Raising money from investors.
I failed.
Truth is I wasn’t ready when I tried in ’15.
Not even close.
I didn’t go to college & had no connections.
Although that didn’t help…
Those are not the reasons I failed.
My company had nowhere near the traction needed to get the attention of an angel, let alone VCs.
Multiple smart people told me as much…
But still, I tried.
And got rejected.
Again & again.
I look back at the emails & pitch deck I cobbled together, & can’t help but chuckle at ‘15 me.
I’m so thankful that it didn’t happen though.
Getting told, “Not interested.”
And, “You’re not a CEO,” was the best thing that could have happened.
It’s that whole “chip on the shoulder” thing.
It drives me.
It forced me to put my head down & grind harder.
I do feel like a lot of time was wasted chasing something that wasn’t realistic, but I had to see for myself.
If I could give ‘15 me advice, I’d echo what those smart people told me:
Buckle down. Get more clients. Prove product/market fit.
It’s sound advice.
Though disappointed, I followed it…
And we had our best year ever in ’18.
This year, we’re on track to beat that by $1M+.
If you’re where I was in ’15, you’ve got work to do.
Focus.
-Andrew Pawlak
#TakeBackYourLeads
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