Why I Like Getting Rejected

Rejection sucks but unlike other business owners who might get detered from their dreams, I instead find myself basking in the fire lit beneath me. Reject me. Go for it. I dare you, because with every rejection whether big or small the flame within me grows.

To be an entrepreneur means to have a completely different outlook, on both life and business, than the rest of the world. To be a startup owner means to see possibility in the dimest of situations; to use it as a flashlight guiding you through the dusty, dark, damp corners of the unknown into a new world of prosperity.

Tell me no and I'll tell you to watch me. Tell me I can't do something and I'll prove you wrong. Tell me all the reasons why you believe I won't succeed and I'll give you one reason why I will: Because I'm not giving up.

Our very first pitch competition took place last June (2018) at Collab Space in Ottawa. It was Startup Ottawa Week and a great event to attend. Our pitch was definitely not the greatest, not the worst, but not anything to write home about. Everyone told us we did great (maybe they were just being nice) but in the end we didn't even place in the Top 3. Fire lit.

We went on to pitch about 15 more times throughout the rest of 2018, finally winning first place at the Cornwall Innovation Centre's Pitch Night in November and then placing second at SaaS North in Ottawa the following day. We worked hard to refine our pitch over those months, working with renowned business people and professional public speakers to enhance our performance and get better. The goal was always, and remains, to be better than we were before. Whether pitching or in the office or closing a deal. Keep being better.

So, it was a pretty cool full circle moment when I stood on the stage at the recent Get in the Ring Ottawa, that was held at Collab Space on April 4, 2019, and won our first major pitch fest and a trip to Berlin, Germany to represent Canada on the global stage. It was an overwhelming feeling knowing that 10 months before, almost to the day, that first match was stroked and the desire to win a major pitch was added to our list of things not to give up on.

So, reject me. I like rejection. I can handle it. I've always been the type of person who doesn't take no as an absolute and rather as a call to be better, to do better, and to be so good that eventually you won't be able to ignore me.

Hey, it worked for the guys at Airbnb: They got rejected seven times in 2008 and if there's ever a story we can all cling to which proves that giving up isn't an option it's this one. Because when you know you have something worth risking everything for rejection is only the fuel that helps the fire burn brighter. I welcome you to view rejection the same way and see all the good that comes out of viewing it in a positive light.