I just wrapped up a Zoom call with a German investor. Before I could even get into my carefully prepared pitch, he opened with this: “I’m leaving the firm. There’s no replacement yet.” Translation: no investment from them this quarter. A clean, instant, non-negotiable NO. And in any other call that should’ve been the end of the call. But then something interesting happened. He didn’t rush.He didn’t glance at the clock.He didn’t do the classic “let’s keep it short” investor move. He had time. Like… actual time. ⏱️ Which, if you’ve ever spoken to investors, you know is basically a mythical creature. So I did what our “Go for No” challenge is really about: I leaned into the NO. Instead of trying to resurrect the deal, I switched gears and said, in effect: “Okay — if it’s a no, help me make the next one a yes.” And I started asking questions. A lot of them. - Where do founders usually lose you? - What would you need to see to believe the first investor should say yes? - What’s the simplest way to reduce doubt quickly? It turned into one of those rare conversations where the pressure is gone… and the truth shows up. And the biggest takeaway he reinforced was this: The first “yes” changes everything. Once you have one investor in, others suddenly feel safer following. Not because your company changed overnight — but because certainty did. So yes, I got a NO today.

Use this document to track your “NO’s” If you don’t have a specific ask, or the “time” isn’t right to go for an ask, what exactly are you trying to grow? I love you guys! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SujOjCZE3KfFi3YiMbUQ35Lr2nBKbJDJ_jfTLvvdW2o/edit?usp=sharing

Most of us were trained early to be scared of what other people think. Parents, teachers, bosses, even friends used criticism as a way to “fix” us. Over time that does real damage. It steals initiative, kills imagination, and convinces you it is safer to stay small than to risk being judged. That is the fear of criticism. So what do we do with it? Criticism itself is not the real problem. The problem is the story we attach to it. - “If they do not like this, it means I am not good enough.” - “If I fail in public, I will never recover.” - “If people talk about me, I must have done something wrong.” Those stories create an internal prison that is stronger than any comment someone posts online. Napoleon Hill reminds us that the people closest to us are often the harshest critics. Many of them are not trying to hurt us. They are acting from their own fear. But if we absorb it, we start to build an inferiority complex that follows us into adulthood, leadership, and business. So here is your work around Fear of Criticism: 1. Separate feedback from your identity. Criticism is data, not a definition of who you are. Ask, “What is useful here?” and drop the rest. 2. Notice where fear of judgment is keeping you small. What are you not starting, posting, selling, or saying because you are worried about what someone might think? 3. Replace criticism with constructive suggestion in your own leadership. If you are a parent, leader, or coach, your words shape someone else’s inner voice. Use that power wisely.

Recognition for some of you “𝗚𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗼.” Finding WHOs even if you’re just getting started and can’t pay for a WHO. This group is making tremendous progress in two simple weeks. How much further can you the next 8 weeks?

At the halfway point, your mind may focus on how far you have to go. But your future self fuels progress with gratitude. Measuring backward shows how far you’ve already come. Prompts: Looking back over the first four weeks: 1. What are 3 tangible wins/breakthroughs since Oct 6? 2. What has become easier, lighter or more aligned? 3. What evidence do you already have that you are becoming the future you? ☕️For those of you that want to check-in, there’s a “coffee hour” for others that want to break away this afternoon.