Robyn Streisand Leads a Certified-Diverse Collective of Media, Marketing, and Communications Agencies
I am Robyn Streisand, CEO of Titanium Worldwide (a certified-diverse collective of media, marketing, and communications agencies) and The Mixx (a strategic, creative agency rooted in branding, marketing and communications). My life is one led by passion. My energy is focused on being a connector of people, an entrepreneur on a mission to make a difference in this world, and ultimately, a problem solver when it comes to business!
Titanium is the world’s first collective of independent, certified-diverse companies operating as a single agency. Clients rely on our broad service offering, category experience across multiple industries and our ability to authentically communicate with any and all audiences. We’ve streamlined our process by offering a full suite of services with one contract and one point of contact. Titanium is the agency built for today’s business.
Do you have hobbies? What are they? Is it important to take “time off” and focus on other things such as friends, family, hobbies etc.?
My hobbies are around fitness and exercise. Fitness is something that I do to make me the “best me”. It’s about being part of something bigger: I get a feeling from the group dynamic, that gives me energy and it helps me clear my head before starting my day.
Being with family and friends sometimes feels like a chore, but it has to be a priority always. At the end of the day, without friends and family there is really no reason, meaning, or purpose.
What do you think of the stereotype that entrepreneurs are workaholics?
I think it’s probably accurate. People don’t understand how hard it is to run a business. They think that it’s easy breezy but there’s nothing easy breezy about it. Workaholic is a function of what it takes to be successful, take care of your people, create a winning culture, grow and evolve. I don’t think all of us want to be workaholics, but it’s in my blood, and it’s all I know…so capitalize on your strengths and surround yourself with others to support/compliment your weaknesses.
What is the scariest thing that happened to you while being an entrepreneur? How did you overcome it? What did you learn?
There have been several scary things over the course of my career and I can quote two major ones: The first thing is that when you are a small company, every single person plays a part in your business. I’ve lost some key people over the course of time and it was a major setback for the company and for me personally.
The second thing is that when you are small you might only have a few projects at once, you can never anticipate when the client is going to pull the plug, or to lose his job and go to someplace else. It has a direct impact on your company and it definitely keeps me up at night.
Is there one “rookie mistake” that new entrepreneurs keep on making? What is it? Did it happen to you?
I think fear is something that never goes away. As an entrepreneur, you are faced with challenges and hurdles that you have no training or understanding about, and as a result, you don’t really ever know how to handle it. Oftentimes, it causes you to doubt yourself, and at times you wind up not going for what the bigger picture is and what you really want.
Success means... reaching businesses goals while making a difference.
The best thing about being an entrepreneur is... having the freedom to try NEW things.
You can’t run a business without... passion, integrity, and drive.
In the next 10 years I wish to be... Healthy, Happy, and Financially set for life.
What made you choose this type of business? Why? What other markets are you interested in?
I never chose this business; this business chose me. I was always that girl who was at the right place at the right time and every time an opportunity presented itself I just always took it and ran. I always come from a place of just following “karma” and it just happened that marketing was my path. I met the right people and it had me always see what was next.
Did you have to fire someone before? What’s the best way to go about it?
I’m somebody that always looks for greatness in people. To me, it’s more about the culture and value they bring to the table, not so much about their skills. People can learn skills, but you can’t teach them values. Values are however harder to evaluate than skills during the recruiting process and sometimes, I make the decision to bring them on before realizing that they are not a good fit. Letting people go is never easy, but it comes with a territory and you have to do it. It’s a business decision and it’s never personal.
Why do you think it is that women get less funding than men? What can we do to change that and close the gender gap?
I hear and understand intellectually that the gender gap is a challenge in many places, but it has never been my experience or my hurdle. I work with women colleagues at the c-level like myself, I mentor young girls, and I have great working relationships whether they are with men or women. Being a woman has always worked for me and has never impacted me in anyway financially.
Who is the one super successful person you look up to? Why them? Can you share their quote/ideology that inspires you the most?
That would be Marc Byron. Marc is a serial entrepreneur, he came from nothing, he’s one of the most successful people I know - both mentally, emotionally, and financially - and has a heart of gold. Over 15 years ago he was launching a new company and I was introduced to him. He gave me what was one of my first opportunities, which ended up being one of the key projects that really put me on the map. Working with somebody like him always had me understand the areas where I needed to grow and understand my business better. He is still a part of my life today.
What is your proudest accomplishment in 2016? What’s the biggest goal for 2017?
My proudest accomplishment in 2016 was being elected to the OUT100, and accepting this award alongside icons like Ellen DeGeneres and Tom Ford. It meant the world to me to be recognized as a thought leader in the marketing space and for the visibility our work brings to the LGBT community.
My biggest goal for 2017 is to operationalize Titanium Worldwide, the collective of independent and certified-diverse agencies that I launched three years ago, into a hugely profitable business.
Do you believe that there is one specific formula for success? What does it mean to be a successful business owner?
There is no formula, and if there is, would somebody please write it and give it to me? If I think about it outside of being a business owner, I would say being healthy and happy are the things that help success. Having love, community, and joy in whatever you do is what success looks like. I always say, if the plane’s got to go down, put your mask on yourself first so that you can help others. That’s what success is: it’s knowing “how” and “what” to do “when”, and trusting yourself.