Thank God For Rejection

I want to share with you how one moment of rejection today can set you free and set the stage for an incredible tomorrow.

Walking out of my corporate office for the last time in 2019 I vowed to never again hold a W2 position. I was done subduing my own entrepreneurial drive, reporting to other people who cared very little, if any, about my best interests, and building empires that weren’t my own. Over the next three years I built three businesses from the ground up, two of which were very successful while the third, a travel agency, was devastated by the pandemic.

By the time I reached January of 2022 I was feeling rattled by the unpredictability we all experienced during the pandemic.

Some other things in my personal life, exacerbated by two years of isolation during covid and the death of my parents, left me longing for connection with other people. Though “employment” felt like a four-letter word to me, I missed being part of a team.

One morning I noticed that the company I owned my travel agency franchise with was looking for a new Director of Franchise Sales. I knew very little about franchising at the time, but after reading the job description I knew I could learn quickly and do the job very well. So, I did the unthinkable. I applied for yet another senior level W2 position with a company. At the time it was a company I had a great deal of respect for. I knew dozens of the franchisees personally. I love travel. It felt like it would be a good fit.

The interview process ran its course, and I received the news that it had come down to me and one other person, and the other person was being selected for the position. Given her tenure in the industry, the choice made perfect sense. I probably would have made the same decision. I was disappointed, but not devastated. Ironically, there was also a lower-level position open on the team that I would have been leading, and I was offered that role, reporting to the person who beat me for the director position. The universe was orchestrating an opportunity for me to do some work on myself!

Driven by the desire for connection and predictability, I accepted the offer and committed myself to supporting the new leader and doing my best to become the top performer on the team, even though there were many things I had to be willing to overlook.

It was a low-paying position. I hadn’t earned that level of income since 2010 and my last W2 role was more than $100k per year higher than this income. Thankfully I also owned a thriving business coaching practice and didn’t really need the W2 income. It was a non-leadership role. I hadn’t been at that level on an org chart since 1992. And, as I quickly discovered, it was a role that seemed to offer no upward mobility for anyone with my demographic profile as a male.

Accepting this role was actually therapeutic for me as it forced me to confront and deal with one of my greatest life-long weaknesses and stumbling blocks…pride.

I spent the next twelve months learning about the world of franchising.

I learned about franchise law. I learned about franchise marketing. I learned about guiding candidates through due diligence. I learned about franchise funding. And I actually did quite well, opening close to 90 units in 18 months and spending my final two quarters at the company in the number 2 spot on the leaderboard. I also spent that time compiling ideas and strategies in a notebook that had been rejected by the bosses when suggested, thinking perhaps they might come in handy someday.

One year into this role I was approached and asked to consider opening my own franchise brokerage/consulting firm. I ignored it. I was approached a second time. I ignored it. But after the third outreach I decided I should see what it was all about and set up a call. And it was on that call that I discovered I could own my own company doing with 800 brands in 37 industries what I was already successfully doing with one brand in one industry, and I could enjoy an annual income ten times (or more) higher than I was currently earning, all while helping aspiring business owners make their own dreams become reality at no cost to them for my services. Though I would have to make a large investment, this was an easy yes for me.

It was about one year ago today that I received that initial outreach. Today I own an award-winning franchise brokerage and consulting firm.

I’ve been joined by an amazing team of five franchise development agents, with a goal of having ten agents by the end of the year. I’ve become a thought leader in our association and the industry. And I now play a role in training and mentoring new brokers and consultants in our association.

The best part of all of this, is I have absolute freedom to create a company culture that I myself longed for during my 30+ years of corporate life.

It’s a culture of kindness, generosity, inclusion, where everyone feels warmly welcomed, embraced, valued, appreciated, supported, and empowered to become the very best version of themselves personally and professionally while making their own professional and income dreams become reality.

I’m writing all of this because I want to drive home the latent power of rejection.

That’s not a typo. This was reality for me, and I believe it to be true for all of us. When we are rejected, whether it’s by an employer, a friend, a spouse or lover, we are set free and positioned to become the absolute best version of ourselves.

What would, and would not have happened if I’d been offered that director position I applied for?

I would have spent my time focused on managing employees and dealing with human resources issues. I would have spent my time focused on corporate objectives and initiatives. I would have spent my time building spreadsheets and writing reports.

I would not have spent my time learning about franchise marketing and lead generation. I would not have spent my time learning, hands-on, how to qualify candidates, guide them through fear and uncertainty, and nurture them through due-diligence. I would not have personally celebrated with almost 90 people when they made the dream of business ownership a reality. Instead, they would have just been digits in an Excel workbook to me.

And through all of this I would have been lulled into the comfort zone of an income higher than I was earning then, but far less than I earn now, and connection with people who valued me only for my obedience and deliverables.

The life and work and connections and community of professionals I love and enjoy and look forward to being with every chance I get now would not exist for me, if I’d gotten what I thought I wanted in 2022.

Today’s rejection is setting the stage for you to have many tomorrows that are far greater than you could possibly imagine in this moment. Embrace it!