The Pandemic Almost Wiped Out Tony Robbins' Business . . . Then He Did This

I have been fascinated by Tony Robbins ever since I walked on fire with him many moons ago. And it’s easy to think that an entrepreneur as successful as he doesn’t face the same challenges we mere mortals do. He doesn’t - his are bigger. Check it out.

 When the Covid pandemic hit in March of 2020, every entrepreneur across the globe was thunderstruck, but few faced the kind of problems that Tony Robbins faced.

 Robbins had a $100 million problem.

His business was built on live stadium events, the kind that would pack thousands of people into a massive arena, sell $5,000+ tickets, and create an emotional frenzy you can feel in your chest.

But then the world shut down. No flights. No hugs. No crowds.

No income.

Tony was not just a motivational speaker, he was running a giant business, a massive event machine that required logistics, staff, venues, coaching packages, vendors, AV teams, partners, product sales, and more . . .

And all of it hinged on live events.

Tony says that he lost $10 million in the first few weeks alone.

He could have gone quiet. He could have flown to his compound in Fiji and waited it out. But that is not what he chose to do.

Instead, he took a page out of his own playbook and decided not to go quiet. Instead of playing small he decided to try and build something big, much bigger.

Unleashing the Power Within

He spent $15 million building a 360-degree virtual arena in Florida, complete with 50-foot wraparound screens, 8K cameras, dynamic breakout rooms, and thousands of audience members visible on-screen.

It was wild. It was risky.

And it worked.

His first fully virtual Unleash the Power Within event, one that normally had room for about 10,000 people drew over 22,000 people from 138 countries. People stayed on for 12+ hours a day. He reimagined his events, engagement, intimacy, and what breakthrough could look like.

It was a masterclass in reinvention.

Time to Rise

Today, while is back doing live in-person events, Tony also does these massive online events as well:

At the start of 2025, Tony hosted a free event, the Time to Rise Summit. Held from January 30 to February 1, 2025, this three-day virtual event attracted approximately 1.4 million participants from 195 countries.

Covid not only didn’t shrink him an his business, it enabled him to do something bigger, better, bolder.

The Takeaway

Crises are, by definition, never easy. And while few of us have the resources of a Tony Robbins, we all have the same ability to respond to a business crisis in ways that either shrink us, or propel us forward.

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Steal This Strategy

📖 Audio Book - Unleash the Power Within
An audio book of Tony’s foundational seminar

🎥 Video – Tony Robbins Interview
How Tony’s greatest loss became his “greatest lesson.”

🌐 Website – Immersive Design Studios
The team that helped Tony build his state-of-the-art event arena.

About Steve

Steve Strauss is the best-selling author of The Small Business Bible (and 17 other books), Inc.’s small business columnist, a lawyer (non-practicing), and an entrepreneur. He sold his last venture, TheSelfEmployed.com to Mark Cuban & Zen Business. Need a ghostwriter or a newsletter for your business? Contact Steve!