Seeding Innovation

2Finding Fearless Friends

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

EVERY ENTREPRENEUR YOU meet will tell you stories about people who tried to talk them out of their business idea. If they're honest, they probably remember the conversations in excruciating detail, the tone the person used, where they were standing or sitting at the time, perhaps even what they were wearing.

We remember it because of the emotions tied to it. We store negative information in our long-term memory much more quickly than it takes to store positive feedback (more on that later). Criticism and learning how to respond to it are part of the journey here.

So what's an entrepreneur with an unshakable idea to do with the naysayers and nonbelievers? When you are starting a business, you are going to find that there are plenty of them.

And if you surround yourself with naysayers, it will be shackling.

As Mathew Knowles (2023) wrote on LinkedIn, “When I started managing Destiny's Child, we had a great deal of non-believers around us, obstacles to overcome, rejections to face, and challenges to learn from …. [I]n your own endeavors, when you face the non-believers, obstacles, rejections, and challenges, it's important to know that when your foundation of belief is there and unshakable, that you can truly achieve anything you desire.”

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