Robbie Canner is a 63-year-old entrepreneur, international model, and the Director and owner of Ms. Australia, New Zealand, Oceania World Universal, and Ms. Regal World Universal, and Ms. Majestic World Universal. She was crowned Ms. World back in 2018/19, and she’s the reigning Ms. World Universal Elite 2020/21. She’s also a public speaker on the topic “Age Is No Barrier.”
Since winning the Ms. World title, her public profile has considerably grown, allowing her to promote her platform and raise awareness and funds for cancer research. Winning major international titles in her 60’s has given her a platform, showing men and women from all walks of life, that age is no barrier to what anyone can achieve.
Since losing her son to cancer, her emotional and mental stress led her to visit thoughts such as, “I don’t want to be here anymore,” or “I want to be with my son.” However, her inner strength eventually led her to want still to continue living, have a say, and give direction to help others in any area of situational, emotional, and mental stress – assuring them that things can get better in time.
She loves chatting with future queens and friends she meets along her journey, and she wants to help them achieve their hopes and goals.
Global Elite Entrepreneur recently caught up with Robbie to discuss her journey as an entrepreneur, and here’s what went down:
When did your entrepreneurial flair first reveal itself?
My first business venture was 36 years ago when I started my Sports Therapy Practice which all these years later is still running at a huge and booked-out pace. I always did extra work in TV commercials and movies but always wanted to walk the runway at Fashion Week. Little did I know that it would take into my 60’s to achieve this as in right now. Now, after winning Ms. World in 2018, it has propelled me into many avenues of modelling, media, guest speaking, podcasts, promotions, and becoming the Director of my pageant event Ms. Australia, New Zealand, Oceania World Universal and Ms. Regal, and Ms. Majestic World Universal with my bestie Nancy Ellen Martin in the US now extending into Canada and Japan and the start of Monarch International. Between my practice, modelling and pageants, these are now my full-time jobs, and I love the combination. My practice works with the human body and movement, the modelling shows the human body and movement, and the pageants grow the human body and mental mindset. I guess I have the perfect combination woven together in all my careers. And I certainly don’t intend to retire from any of them, only increase this creative combination to success.
What are you currently doing to maintain/grow your business?
To maintain and grow my businesses currently is staying on a platform of currency in the trends happening, contacting or being approached by the right people and companies, and just having the guts to put myself out there and take a risk. My practice has a history of success, so that takes care of itself, but my national and international modelling career through my agents is going very well and now entering a new realm. Collaborating with other sources is currently a project in play, so I guess it’s a watch this space over the coming year. I have a great team around me, so I am blessed with having the best in every area.
What form of marketing has worked well for your business throughout the years?
The form of marketing to grow my businesses, especially for my practice, has only been through word of mouth, which I have been eternally grateful for my work has preceded the need to advertise. My modelling and pageant career has taken care of itself from being approached by many sources for interviews, magazine articles, and TV and radio interviews. I have put myself out there for fashion week and travel, but luckily, I have always been invited back to grow further.
What social media platforms do you usually use to increase your brand’s awareness?
My social media platforms of choice are Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn; these all get the word out to promote and gain ground in all avenues of my businesses. Articles and word of mouth are two of the greatest outlets to increase brand awareness.
What is the toughest decision you had to make in the last few months?
The toughest decision I have had to make in the last few months, as has been everyone else’s toughest decision as well, is how to get through Covid. How to survive and understand that at the end of all this craziness there will be a continuation of what was started before lockdown. I used this time to think and grow in how I would achieve my finest outcome from day 1 of freedom. I used these difficult times to grow into the best times still to come.
What do you put your success down to?
I have great friends as a source of support and visa versa, the added smile of having someone special enter my life just at this time, and most of all, to visualize where I wanted to be emotionally and career-wise post-Covid.
How has your business been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?
Luckily, my business was an essential service, so the Covid situation did not affect my practice. With constant updates from NSW Health and following all the rules, I was able to grow through this outbreak which made me feel so good because I was not only able to help others keep their bodies mobile – but also help them emotionally giving all of them a reason to strive through to freedom.
How have you adapted your business operations in response to COVID-19 and its associated impacts?
I have used a considerable lot of spare time to think, write and plan on all levels, and somewhere along the line, I have succeeded in some of my dreams and goals. At times, I just wanted to fold like so many others, but I found the strength somewhere. Sometimes you need to hang in there in the face of adversity.
What have been some of the most important lessons you have learned because of this pandemic?
Some of the most important lessons I have learned through the pandemic are: there are a lot of people worse off than me, we can’t control life, but we can control and adapt ourselves to this situation, and to take this time to plan, think and try to grow through the emotional breakdowns. I had to plant a thought in my head that I could put my mind to anything I might like to try when I am through this. I’m looking forward to exciting, new journeys.
What do you hope to see happen in the near future for small businesses all over the world?
For all small businesses, I would like to see them all survive in the near future. Unfortunately, this will not always be possible, but some small businesses have been established and grown through this unusual time to total success and achievement. Life itself is a small business in just being a human being, and we all have the self-capability to survive and start to grow again; even though we may get knocked down, we can all support each other in this; how fantastic.
What advice would you give to a newbie Entrepreneur setting up a new business in this pandemic?
For anyone to start a new business in this pandemic is a testament to the ability of what we can all achieve to grow and succeed in the face of adversity. It is another ultimate level to challenge yourself in everyone’s mind and faith. I take my hat off to everyone who put a physical and mental idea into practice during a pandemic and survived to start a new business into where we all now exist. This is the ultimate achievement and growth to saying there’s nothing anyone cannot do.
Photo Credit: Tony Palliser of Studio 49