The Number That Changed How I Measure Success
I was at an event a couple of weeks ago listening to Michele Romanow from Dragon's Den.
Someone in the audience asked about her journey to venture capital funding. They mentioned she'd faced a dozen rejections from VCs.
Michele's response?
"That's all? You'll get 1000 rejections before you get a yes."
I sat there, frozen.
Not because the number was scary.
Because it flipped everything I thought I knew about "winning."
See, I've spent nearly three decades working with executives on strategy. The kind of rooms where success is measured in closed deals, signed contracts, and revenue on the books.
We don't track the 47 meetings that went nowhere.
We don't celebrate the pitch that bombed.
We definitely don't put "rejection count" on our performance reviews.
But here's what Michele's words unlocked for me:
What if we've been measuring the wrong goalpost entirely?
The Executive Insight
Rejection isn't failure. It's a signal.
And signals are data. Data that smart leaders use to make better decisions.
Think about it. Every "no" tells you something:
Market fit. Wrong audience? Wrong timing? Wrong framing? The rejection starts the debrief.
Positioning. If you're getting silence or polite declines, your value proposition isn't landing. That's not failure. That's market research you didn't have to pay for.
Their readiness. Sometimes the "no" has nothing to do with you. Budget cycles. Internal politics. A restructure you didn't know about. The rejection tells you where they are in their decision journey.
Refinement. Every pitch that falls flat sharpens the next one. You learn what resonates, what questions come up, what needs to change.
Network intelligence. A "no" from one person often reveals a "yes" pathway elsewhere. "I'm not the right fit, but have you talked to...?" Rejection can be a redirect.
In boardrooms, we don't call a failed pilot "failure." We call it "learnings."
Rejection is the same.
It's not a closed door. It's a data point.
And smart leaders collect data before they make the big bet.
The Smarter Question
What if, instead of asking "Did I get the yes?" you asked:
"What signal did this rejection just give me?"
And then:
"Am I moving toward my 1000?"
Because here's the truth:
If you're only on rejection #12, you're not behind.
You're early.
And "early" is a very different story than "failing."
One Step for Today
I'm going to share something personal.
I've decided to apply this exact reframe to my dating life.
(Yes, really.)
I'm aiming for 1000 rejections.
Not because I enjoy the sting of a "no thanks."
But because:
I get to reject them too. This isn't a one way audition.
Every "no" gives me a signal. About fit. About timing. About what I actually want.
I stop waiting to be "ready" and start being in motion.
So here's your action for today, ROARers:
Pick one area of your life where you've been avoiding rejection.
Board applications.
Speaking pitches.
Client outreach.
That LinkedIn connection request you've been drafting for 3 weeks.
Send it.
And when the "no" comes (or the silence), don't just mark it down.
Ask: What signal did I just receive?
Rejection #1. 🚀
Only 999 to go.
So, ROARers, what's the one "no" you're going to collect this week? And what signal are you hoping it gives you?
