Hey guys,
With your permission I’d love to share a quick story that I hope is an encouragement to those who find themselves waiting.
Back in 2013 we were creating X, and I remember the day of submission well. Everyone was excited. Virtual high fives were flying across the wires. It was a fun time.
Then we got rejected. And rejected again. And rejected again. I was so frustrated after that first rejection that I even wrote out a letter to send to Collis. I tried to incapsulate how incredibly frustrating and demoralizing and maddening it was to work on something for so long and to have it rejected so fast and for reasons I didn’t agree with. I never sent that letter, but I’ve saved it and every once in a while I go back and re-read it.
It’s tough to wait. Many of you have financial responsibilities, families, a mortgage. It’s serious stuff. In the end, we had to wait several months to get a product out that we were sure was going to be approved within a couple days of our first submission. Even then, there was no guarantee of success but I remember well how stressful and frustrating that season was and how the wait only made it worse (or so I thought at the time - as I look back I see a lot of growth in my life through that season of waiting). We had a very small team at the time and had been in development for nearly a year on a product with no return on the time and money invested so every day mattered.
I wanted to share this with you for a few reasons. 1) If you are in business for yourself you know there will always be circumstances outside of your control. Coming to grips with that reality typically involves some combination of blood, sweat, and tears. I know it’s not easy, but I encourage you to persevere. While perseverance is not nearly as easy as all those inspirational quotes make it out to be, it is a hallmark of businesses that survive. 2) Stay passionate. Share your perspective in a constructive manner and do what you can to be part of the solution. One thing I’ve found (and experienced at Themeco when customers do this with us) is that private, personal messages are almost always more effective. Trying to have a discussion in a forum where many people have many opinions about many nuanced topics can be challenging. Try contacting the person in charge of that particular area privately and be prepared to know it may take some time to get a resolution and it may ultimately not go your way. That doesn’t mean you should stop championing your position, just remember there are many realities and constraints each company must consider with regards to the decisions they make, and then you can decide accordingly what is best for your business. 3) If the wait is causing extended financial challenges, look for opportunities to fill in the gap while you wait. Take on more freelancing projects, try selling the product on your own, look for strategic partnerships with others in the industry that have complementary skill sets or customer bases. It’s not easy, but you’d be surprised at what you can achieve when you just start taking action. Then when the wait is over, you may have multiple good options before you about what to do next. That’s what we did with X. We started pursuing selling it on our own after the numerous rejections, and when it was finally approved, we had many key relationships with others in the industry that were developed during that season of waiting…relationships I’m positive we wouldn’t have had had we not faced that unexpected hurdle.
The pain is real. The wait is hard. In no way do I want to minimize that…but I hope in some small way this may be an encouragement to you while you wait.
To Envato, I know you all desire to create a healthy marketplace for as many authors and buyers as possible. Thank you for the work that has gone into building and refining this platform. It has made a huge difference in many people’s lives, my own included.
To fellow authors, If there’s ever anything I can do to help or encourage you on your own business journey, message me anytime. This is a special community, and I’m privileged to be a part of it.
All my best,
Kyle