Flock Theory #32
Like the fundraising gambling addict you are, you keep coming back to the inbox slot machine, because you live in constant hope that one day you’ll win
A thought:
Fundraising, for a company or for a fund, is a demanding process. One of the more gruelling aspects, at least mentally for me, is the waiting. Waiting for decisions, or worse, waiting for no decision. There have been rejections from LPs I was near certain would back me, and commitments from others that have only recently got to know me. There has been ghosting, which can be somewhat frustrating but is far from the most heinous crime. For that, we must delve into a darker category; the commitments which get scaled back or rescinded altogether. Thankfully, I’ve not had to deal with this yet, but I have in the past and it can rock your confidence as well as your process. The not knowing, the false hope from the CRM entries deep down you know are stale, the silence, it all plays tricks on your mind. You’re glued to your inbox, every new email could be the one you’ve been waiting for. More likely, its not. Yet, like the fundraising gambling addict you are, you keep coming back to the inbox slot machine, because you live in constant hope that one day you’ll win.
I won yesterday morning. It was an email from a generationally important investor who I remain shocked even knows who I am. Not on this occasion a commitment to the fund, but instead an invite for me to give a talk to a group of students he mentors. I can only assume the entirety of the asset management world has prior commitments on this date? Currently, I’m equal parts honoured he thought of me and terrified that he’ll soon regret it. Anyhow, these fundraising moments are priceless; they keep you coming back to the casino.
A read:
https://cdixon.org/2009/09/19/climbing-the-wrong-hill
A quote:
"Violence is not the answer. Violence begets violence; hate begets hate; and toughness begets greater toughness." Martin Luther King Jr.
A meme:
