does is invaluable. We did 25% in growth last year, and our goal is to do another 25% this year. It’s a big task to take on, but that’s what Kelly’s good at.

What Would You Say Was The Single Secret To Your Success This Past Year?

My success in 2019 came from shifting my focus from working in the business to working on the business. I was able to place the right people in the right spots. When you have the right people, they keep the business running successfully. This allows me to be more strategic about how I spend my time. I am able to expand my expertise and focus on more personal achievements. I spoke at the Harvard Club of Boston, finished my second No. 1 bestselling book, and was an expert guest on the “Cybersecurity Today” TV show, where I won an award for my appearance. These achievements allowed me to brand and market Orbis Solutions more effectively. Now, we’re not just some contract company trying to do IT — we have a professional who literally wrote the book(s) on cybersecurity.

What Was The Biggest Challenge You Had To Overcome This Past Year Related To Either Reaching That Growth Or As A Result Of That Growth?

We just purchased and built a new office building for Orbis that will allow us to grow exponentially. The space will also allow us to cultivate our other company, IT IS Compliance, which helps other companies and MSPs with compliance and security.

Who Would You Say Is The Most Impactful Business Leader Or Business Thought- Leader Whose Techniques Or Leadership Style You Either Try To Emulate Or Follow — Or Are Influenced By — And why?

My leadership style is a mix of several people. The first person who comes to mind is David Allen, author of “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.” Nothing drives me crazier than when someone is always saying, “Oh, I should really get that done.” Just get it done! David Stelzl, author of “The House & the Cloud: Building a Compelling Value Proposition Using Risk Awareness to Sell Technology,” is another person of influence. His book outlines a great way to discuss IT security with customers. I’m also influenced by Eric Simpson of SVC International. He provides great information on all aspects of an MSP business.

Lastly, Sir Richard Branson influenced my dress code. As an executive in IT work for casinos, I had to wear a suit all the time. When I started my own business, I thought I could wear Tommy Bahama slacks and a Tommy Bahama company-branded shirt and call that my uniform. As the company has grown and matured, I realize that wearing nice dress shoes, pressed jeans, a white button-down shirt, and a nice jacket go a long way. Professionals overlook the importance of fashion in business, but a consistent look and feel becomes part of your brand and keeps you in the forefront of people’s minds.

What Book Would You Recommend Other MSPs or SMBs Trying To Grow Their Business Should Read?

For SMBs, I’d look at “Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business” by Gino Wickman. I feel that book fits anyone. But if we’re talking about MSPs, I’m more likely to recommend joining accountability groups. Jump on Google and find a great one, including Robin Robins’ Producers Club and HTG Peer Groups. There’s a lot to be said about talking to other MSP owners across the country. These aren’t your direct competitors, so you can ask about their tools or policies, discuss how to deal with human resources issues, or learn what marketing is or isn’t working. The connections these groups provide is invaluable.

In Closing, Any Specific Advice Or Words Of Wisdom You Would Give To Other MSPs Looking To Grow Or Build A Successful Exit For Their Business?

As a master scuba diver trainer, I teach the rule of “plan your dive, then dive your plan.” The same holds true for a business. Plan your business, then run your business according to plan. When I left my last job and started Orbis, I spent a year planning out the tools, planning out the HR manual, establishing protocols, and creating the customer experience. After that year, we implemented the plan, and nine years later, we continue to grow, giving our customers great experiences and making Orbis a place where our employees are proud to work.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MSP Success Magazine is a print and digital publication dedicated to helping the CEOs and owners of managed IT services businesses build strong, profitable, growth-oriented businesses. Written and published by Robin Robins, founder of Technology Marketing Toolkit, this magazine is uniquely focused on the topics of marketing, client-acquisition, sales, profitability, leadership and personal development.

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