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Cringe thread

Anything related to matters of the mind

Itizn

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Writing this post for past me and for future newbies coming in with doubts. Being afraid of looking foolish or inexperienced is a major factor for not taking action.

Here are some of the things I felt like an idiot for after they initially happened, but that's how I learned.

- Tried selling CEOs and presidents respective products to each other in a competitive market. Basically saying " hey, wanna help the other guys beat you?"

- Being on a sales call with one hardass CEO and trying to pitch him a product I had minimal understanding of. He got so pissed that he called me out on my inexperience, and he was in the right for that too.

- Pretending for a long time that I had experience I didn't have, instead of being forthright about being a novice. This burned me a lot as well.

- Making this thread

If any members feel like sharing moments, particularly early on where they looked a fool, be my guest. I'll probably come back and share future mistakes just for the hell of it.
 
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Mattie

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Writing this post for past me and for future newbies coming in with doubts. Being afraid of looking foolish or inexperienced is a major factor for not taking action.

Here are some of the things I felt like an idiot for after they initially happened, but that's how I learned.

- Tried selling CEOs and presidents respective products to each other in a competitive market. Basically saying " hey, wanna help the other guys beat you?"

- Being on a sales call with one hardass CEO and trying to pitch him a product I had minimal understanding of. He got so pissed that he called me out on my inexperience, and he was in the right for that too.

- Pretending for a long time that I had experience I didn't have, instead of being forthright about being a novice. This burned me a lot as well.

- Making this thread

If any members feel like sharing moments, particularly early on where they looked a fool, be my guest. I'll probably come back and share future mistakes just for the hell of it.
I have my foolish posts in here. I remember when I first started, I was trying to figure out what a funnel was at the time. It seemed like a challenge to tackle the information in here. You have to start somewhere. I didn't know anything at the time . I wouldn't feel too bad.
 

MJ DeMarco

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- Tried selling CEOs and presidents respective products to each other in a competitive market. Basically saying " hey, wanna help the other guys beat you?"

- Being on a sales call with one hardass CEO and trying to pitch him a product I had minimal understanding of. He got so pissed that he called me out on my inexperience, and he was in the right for that too.

- Pretending for a long time that I had experience I didn't have, instead of being forthright about being a novice. This burned me a lot as well.

Nothing cringe about failing and honoring your mistakes. Good on you for learning, and having the self-awareness to evaluate what might have went wrong.
 
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Johnny boy

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What’s funny is what you might be embarrassed for, might just be what an aggressive toxic person convinced you that you did wrong when you didn’t do anything wrong, other than lack to confidence to recognize the situation.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told I was bad, wrong, dumb, foolish, mean, dishonest, etc. the thing is that people with low self esteem actually believe the negativity and then turn around and acknowledge these situations as examples of their faults. When in reality that wasn’t the case at all.

Be cautious and thoughtful when you criticize yourself. The world will tell you enough negativity, make sure any extra that comes from yourself is absolutely necessary.

Here’s my basic advice: Many of the “lessons” we learn are actually completely wrong.
 

Andy Black

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Writing this post for past me and for future newbies coming in with doubts. Being afraid of looking foolish or inexperienced is a major factor for not taking action.

Here are some of the things I felt like an idiot for after they initially happened, but that's how I learned.

- Tried selling CEOs and presidents respective products to each other in a competitive market. Basically saying " hey, wanna help the other guys beat you?"

- Being on a sales call with one hardass CEO and trying to pitch him a product I had minimal understanding of. He got so pissed that he called me out on my inexperience, and he was in the right for that too.

- Pretending for a long time that I had experience I didn't have, instead of being forthright about being a novice. This burned me a lot as well.

- Making this thread

If any members feel like sharing moments, particularly early on where they looked a fool, be my guest. I'll probably come back and share future mistakes just for the hell of it.
Sounds like you’re confident you can figure it out as you go along.

Most people believe they’re “not enough” so go on an endless cycle of learning before they start.

If you came to me selling a product you didn’t understand fully then I’d commend you for putting yourself out there, and I’d ask “AND imagine what results you’d get if you knew your product inside out?”

You have the confidence to try to sell CEOs something they don’t need? Imagine what would happen if you combine that confidence AND a product they want to buy?

I recommend you rethink/reframe how you look at all your examples, from “Yes, but” to “Yes, and”.

Can you improve your self-talk?

What other learnings could you take away from your experiences?

Check out this thread (all the way through and especially the 26th post):


What’s your goal? Is it to help people? If so, then cringe factor zero.

I’ve a stack of “figuring it out” threads, where I document me scrambling about trying to learn something.

Jump on camera for the first time but have a goal to help people? No problem. I have zero cringe factor looking back on those videos, and I publish them to show people they shouldn’t either.
 

Fox

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This cringe story isn't really entrepreneurship but it was the start of me trying to turn my life around...

Quick context:
- Studied construction management and engineering in Uni > graduate during Irish property recession, zero jobs
- Teach kids water sports for two years to save up enough money to leave the country
- Move to Canada where I hear there are "oil jobs" - All I know about drilling is the space movie "Armageddon"
- Land in Canada with no idea how to get a job and zero contacts

Okay so with the context set I am now living in Edmonton, Canada and trying to find myself an oil job. I have a few hundred dollars to my name and a bicycle from the 70s to get around. it looks something like this...

Screenshot 2021-09-29 at 09.03.40.png


In Edmonton, there are some transit systems to get around the city but a lot of the oil business offices are outside the main city meaning you got to drive out to them. But without a car, I have to bike out there - this usually takes 1-2 hours each way.

So the usual day is to get up around 430am - start working for a landscaping business super early, finish around 3pm - and then try bike out as fast as possible to a few of these offices before they close.

If you just email them or try to call you don't really get far... "come visit us in person and we can talk".

So anyway one day I cycle at least an hour out to one of these offices and manage to talk the receptionist into letting me have an instant job interview with the head of drilling operations.

I get walked into his super fancy office with a massive glass desk. He has this huge "I am clearly the boss" chair and the whole office looks like it costs at least 100k. Everything is custom and it's full of expensive stuff.

So I am sitting in this little chair in front of the desk as this guy reads through my resume. Also, this guy looks like a bear - I am guessing he has worked his way up from years of hard work to now be the head of this business.

Boss:
"okay engineering degree... very good"
"okay... you got all the needed certs - good stuff"
"okay, you are looking to start in any position... I like the attitude"

"Look we might have a position for you to start in next week - it is a leasehand position"

Me: "Ya sounds good - no problem"

Boss: "Okay - you got some wheels to get to work?"

Me: "Ya I got a bike"

Boss: "Nah - you aren't allowed to have a motorbike on-site and anyway it is around a 1200km drive"

Me: "No not a motorbike - a bike"

I actually stand up in the office and point out the window at my bicycle chained up around the light pole in the middle of their carpark. It is "parked" between about a dozen new Dodge Rams and Ford 150s.

Something like this if you can imagine my bike in the middle...

Screenshot 2021-09-29 at 09.08.13.png

So he swivels around in his chair, sees the bike, swivels back to me, takes one second to see I am serious, and then holds the whole resume in front of his face and he tries to talk without laughing his a$$ off.

Screenshot 2021-09-29 at 09.19.50.png


He was trying not to laugh so hard he could hardly talk...
"Well...I will... give you... a call... if we need... you"

He pressed some button the secretary came in and kinda signalled that was the end of the meeting.
When I walked out of the office and the glass door closed I could hear him literally roaring laughing.

I remember getting on my bike so defeated and not even wanting to look back once cause I knew he was in there looking out at me starting to cycle home.

Looking back it is a funny story now (I laugh at this a lot) but at the time it was one of my first interview chances after weeks of cycling out to these offices and I basically looked like a total idiot.

I ended up getting a job a few months later after I got an old F150 truck for $500 and learned more about what to say (and NOT say) to get hired by an oil business.

Looking back these days were super tough but also it teaches you a lot about how to deal with rejection/cringe failures and that it's just "whatever". Every time you decide to act and take a big risk is a moment on the journey where 100 other people decided to quit.
 
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Robbi

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This cringe story isn't really entrepreneurship but it was the start of me trying to turn my life around...

Quick context:
- Studied construction management and engineering in Uni > graduate during Irish property recession, zero jobs
- Teach kids water sports for two years to save up enough money to leave the country
- Move to Canada where I hear there are "oil jobs" - All I know about drilling is the space movie "Armageddon"
- Land in Canada with no idea how to get a job and zero contacts

Okay so with the context set I am now living in Edmonton, Canada and trying to find myself an oil job. I have a few hundred dollars to my name and a bicycle from the 70s to get around. it looks something like this...

View attachment 40157


In Edmonton, there are some transit systems to get around the city but a lot of the oil business offices are outside the main city meaning you got to drive out to them. But without a car, I have to bike out there - this usually takes 1-2 hours each way.

So the usual day is to get up around 430am - start working for a landscaping business super early, finish around 3pm - and then try bike out as fast as possible to a few of these offices before they close.

If you just email them or try to call you don't really get far... "come visit us in person and we can talk".

So anyway one day I cycle at least an hour out to one of these offices and manage to talk the receptionist into letting me have an instant job interview with the head of drilling operations.

I get walked into his super fancy office with a massive glass desk. He has this huge "I am clearly the boss" chair and the whole office looks like it costs at least 100k. Everything is custom and it's full of expensive stuff.

So I am sitting in this little chair in front of the desk as this guy reads through my resume. Also, this guy looks like a bear - I am guessing he has worked his way up from years of hard work to now be the head of this business.

Boss:
"okay engineering degree... very good"
"okay... you got all the needed certs - good stuff"
"okay, you are looking to start in any position... I like the attitude"

"Look we might have a position for you to start in next week - it is a leasehand position"

Me: "Ya sounds good - no problem"

Boss: "Okay - you got some wheels to get to work?"

Me: "Ya I got a bike"

Boss: "Nah - you aren't allowed to have a motorbike on-site and anyway it is around a 1200km drive"

Me: "No not a motorbike - a bike"

I actually stand up in the office and point out the window at my bicycle chained up around the light pole in the middle of their carpark. It is "parked" between about a dozen new Dodge Rams and Ford 150s.

Something like this if you can imagine my bike in the middle...

View attachment 40158

So he swivels around in his chair, sees the bike, swivels back to me, takes one second to see I am serious, and then holds the whole resume in front of his face and he tries to talk without laughing his a$$ off.

View attachment 40159


He was trying not to laugh so hard he could hardly talk...
"Well...I will... give you... a call... if we need... you"

He pressed some button the secretary came in and kinda signalled that was the end of the meeting.
When I walked out of the office and the glass door closed I could hear him literally roaring laughing.

I remember getting on my bike so defeated and not even wanting to look back once cause I knew he was in there looking out at me starting to cycle home.

Looking back it is a funny story now (I laugh at this a lot) but at the time it was one of my first interview chances after weeks of cycling out to these offices and I basically looked like a total idiot.

I ended up getting a job a few months later after I got an old F150 truck for $500 and learned more about what to say (and NOT say) to get hired by an oil business.

Looking back these days were super tough but also it teaches you a lot about how to deal with rejection/cringe failures and that it's just "whatever". Every time you decide to act and take a big risk is a moment on the journey where 100 other people decided to quit.
This is a cool story, Fox!

Resonates with me as I also went to Edmonton (after being in Banff for a year and a half), with aspirations of landing an oil job. Fun times, lived in a van with a buddy. We eventually got jobs and things were alright, but yeah, it was tough at times.
 

DoingDeals

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Mistakes were made by the greatest in history. Without them we wouldn't be here where we are now.
 

DoingDeals

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People saying they can & can't do something are usually right.
 
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Last edited:

Itizn

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Maybe the title could have been better phrased. This post was meant to encourage others that you have to look like an idiot to get good.

I'm having a great week and currently engaged in some projects that the me from six months ago would have thought impossible.

For example:
- Engaged in dialogue with VC's &
high net worth invidivuals
- Looking to broker a sale of a company that could net me life changig money
- Added a new member to my team who offers a value prop I've been desperately on the search for.

Nice story @Fox

Edit: literally the moment I made this post, a sale has come in.
 

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