Robbie Canner is a 63-year-old entrepreneur, international model, and the director and owner of Ms. Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania World Universal as well as 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 to be here anymore,” or “I want to be with my son,” but eventually her inner strength led her to still want 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 to future queens and friends that she meets along her journey and she wants to help them achieve their hopes and goals.
InLife International recently caught up with Robbie to discuss her journey as an entrepreneur and here’s what went down:
Could you please tell our readers a brief background about yourself and how you started your business?
I have been a Sports Massage Therapist and Beauty Therapist for 36 years – it’s my own business. I decided to start my practice when I was in between jobs and I have been very successful for many years. I have been to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney with the swimmers, as well as many other sporting teams. I have also been a Flight Attendant while running my practice and now I’ve settled into the pageant world as a growing business as well. My parents had their own company all of my life so I had a great foundation growing up which enabled me to pursue my goals of being successful as well.
When did your entrepreneurial flair first reveal itself?
My entrepreneurial dreams started at a young age. I’ve always thought forward with no ending in mind as to what I could achieve. I have always had thoughts of being able to do something outside of the typical stuff and working every day on a 9 to 5 job. I’m not really sure what pushed me further into expanding my horizons and making a difference. I always wanted to be a model and I had a dream of somehow finding my way onto the International stages which is going to be a big tick in my life. From a young age, I’ve always wanted to make a name for myself not realizing that this dream would come true at the age of 60.
How did your life look like before being an entrepreneur?
My life before becoming an entrepreneur was pretty normal; riding horses, water skiing, doing family things and just working. Until one day when I was 15 years old, I took off to find an agent so I can get into acting, TV, and modelling work. That’s when I got started on the road I’m supposed to be on and at 25 years old, I decided to add to this goal by starting my own practice which became highly successful.
As an entrepreneur, what is it that motivates and drives you?
As an entrepreneur, my motivation and drive lie in making a difference in people’s lives – mentoring, and talking about how there is no barrier to what you can achieve at any age. I’m also driven to achieve my personal dreams as well as keep trying to achieve everything else that I put my mind to.
In one word, describe your life as an entrepreneur and explain why?
“Fulfilling.” I have had many people contact me with words of support and strength from following me and reading my stories and what makes me really happy is when they say thank you for helping them change their lives and start living again especially the ones in my age group. Hearing these words also encourages me as a person and individual to continue on my path and grow as well.
What were your top three motivations for starting your business?
First is “Challenge” – I wanted to see if I could do and put into practice whatever ideas were running around in my head. The second is “Excitement,” I wanted to find out how far I would take my challenges and up to what level, and finally, “Satisfaction,” because I wanted to see my progress – from where I started up to where I am today.
What do you put your success down to?
My goals, because I want to always try and achieve what I wanted to challenge myself with. I have always had this mindset that if you have a goal, thought, desire, or dream then you should always search or find a way if it’s possible to reach out and grab what you really want. I never wanted to say to myself I wish I had tried this or done that or had a go at something that was in my mind because I would always be left wondering “what if” and that is certainly not in my nature.
What would you say are the key elements for starting and running a successful business?
Have in mind what you want to do, what you want to achieve, where you want it to go, how long you want your goals to go for, and make sure you make heaps of money. Also, be prepared for changes that were not in your original plans to take you to other paths and achievements because sometimes they can throw you off course or possibly grow the course that you are on. Change can be exciting but be prepared; maintain control just in case you may need to detour from the original path and be prepared as to where your new journey may lead you.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced growing the business and how did you overcome them?
Determining how many more staff I needed to cope with the number of patients I was seeing. If I physically had the time, I would take some time off and find out if I could keep up with the workload. Most businesses face challenges of adversity but I have been blessed with success. But in the back of my mind, I’ve always thought that maybe one day, I would have to face a time where my business will not be doing well. I know that having this in my mind will always keep me one step ahead and prepare me for these possible changes. Forward-thinking and planning is the key to continual success.
Does the loneliness of the entrepreneur really exist?
In some cases, I think it can if you think you are bigger than you are and don’t need others to help. To be successful you have to have people around you whom you can trust that will help you become a success and not a failure. The way your structure pans out is totally a personal thing, mine has always been filled with as many people and friends that I can find.
As you grew the business, what have been some of the most important leadership lessons you have learned?
As my business grew, some of the most important things I have learned are to trust myself and my instincts, surround myself with trusted friends, respect those who support and help grow my business and myself, and to learn something new every day. Always be thankful to those people who have travelled along your path with you every day.
What do you hope to see happen in the near future for small businesses all over the world?
In the near future, I would love to see every small business grow and succeed especially with the current Covid pandemic. We are facing a battle and we need to help out and support all small businesses to stay together so we can all come out thriving.
