Rejection Isn’t the End, It’s the Beginning

 I ran from rejection for years.

Not literally, of course. But emotionally? Professionally? I sprinted from it.

In the early days of building Speak with People, I held onto a lot of pre-conceived ideas. I thought the relationships I had built over two decades would automatically convert into bookings. I assumed people would remember me, call me, refer me. I figured past favor would equal future opportunity. I believed the phone would ring.

It didn’t.

My inbox wasn’t filling up. But when I took an honest look, I realized why: I wasn’t sending any emails.

Somewhere inside, I was afraid to put myself out there. I didn’t want to hear "no." I didn’t want to feel ignored. I didn’t want to risk being seen as desperate or pushy. So I stayed quiet. I waited. And nothing changed.

If you’re in sales, whether you’re a financial advisor, a coach, a service professional, or an entrepreneur, you've probably been there. That moment where fear of rejection paralyzes your outreach. You hesitate to hit send. You hold back from making the call. You question your own value.

But here’s what I had to learn the hard way:

Rejection isn’t personal.

It’s part of the price of pursuing something meaningful.

If you don’t come to terms with this truth:

• That not everyone wants to help you succeed,
• That not everyone will like your posts,
• That most people won’t open your emails,
• That few will forward your name...

...you won’t last long in sales. Or in entrepreneurship. Or in any endeavor where your success is tied to showing up and putting yourself out there.

But there’s good news.

You don’t need everyone. You just need the right ones. The few who say yes. The few who get it. The few who show up.

Redefining Rejection

I used to see rejection as a signal to retreat. If someone didn’t respond, I thought it meant I had failed. But now I see it differently. Rejection isn’t a closed door—it’s a directional sign. It’s feedback. It’s redirection. It’s refinement.

Rejection forces you to:

• Clarify your message
• Sharpen your offer
• Strengthen your resolve
• Stay humble and resilient

And when you shift your mindset around rejection, everything changes. It no longer feels like an attack. It starts to feel like momentum.

Every "no" puts you one step closer to a "yes."

Every unanswered email trains you to write stronger subject lines.

Every ignored post teaches you what kind of message connects.

Every closed door points you toward one that’s about to open.

Keep Showing Up

If you're struggling with rejection right now, here’s my encouragement:

Keep posting. Even if no one likes it today.

Keep emailing. Even if your open rates are low.

Keep reaching out. Even if you're met with silence.

Success doesn’t come from avoiding rejection. It comes from showing up anyway.

When you embrace rejection as part of the process, you unlock the freedom to keep going. You stop seeing silence as a stop sign and start seeing it as a test of perseverance.

And when you keep showing up, something amazing happens:

• People start responding.
• Doors begin to open.
• Confidence begins to grow.

Because rejection doesn’t define your value. Your consistency does.

You’re Not Alone

One of the greatest lies in sales is that everyone else has it figured out. That others are booking left and right while you’re still refreshing your inbox. But the truth is, everyone faces rejection. The ones who win? They’re the ones who keep showing up after it.

So if you're afraid of rejection, you're in good company. But don't let that fear stop you.

Send the email. Make the call. Post the message.

Your voice matters. Your solution matters. Your presence matters.

You don’t need a perfect response rate. You just need to keep showing up.

Because success isn’t built in the absence of rejection. It’s built on the other side of it.

Practical Steps to Embrace Rejection

If you want to grow through rejection instead of being paralyzed by it, here are a few strategies that have helped me:

1. Track your outreach, not just your results.
   It’s easy to get discouraged when people don’t respond. But start tracking your consistency instead. Set a goal: send 10 prospecting emails a day. Celebrate the habit, not just the replies.
2. Reframe the silence.
   If someone doesn’t respond, don’t automatically assume they’re not interested. People are busy. Your message might be exactly what they need—just not at that moment.
3. Ask for feedback.
   When someone says no or goes dark, follow up and kindly ask what held them back. You’d be surprised how much you can learn (and how rare this level of humility is).
4. Share your journey.
   Be honest with your audience about the ups and downs. People relate to imperfection. When you show the real story behind the hustle, it builds trust.
5. Surround yourself with people who get it.
   Rejection can isolate you if you let it. Stay close to a circle of people who understand what it means to build something from nothing. Borrow belief from them when your own runs low.

Final Thought

You’re not failing. You’re just in process.

Rejection is not the enemy—it’s evidence that you’re in the game. And the more you show up, the more you grow. So take the next step. Send the next message. Knock on the next door.

Because the right people—the ones who say yes, who get it, who open the doors—are only found by those who keep going.

Let’s keep going.