Many of you may know, for opening HUONE Singapore and taking steps into the global scene, we needed funding. For the past 1,5 years I have met over 100 investors and pitched countless times. It was a nightmare; some may even say a traumatic experience. I put on a thick skin, went into meeting after meeting, hoping that someone would invest. It killed my confidence every time when I received ‘NO’ as an answer.
Truth be told, I was extremely frustrated. Every ‘NO’ ate a bit of my confidence, made me doubt if I was wrong or if there is something wrong with HUONE. I felt like a loser, like some ‘crazy lady’ running around town that nobody seems to really understand. At times I even felt angry, with myself and with potential investors.
But now, let me properly say ‘THANK YOU’, to the countless times you guys said ‘NO’.
As a young entrepreneur who dreams big, I knew things don’t come easy, but this was truly testing me personally. The bigger the dream, the higher the hurdle seems to be. I needed to learn how to take falls like a baby learns to walk. One step, fall, get up, one step, fall…forget your pride just learn how to take the step and get better at it. I needed to get the fact that my idea was good but not great. I needed to keep polishing my idea and myself instead of stubbornly pushing the same thing.
I really needed that painful journey to see that entrepreneurs go through different phases of personal growth. The past 1,5 years was a transitional phase for me to turn a heavy page to a lesson I had to learn.
I learned a lot from that experience of being turned down. I realized that if I had gotten the money I needed with the first door I knocked I would not have come to the realization, which I have on my hands today. I am much better prepared for the next step now. Thanks to you who took time to say ‘NO’.
Kiitos.
Love, Evon