When Saying “Yes” Changed Everything

You can’t make this up…“It was a typical fall day in Chicago. Leaves of all colors were splattered on the ground like a Pollock painting, and the wind was blowing my freshly styled hair into a bird’s nest. I was walking on one of the city’s hidden side streets to my brand new office in the middle of Wicker Park. I looked down and realized I had? on mismatched shoes! Ugh.?

This was the day I had to make a big decision: Should I shut down my shiny new autonomous office and take up an offer from my agency’s largest client, a huge tech company? It was offering my company a chance to help build a business accelerator program.

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And I was scared. Scared I’d lose my independence, my agency clients. And maybe scared I’d lose everything I had baked into my company and get swallowed up like Pinocchio by a digital whale. I had already invested so very much in this darn office! I even had a brand new, bright-red bench from Ikea perfectly placed at my front office door.

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But I jumped anyway, and pivoted into the unknown. I said yes to my client, Google (!), closed my retail office, went virtual, and collaborated with the giant business to build out one of the most successful accelerators for small businesses in America: Accelerate With Google. The program was designed to train Black- and Brown-owned businesses just like mine to thrive and grow on the web. And it’s still working.

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The design assignment I took on was more than a career pivot. The decision to go down a digital rabbit hole with the world’s most important technology company was also an investment in my own curiosity and desire for professional adventure. I’m a risk taker and always have been. Sometimes it works. This time it did. In the short term, I had to shed a few legacy clients in order to collaborate with Google. This was not easy, as I had invested emotional capital in my clients’ success. In the long term, I was heading back to a continuous learning process, which included learning a new language: The Internet of Things.

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My decision to pivot from independence to interdependence created an entirely new ecosystem of promise and? a future of possibilities, and it helped me find in my work a truly global perspective. Not bad for a girl with humble beginnings who started a small business in the world’s windiest city!” - JinJa Birkenbeuel, Founder of Birk Creative?

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I was scared.

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We were launching the first Rebecca Minkoff store, and didn’t have the funds to make it the grand event that often comes with a typical store opening. But, we desperately needed press to cover it. So, we said yes to an unconventional, never-before-tested strategy–and crossed our fingers.?

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Since the store featured a tech-heavy experience, instead of handing over funds–we didn’t have–to invite the darlings of the fashion industry, we opted to invite every tech magazine. A totally different, budget-first route, that was pretty much our only shot at coverage.

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My brother and I privately toured the highly-advanced store with each member of the press. We took the time to explain the details and answer questions in a much more intimate way, and the press generated was far more valuable than we could’ve anticipated. Switching gears to fit our own needs was exactly the strategy we had to stand behind. When we go our own way, we tend to win.?

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This week, JinJa and Co-Founder of Access79 Priyanka Murthy share stories of how saying ‘yes’ catapulted them into worlds of opportunity. Priyanka started with an inspiring personal challenge that led to…a lot (including finding her life partner!).

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“It was December 1996, and I was flashing my high school report card in my dad’s face fishing for validation. He congratulated me on another perfect performance and then warned that academic prowess alone doesn’t guarantee success. My social skills will matter most. High school Priyanka was funny and charming but intense about every facet of life, from calculus homework to movie trivia. I preferred to work on my to-do list over hanging with friends.??

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As I navigated high school, college, and a master's program, I tried to cultivate my social skills through networking events.? I was a terrible “networker.”? I never had enough business cards and hated small talk.? I preferred to get right to it and often ventured into the taboo topic trifecta-- politics, religion, and money. By law school, I had a new plan:? I challenged myself to “say yes” to social gatherings that lacked agendas or small talk.

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It was November 2008, and I had earned an editor spot on the prestigious Law Review. I was planning to celebrate with Seinfeld reruns. My friend invited me to a trendy new club. I didn’t want to go but had that “say yes” challenge. So I went. There, I met a young medical resident, with whom I had a rowdy yet good-natured debate about the historical 2008 presidential election, all the while go-go dancers gyrated in the background. That resident became my husband. We have been married eleven years, and he is my partner in life and in career. We build businesses together, invest together, grow our family together, and have a thrilling time doing all of it.?

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Fast forward to 2018 when I was ideating the concept for Access79. Every dollar I’ve raised has been from an investor whom I met in an authentic social gathering.? Funny story -- one of them is a former NFL player turned investor, who I had the audacity to challenge to an eating contest at a dim sum restaurant. Spoiler alert: He won the contest but years later, I won his investment.?

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The most significant people I've met, people who’ve changed my life’s trajectory, I didn't meet in a classroom,? boardroom, or networking event, rather at clubs, bars, and dinners out.? So, I remind myself to work hard, but gosh damn it, have a social life. Say yes to the party, accept the dinner invite, and be open.” - Priyanka Murthy, Esq., Co-Founder of Access79

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It was a first for me.

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I’m an extrovert through and through, so I don’t typically feel anxious in the public eye. However, with the explosion of behind-the-scenes, personal social media moments that captivated the globe, I had to push myself in a new way. And feature me, wearing me.?

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I’m comfortable in the design room, and not comfortable with posting pictures and videos of myself. But, I couldn’t turn down the demand from the giant called social media, so–I said yes. Out of my comfort zone is an understatement, but I powered through, and now it’s totally normal to me. And honestly, it’s essential to our business.?

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The more I take risks, the less scared I am to say yes to them. I’ve had the scary moments when I stared down the “we’re no longer going to exist” rabbit hole, and when that happens enough, you just aren’t scared about it anymore.?

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Saying yes, stepping into the unknown, taking risks of all sizes–they’re all part of the journey. You might find yourself at a crossroads, with a second-nature, super cozy safe path and a brand-new, scary, intimidating path.

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If you turn down that unexplored path, will you wonder about it? Regret seems equally as scary, so sometimes you just need to take the plunge.

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When was the last time you said yes during a pivotal moment??

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Sign up for the Female Founder Collective for an opportunity to be featured, and to join a community of women changing the world.??

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I share all of my You Can’t Make This Up moments in my new book, Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success. It’s a collection of 21 rules that help me overcome my fears and turn my dreams into reality. I’m honored to share them and hope they do the same for you. You can learn more and order it here!