What is your superpower?

“Where is that unbridled optimism?” a potential investor asked me. My answer was honest. I explained the unpleasant circumstances my business was in. I responded that right then, I was merely operating on muscle memory, but that I had confidence I’d get it back to where we used to be. And then he stopped calling. At that moment, I realized the importance of having and using muscle memory. To him, it was a bad thing that after a hit, I hadn’t bounced right back to my cheery self. To me, muscle memory is essential.

Read more

In the midst of one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced with my business so far, an entrepreneur friend said to me: “you are one of the best thinkers and strategists I’ve ever met but smaller things have ended bigger businesses.” This was exactly what I needed to hear. She was recognizing my power and also giving me permission not to use it. It was still up to me where I went next. It felt as if I had been running a marathon and someone decided the finish line was at 50 miles instead of 26. I had the choice of finishing or stopping, gulping some water, being congratulated by my family and feeling proud that I had run the 26.  

Read more

When my business took a hit because a major strategic partnership ended, it was easy to get sucked down by nagging questions. What could I have done to prevent it? What did we overlook? How could we have done things differently? Anyone who has faced a setback probably knows this spiral of doubt, especially CEOs, entrepreneurs, and innovators. We praise entrepreneurs when they have an ability to “see around corners.” But I realized that in that situation I didn’t need to be able to see around corners. I needed to trust my instincts and push harder.

Read more