How to Navigate the World of “NOs”

There is only one way to navigate the world of “NOs.” You MUST execute!!!

Execution is worshipped! If you want to prove to yourself and to the world that you are right about your idea, the only way to do so is to execute that idea. 

Every time you hear “No,” you should use that as an opportunity to double down on your effort. I’ll skip the cute clichés about how failure is part of the journey, yada yada yada, and say that once you have developed your idea, you must put the idea on the market. 

There are only two responses the market will give you. The first is, if you are lucky, the market will validate your idea and you will get paid for it. Second, the market could tell you that it is not ready for your idea at the moment. If you experience the latter, then you should iterate and either revamp the process and idea, or start over with something new.

Here’s the takeaway you ought to keep in mind. You are going to lose to the NOs if you do not execute your idea and put it out on the market.

If you truly believe that you have a great idea, you will face resistance. Don’t be dissuaded if people do not see the genius in your idea. The experts passed up on Uber and Airbnb. They said out loud, “Why the hell would anyone download an app on a mobile device and use it to hail private transportation services or book rental homes?” “That’s a stupid idea.” Guess what? The market proved those freaking “geniuses” absolutely wrong.

When Amanda Hocking (one of my literary heroes) decided that she wanted to become a published author, she took the traditional publishing route. But she faced incredible resistance and pushback from those industry “experts.” Umpteen book agents and publishing houses flat out rejected her work and basically told her that she was wasting her time. Rather than turn tail and run away in defeat, she decided to test the market via Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform. She proved the skeptics wrong by selling over a million copies of her work, becoming a millionarie in the process. 

The truth of the matter is, everyone starts off with NOs. I have literally stopped counting the number of times I have heard “No” since I moved to Los Angeles a few months ago to launch my luxury cosmetics startup. Every other conversation is a No. Meetings with industry “experts” have ended with NOs. I have met with countless investors who have said “No.”

But do you think those NOs have dissuaded me? Heck NO! I am in this to win! I love being the underdog in a match. I love being viewed as incapable. I relish the opportunity to prove the experts wrong. In fact, I am so confident in my entrepreneurial pursuits that I have already written over a dozen blog posts about my journey and the process. Here are a couple upcoming titles, “How I Became a Multimillionaire” and “You Should Have Invested.”

This is not to rub “I was right” in anyone’s face (well, kinda), but more about following through on a dream and passion I strongly believe in. 

In this new Digital Age, no one has a monopoly on success. The big industry players and experts might act as if they do, but they are bluffing. Call their bluff by being right about your idea. Executing and winning is how you navigate the world of NOs. Remember, you only have to be right once to be successful. I plan on being right. What about you? 

 

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