The Unexpected Returns of Showing Up Fully

This post originally appeared in my weekly newsletter, BL&T (Borrowed, Learned, & Thought). Subscribe

Borrowed

“Your success is determined by how well you can control what is in front of you not by worrying about outcome.”

From “With Winning in Mind” by Larry Bassham [Book]

Learned

About a month ago, I received this email to my personal address:

If I’m being honest, I don’t remember this specific proposal presentation—but for me, it was one of many. For them, it was one of few, and apparently, ours stood out.

It wasn't a CPG brand, but given the connection, I figured it was worth pursuing. As we prepped our proposal, I already knew I’d be sharing this story here. I thought I’d wait for the outcome, though, hoping it would have a happy ending.

Last week, we got the news:

We lost the deal. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the reference calls, but I doubt it would have mattered—recommendations from trusted contacts reign supreme. But that’s a topic for another newsletter.

Losing a deal is always a bummer, but this one comes with an invaluable lesson: if you’re going to do something, give it your best—because even if it doesn’t work out today, you never know what tomorrow brings.

In the past, there have been deals that didn’t feel like a great fit. We’d say, eh, let’s give it a shot, but without giving it our full attention—and guess what? We’d lose. Not worth it. This is a reminder that if we choose to pursue a deal, we go all in, we give it the proper focus and effort.

Back when I was performing music, my dad used to say, “Always perform like you’re in an arena.” It was a reminder to show up fully, no matter the crowd. And in the back of my mind, there was always the thought: You never know who’s watching—a record producer, a talented musician, another band looking to fill a bill.

Turns out, that’s exactly how Oasis got their break. Music industry exec Alan McGee happened to be at a gig they weren’t even originally booked for:

“When Oasis showed up for the show, they were initially refused entry as they weren’t on the bill. But they were simply an incredibly late addition. … ‘People don’t like to believe in luck – they assume it’s too much of a coincidence that Sony sent me to the gig on a tip, but I really thought I was just going to surprise my mate,’ [McGee] recalled in his autobiography. … The rest is history. McGee was wowed by the band and made it his mission to sign them, launch them in the UK, and help them become one of the biggest bands in history.” (Far Out Magazine)

This deal didn’t go our way, but it won’t be the last time we get this sort of opportunity.

And it isn’t the first.

Our work launching performance wellness brand while on earth wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t made it to the final rounds of a redesign project for NOBULL—an opportunity that came through someone we’d worked with years earlier at another company who had since joined the NOBULL team.

That project didn’t pan out, but later, when NOBULL’s CMO (and first employee), Todd Meleney, left to start his own brand, he and his team remembered us—and brought us along for the ride. It’s been a pleasure collaborating with them ever since.

The last few weeks have been packed with new business conversations and proposals. While we’re eager to see some wins, I try not to get too caught up in worrying about the outcome. What matters is putting in the effort, knowing we gave it our best—and if it doesn’t go our way, figuring out why so we can be better next time while continuing to refine our qualifications for the deals we pursue.