Expected No, Tried Anyway
What a 5'6" Founder Learned from Two 6'6" Athletes
By Denken, Founder & The One Who Fought Anyway
When making decisions as an entrepreneur, it’s always a choice between payoff and risk.
You have to consider: Is this worth it?
If it isn’t—don’t.
If it is—hold nothing back.
What your hand finds to do, do it with your Might.
The Garbage Can Challenge
One of my favorite memories is from college when I represented my social club in intramural games.
The challenge: Place softball-sized hollow rubber balls into an institutional-sized garbage can in the middle of the gym.
The obstacle: Two much larger athletes—6'2" and 6'6"—from competing social clubs, guarding the goal.
Me: 5'6".
Grabbing and wrestling allowed.
The Feint
I feinted left.
They both shifted left.
I feinted right.
Again, they shifted to block me.
The crowd of my social club in the stands behind me. The clock running down.
I had no other option.
The Decision
I dropped my right shoulder.
You should have SEEN THE LOOKS OF OPEN-EYED ASTONISHMENT on their faces.
And I plowed INTO AND THROUGH THEM.
Or… that’s what I tried.
They were pretty big.
The best I could do was NOT QUIT.
I climbed them. I tipped us all forward. They grabbed me and turned me around so that when all three of us slammed to the ground on our backs, I got the wind knocked out of me.
The Victory
But my TEAMMATE?
In the time I kept the giants busy, he walked over and dropped 6 balls into the goal.
One more than the other team.
The Lesson
I didn’t win.
I didn’t score a single point.
I got flattened.
But we won.
Because I created the opening for someone else to succeed.
That’s How We Win
This is exactly what I’m doing with Liana Banyan.
I don’t have that much to lose because what really matters cannot be taken from me:
- The love of my family
- My convictions
- My determination
- My ability to try again
But on the other hand, I have the world to gain.
Just like you.
The Real Risk Calculation
I’m openly posting unlicensed music from artists I admire—music I listen to on my daily work song playlist, music that moves me.
I am a sucker for songs I get to BELT OUT—it’s the “Take On Me” and “Frozen” of today.
I’m doing this in a bid to Inception permission and generate media coverage—maybe by Rolling Stone and the New York Times?
By the way: I do NOT recommend using unlicensed music. I’m trying to ask permission the only way I know how:
Audaciously, with accountability.
The Math
What I could lose: Not much. The things that matter can’t be taken.
What I could gain: Everything. And so could everyone else.
If you steal my ideas, please instead use the system I designed to give them to you.
Expected No
A child in the founder’s family recently made a proposal to adopt a kitten. She cleaned her room, made a presentation with 10 reasons, found the kitten at the shelter online, and drew a picture of him.
When she was gently told no, she cried.
Then she wiped her tears and said: “It’s okay. I need to learn through hearing more no’s.”
Later she said: “The reason I was so nervous is that I expected from the start it would be a no. But I had to try anyway.”
Tried Anyway
That’s the whole thing.
Expected no. Tried anyway.
The giants were bigger. The odds were against me. I got flattened.
But my teammate scored.
That’s Liana Banyan.
That’s the Twelve Cities.
That’s what happens when you stop asking “Who will help me?” and start creating openings for others to succeed.
The Invitation
I’m inviting you to become a Founding Member.
Not because I think you’ll say yes.
I expected no.
I’m trying anyway.
Help each other. Help ourselves.
Let’s make this bread.
Denken Founder & The One Who Fought Anyway Liana Banyan Corporation
“What your hand finds to do, do it with your Might.”
Links:
- Kickstarter: [LUDICROUS SPEED]
- Academic papers: the2ndSecond.com/cephas-ring
- Full story: LianaBanyan.com
P.S. — I still have the names of those who watched from the stands. You know who you are.