"I don't get your business."

"I don't get your business."
A friend told me this a few months into launching SupportNow.
Then again two years later.

At first, it stung.
But it was their honest take.

It wasn't criticism, it was a gift.

- Maybe I hadn't explained it well enough.
- Maybe I said too many words that didn't connect for them (guilty).
- Or maybe it's just not their thing.

Either way, I'd rather friends who share their thoughts and feedback openly. Most people will just nod along.

I've carried their words with me ever since.
At each pitch, each milestone, and each commitment, they still cause me to pause and ask myself, "is this making more or less sense?"

We're a better company for it.

I first heard Sam Parr say "chips on shoulders put chips in pockets."
I love this phrase but at its best, having something to prove doesn't need to be adversarial.

Among friends, it can be something simpler:
A gentle nudge to keep getting better.