Rejection is the common thread in founder and creator stories
Guy Raz finds rejection in nearly every How I Built This story, Jamie Kern Lima used it as fuel for IT Cosmetics, Jo Koy built a career on bombing, Zach King was rejected by film school, and John Grisham's rejections feature in Mel Robbins' book episode. Treating rejection as a normal career stage keeps people going long enough to break through.
What trait does Guy Raz say founders share above all? Show answer
The ability to withstand rejection, which he says is trainable through repeated exposure and not something people are born with.
What examples does Raz give of how rejection tolerance is built? Show answer
Mormon missionaries knocking on doors abroad and kids selling chocolate bars door to door, who build the habit of hearing no and carrying on.
What rejection redirected Raz's own career? Show answer
He did not get the top NPR news anchor job he had worked toward for decades, which pushed him into podcasting and How I Built This.
How long was Jamie Kern Lima rejected before her breakthrough? Show answer
Three years, by every major retailer, beauty buyer and investor, before IT Cosmetics sold for $1.2 billion.
What did Kern Lima do on her first QVC segment against consultants' advice? Show answer
She wiped off her makeup on air to show her rosacea and used a diverse range of models. The 10-minute segment sold out.
How does Jo Koy define real failure? Show answer
Not trying. If you accept a challenge and fail you have won, and passing on it out of fear is the real failure.
What did Koy do when Netflix passed on him? Show answer
He shot the special Live from Seattle himself, and Netflix then bought it.
How did Zach King respond to two film school rejections? Show answer
He sat in the back of classes, befriended student filmmakers, taught himself and built his career on YouTube.
How many publishers rejected John Grisham's first novel? Show answer
28. After it was published it did not sell, and he kept practicing law while he wrote the next one.
What three things can a rejection mean, according to the article? Show answer
A fixable flaw, bias that says nothing about quality, or a signal to change route. The skill is reading it correctly.
What counterweight does Kern Lima add to the persistence message? Show answer
Sometimes the real victory is knowing when to exit, as she did after selling her company.
What caution does the article give about these stories? Show answer
They are told in hindsight by people who made it, and the sources do not hear from those who persisted and never broke through.