𝐈 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝...

On Monday evening, during that conversation with Joe Kinvi someone shared they'd been rejected three times by the same investor. 

What that said to me was... feedback. not verdict. 

But here's what most people miss about rejection: we are all guilty. 

Every time you don't buy a product, or chose a vendor over another, you've dished out rejection. Every choice is an option rejected. 

So avoid take it personally or make it seem so. 

𝟯 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀

𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀: 

Three rejections from the same investor isn't a challenge to try harder—it's a signal that maybe this investor isn't yours. Not every opportunity is your opportunity. You want the right fit, not just any fit.

Ask Why! When you get rejected, ask why.

• "What made you pass?" 

• "What was missing?" 

• "What would have made this a yes?"

Sometimes you'll get nothing. Sometimes you'll get gold—feedback that transforms your approach.

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘀

Each "no" builds resilience and sharpens your resolve. It's a numbers game—not to make you numb, but to maintain perspective while you build perseverance.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑶𝒖𝒕

In 2024, I applied for a fellowship to build a platform. Got rejected with encouraging feedback about my application.

Truth: There was no platform.

I had an idea I thought would fit. I was going to use their funding to figure things out... it was a nice idea, but nothing crucial. I had it completely backwards—seeking investment to manufacture motivation.

That rejection told me something crucial: I wasn't ready. Not because I wasn't capable, but because the thing itself wasn't real yet.

And that was the right call. So I wasn't rejected, I was called out. 

This is how many people approach fundraising. They seek investment without being truly ready. Without something real burning inside them. Without a business that exists beyond the pitch deck.

They're not building something that needs fuel—they're hoping the fuel will make them build something.

That's backwards. And investors can feel it.

The right order: build something real, something already moving, something you'd pursue without funding. Then seek investment to accelerate what's in motion.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀:

Sometimes rejection isn't blocking you from something you deserve. It's protecting you from the drama you're not ready for.

The fellowship rejection saved me from building something I didn't truly believe in, with someone else's money and expectations hanging over me.

So yeah...

Rejection isn't a "yes's" or "no's." amassing game. It's about building something, so genuine, so necessary that the right yes's become inevitable.

Don't be scared 😨. Don't avoid rejection. 

Stop taking rejection personally. 

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆!

People who succeed aren't the ones who never get rejected.

They're the ones who treat every "no" as information, as redirection, and preparation pedestal.