Sometimes No Is Better Than Yes
Sometimes “no” is better than “yes”. Did I just write that? Yep. Many years ago, I had the opportunity of starting a PR division at a branding agency run by an incredible visionary, Mike Toth. He coined – and patented – the term Brand DNA and helped turn Tommy Hilfiger (among other apparel brands) into multi-billion-dollar companies. He was a genius.
My boss finally decided to dissolve her business and offered what was left to me. But I knew I wasn’t financially set up to manage the cashflow. What could I do? I approached Mike, who was a client of ours, to see if he wanted to start a PR practice within his branding agency. He did. I was in business!
His partner at the time was a very kind and savvy gentleman who cut a good deal with me. I was taking a salary reduction to make the numbers work, but I was given a portion of the profit – if I made a certain margin. Unfortunately, in those early days I didn’t quite understand what that meant. So, after an intense year I found myself not eligible for the profit sharing because I didn’t make my margin. Great. I was so angry (at myself, too) that I decided to take the business out on my own.
I was excited about starting something new, about carving my own path. I started planning – everything from how to manage my cashflow, to new equipment purchases, to office space rental, etc. I was steadily working on my new plans and within six months I felt ready to go. But an interesting thing happened. One day I felt a quiet voice say, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I was like, what? Are you kidding? I thought this was exactly what I should be doing. Something in me knew that this wasn’t going to work out. I was at a crossroads. I decided to listen to that voice.
Instead of ploughing forward, I dug back in. I leveraged the branding agency for new business, I went to them for advice when I needed it. When they said no to a new idea I listened. Most importantly, I made sure I was set up to make my margins.
Two years later they decided to downsize their New York office and gave me the business. No strings attached. I often think about how thankful I am that I listened when I heard that no. It actually led to the best yes ever. Perhaps the biggest lesson is for me it is critical to take the time to listen to that still, small voice. You might not always like what it says, but is almost always right.