"Build an advisory team of mentors, peers, coaches that can guide you and assist you through this journey" with Nancy Sabino
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Nancy Sabino is the CEO and Co-Founder of SabinoCompTech. An IT firm serving SMB’s in the legal, accounting, and private healthcare spaces with The Awesome IT Way®, an Outsourced Internal IT Department in a box providing Guidance, Management, Maintenance, and Security. Nancy has led SabinoCompTech to be an award-winning firm ranking among the top 501 MSPs in the world, DigiMaster of the Year for outstanding service, and named a thought-leader by Women of the Channel as well as 40 Under 40 for Houston Business Journal.
Can you tell our readers about your background?
At the age of 22, Nancy Sabino and her husband Angel co-founded SabinoCompTech, an Outsourced Internal IT department for small and medium-sized businesses. Self-taught with a couple of years of experience in the IT world they wanted to take on the IT industry on their own. In 2015 Nancy was accepted into the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program where she gained validation and learned new skills which allowed her to lead SabinoCompTech to a new era of growth and value-driven service to their clients.
In 2016, within a matter of months, she transformed the entire business model of SabinoCompTech bringing focus and specialization to their service offering and creating the business that it is today.
Nancy has led SabinoCompTech to join the ranks of the Global List of the top 501 IT managed service providers, the MSP 501 in 2018 and were awarded 3rd place for MSP of the Year as well as win DigiMaster of the Year in 2019, placing in the Top 50 on the MSP 501 list in 2020, being honored as a Woman of the Channel 2020 and Houston Business Journal’s 40 under 40 2020.
Nancy is passionate about business, marketing, diversity, equality, tattoos, and inspiring others to dream big and be an example to other girls that with hard work, dedication, and the right resources, they can be successful. Nancy and Angel are high school sweethearts who have raised 2 kids while building their business. One of those kids is planning to take over.
What inspired you to start your business?
I felt that there was a pain that small business owners had in translating their technology and compliance needs and what was out in the market or how the services were handled. I wanted to help in that translation so that business owners could be not only compliant but trust that their technology was going to work for them and not against them. I wanted to help them understand technology so they can use it to their advantage and to gain a footing over competitors through technology.
Where is your business based?
We are based out of Katy, Texas which is a small city outside of Houston, Texas. Thanks to technology and the internet we have clients all over though!
How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?
I started with a set of questions that then led my direction and the action I was going to take. I asked who was I wanted to work with? What pain did I want to solve? Then I asked myself how I was going to solve that pain. And finally, what will that take? Once I had the answers for that, I started to put a plan together making a list of ideal clients, how to approach them, answering the pain call, and starting to figure out staff, and process. All of this before figuring out a name and getting the legal stuff done. I was not going to do all the legal requirements if the business was not going to be viable.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?
Networking has been a great effective but slow way to raise awareness as well as educational webinars, and podcast features.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
One challenge for me, being a woman CEO in the IT industry has been imposter syndrome and feeling like I didn’t belong. I had to accept that I am different and that I will be treated differently but where there are those that will look down on you, there are also supporters and allies. What I saw as a weakness I now see as one of my greatest strengths now just in business but in forming relationships etc.
How do you stay focused?
I schedule my time for everything I have to do and I stick to that schedule. If it’s on my calendar that’s what I am doing during that time. I also have to prioritize items, actions, etc. so that if something pops up that isn’t on my schedule I can assess whether it needs to be added later to my schedule, whether I need to move something else, or if it even needs to be on my schedule and if it’s something that could be delegated.
How do you differentiate your business from the competition?
My business reflects who I am, my values, my experience, and my point of view. This means that our brand is bold, our service model is all-inclusive and our service is personable, our employees are able to enjoy a work-life balance, and our clients are largely women-owned businesses. All of these items create an environment where people feel cared for and valued which I think differentiates us from other IT providers.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
I think it’s been a combination where we started a referral program along with prospect education around the major pain points we deal with.
What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
Build an advisory team of mentors, peers, coaches, etc that can guide you and assist you through this journey. They will be invaluable in all aspects of your business and life. They will hold you accountable and celebrate your wins with you. They will be a source of inspiration and support when you are running low or feel like you are alone and they will help to motivate you. 100% necessary in the journey of an entrepreneur.
What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?
Teams would have to be my favorite app because it allows me to stay in constant communication with my team. Not just on a business or day to day level but we can have some fun through it as well.
I don’t have a favorite blog per se but more of a Reddit channel for businesses like mine. It helps me stay on top of what the chatter is in the industry, what the boots on the ground are seeing, and if we need to make pivots in our business.
My favorite book of all time has to be The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz. As entrepreneurs, we can get carried away with the notion of being helpful which leads us to try to be all things for all people which is not always conducive to business or trying to have some sort of life outside of work. He gives great tips and examples of how to bring focus to what you do.
What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?
Microsoft Office 365 because for a small cost it not only gives you the basics like Word, Excel, etc but it also offers cloud email, online calendar booking, notebooks, storage, project software, to-do app, and so many other tools that are useful to make your day to day easier including collaborating with your team or clients.
Who is your business role model? Why?
Marcus Lemonis because of the way he approaches business. People, Product, Process. Each is needed in running and growing any businesses and each needs careful attention. It shows us that business is personal as well and that there is room for compassion in business.
How do you balance work and life?
It is all about integration and balancing where and when you can. My kids have grown up in our offices. They have been around and even participated in business conversations as they have grown older. It gets easier the more mature the business is as you have a team in place, processes in place and you can step away from more often.
What’s your favorite way to decompress?
A VR workout with the app Supernatural followed by a meditation. It allows me to get any extra energy out and to process my day.
What do you have planned for the next six months?
I will be continuing to ride out this coronavirus havoc while taking care of our clients and enrolling prospects who are waiting to join our outsourced IT department program, The Awesome IT Way®. I am also launching a new business which I should have up and running within six months and finally I am planning a small getaway with my husband.
How can our readers connect with you?
I’d love to connect with your readers especially to talk business and all things entrepreneurship. You can follow me on Instagram @nancysabinosct as well as on LinkedIn and FaceBook @NancySabino. You can also check out my website: nancysabino.com to learn more about me and my company.