- The Athletic Entrepreneur
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- Rejection as Strength
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100 investors said no.
But the hardest “no” wasn’t from investors.
It was from people who knew her.
Melanie Perkins started in her mom’s living room.
Built a simple idea. Got rejected for years.
Imagine A 19-year-old in Perth sees a broken system.
Design is too hard. Too expensive. Too slow.
So she builds something simple.
Starts with online yearbooks
Gets rejected 100+ times
Learns kitesurfing just to access a VC room
Lands funding
Builds Canva → $42B company (my most favorite go to graphic design app, the one that made me give up my 10 year Adobe subscription).
That’s the highlight reel.
That’s the version that gets shared.
Here’s the real one
Before investors…
There’s the friends & family layer that always say:
“That’s risky.”
“Who’s going to use that?”
Go get a job.”
They’re not wrong.
They’re just wired for security.
You’re wired for creation.
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Why this matters
Investors reject your idea.
Friends & family question you.
That’s the real pressure.
That’s where most people stop.
But let’s reframe it
That resistance is training.
It sharpens your message
Forces clarity
Builds conviction
Detaches you from needing approval
By the time the right room opens…
You’re ready, battle tested through and through.
The truth
Most people close to you will never buy early.
Not because they don’t care.
Because they can’t see it yet. They are wired for security, remember?
The pattern
You look crazy
They doubt
You keep going
Someone outside says yes
Everyone rewrites history, they knew you could do it.
Final line
You don’t need everyone to believe.
You need to survive the rooms where no one does.
Because those rooms?
That’s where founders are built.
—Athletic Entrepreneur
Don’t forget to do your workout today. It’s the weekend. Don’t be lazy, your body won’t forgive you. Get at it!