Trusting the Process Instead of Forcing Connections

Two years ago, I almost gave up investing forever......here’s why I didn’t. I was exhausted. Market crashes, endless research, emotional roller-coasters. At 24, I thought: “Maybe this isn’t for me.” 😓📉 Then my mentor sent me three words that changed everything: “Trust the process.” 💡 Here’s how I rebuilt my confidence: 1. Simplified my strategy. From 20 stocks to 5 high-quality businesses. 🏢➡️🏆 2. Automated SIPs. Removed decision fatigue. 🔄🧠 3. Tracked only quarterly performance. Day-to-day noise no longer mattered. 📊🕒 4. Focused on learning. Spent weekends reading annual reports instead of scrolling news. 📘✨ Fast-forward 24 months: My SIP portfolio is up 35%, and I sleep like a baby during volatility. 🚀😴 The takeaway: Investing isn’t about timing the market—it’s about time in the market. If you can’t trust your process, you’ll never trust your portfolio. ⏳💸 Action step: Write down your investment process today. Follow it for 12 months without deviation. 📝➡️📈 #InvestmentProcess #LongTermInvesting #SIP #FinancialFreedom #Mindset

You're standing in front of a microwave, hoping for a meal in seconds. When it dings, what you get is a soggy mess. That’s what happens when we try to rush TRUST in business. It’s tempting to believe that one email or post will seal the deal, but that’s rarely true. Trust isn’t a quick fix; it’s more like a slow-cooked dish that needs time to develop. And that’s what makes it valuable. Think about the brands you trust. Did they earn your loyalty overnight? Probably not. They showed up consistently, delivered on promises, and proved their worth over time. They understood that trust is the foundation of success, and it can’t be rushed. As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to want quick results, but the relationships that lead to long-term success are built slowly. It’s not about quick wins; it’s about playing the long game, where trust is everything. The next time you’re tempted to take a shortcut, remember: You can’t microwave experience or relationships. But if you invest the time, the rewards are worth it.

Trust the process...or not? You must trust the process, my daughter told me. Now, she’s 7, so you can imagine me looking at her like, “Wait, what did you just say?” This is a kid who still thinks bedtime stories are real, but here she was, dropping wisdom like she was a mini-Tony Robbins. It got me thinking—does “trust the process” always apply? Should we follow it blindly, like a GPS that tells you to drive straight into a lake? Let’s be real—“Trust the process” is basically the “Just keep swimming” of the #business world. It sounds great in theory, but without context, it’s as helpful as a paper umbrella in a thunderstorm. Sometimes, you need to trust the process, but other times, that process needs serious intervention. Imagine you’re baking a soufflé. You’ve mixed the ingredients, put it in the oven, & now comes the hardest part—waiting without opening the door. You must trust the process because opening the oven is a surefire way to have your soufflé collapse into something that looks like a sad pancake. It’s the same in #leadership. HBR found that patience is often key to success, especially during change. Leaders who trusted a well-designed process were more likely to see long-term success. They didn’t rush to “open the oven door” by micromanaging or making impulsive decisions. They let the process unfold, trusting the groundwork they’d already laid. Take building a team, for instance. You can’t expect to throw a bunch of talented individuals together & have them immediately function like a well-oiled machine. Trusting the process means allowing time for the team to go through stages—forming, storming, norming, & finally performing (thanks, Bruce Tuckman). You can’t skip straight to the “performing” part without letting the messy “storming” phase do its thing. Trusting the process here means you’re willing to ride the rollercoaster, even if that means some loops & a little screaming. But sometimes the process is broken—like, beyond repair. Imagine if you’re stuck in a meeting that’s going nowhere. Everyone is nodding, pretending they understand, while Brenda from accounting is doodling what looks like a cat on fire. This is not the time to “trust the process.” This is the time to step in & make a change before the ship goes down, taking the cat (& the whole team) with it. McKinsey research shows that #leaders who constantly evaluate & challenge the processes in place are better equipped to adapt to change. Blindly trusting an outdated or ineffective process can do more harm than good. The art of leadership is knowing when to let the soufflé rise & when to realize that it’s burnt & needs to be tossed out. When my daughter told me to trust the process, I realized she’d already grasped half the equation. The other half is knowing when to take that process, shake it up, & say, “Nope, this isn’t working.” Ultimately, trust is earned—even by processes. If you’ve built it right, let it do its thing. If it’s shaky, be ready to change it.

Throughout my 10+ years in managerial positions, one of my biggest leadership lessons came from this: Trusting the process. Here's why I believe in empowering teams: When project deadlines are tight and teams are stressed, many managers' instinct is to control everything. Monitoring every move… Hovering over every decision... Trying to dictate every step… But there's a better approach: First, invest in developing your team's capabilities. Then set clear goals, provide guidance, and give them space to work. Instead of directing each step, support your team in solving problems themselves. This creates room for diverse perspectives and innovative solutions. I've seen firsthand how teams with different backgrounds, experiences, and skill sets bring unique approaches to challenges. Whether it's varied cultural viewpoints, different professional expertise, or problem-solving styles – diversity becomes our strength. Why does this work? Because trust unleashes potential. When people know it's safe to fail, they dare to innovate. When they own their decisions, they exceed expectations. When people receive proper support, they build competence. In my experience, teams that feel psychologically safe to make decisions – while knowing support is there when needed – outperform those operating under constant scrutiny. They develop into stronger problem solvers, show more initiative, and build genuine confidence in their abilities. A leader's role isn't to control – it's to develop capabilities, provide support, and create conditions where diverse teams can thrive. Start by trusting the process. #Leadership #TeamDevelopment #Diversity

Early in my career, I had a manager who was always chasing numbers. Every meeting was about targets and closing deals as fast as possible. The team felt the weight and clients understood that our numbers come before theirs. Then, I worked with another manager; He had a different mindset. Instead of chasing deals, he focused on creating value. He encouraged us to build genuine relationships, understand our clients’ needs, and become problem-solvers. He believed that if we nurtured trust, success would follow. The result? Clients started reaching out to us more frequently. Deals became easier, referrals increased, and we built a strong, loyal customer base. This lesson applies beyond sales... Whether attracting clients, talent, or opportunities, when we focus on creating something valuable, the right people will come. Do you agree?

Securing our latest client has been a lesson in the power of persistence and relationship-building in sales. Here’s the story: Back in 2020, a former president at Hotwire introduced me to a VC firm, believing our services might be a good fit. That initial connection set off a chain of introductions. The VC firm connected me with another contact, who then introduced me to yet another. Each step could have been a dead end, but I kept nurturing these relationships. Despite not landing immediate business with some of these connections, I stayed in touch. I offered advice, provided insights, and maintained a genuine rapport. Over the years, these connections evolved. One introduction led to another, and as of this month, one of those contacts - now six degrees removed from the original introduction - became a client. The takeaway? When it comes to sales best practices, trust the process. Networking isn’t always about immediate results. It’s about building and maintaining relationships, even when the payoff isn’t immediate. Genuine connections and persistence often lead to unexpected opportunities - and effective sales.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗜𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝘁𝗅𝗅𝗅 A few years ago, I met a founder at an event. His startup was burning cash, his team was falling apart, and he needed urgent help—funding, talent, partnerships, anything. He pulled out his phone, scrolled through LinkedIn, and sighed: "I have 5,000 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀… but 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 I can actually call." That moment hit me like a truck. What’s the point of a network if it’s just names on a list? I never wanted to be that person. But I’ve seen it happen too many times: ↳ A founder launches a startup—then realizes they have no real relationships. ↳ A recruiter needs top talent—then scrambles to build connections. ↳ A professional loses their job—then suddenly remembers their LinkedIn exists. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲. The truth? ↳ Your network isn’t built when you need something. ↳ It’s built when you have nothing to ask for. And here’s what I’ve learned after growing multiple businesses and building startup communities from scratch: ✅ Opportunities don’t come from "connections." They come from trust. ✅ The best hires don’t come from job boards. They come from relationships. ✅ The biggest deals don’t start in boardrooms. They start with a single conversation. So, don’t be this person: "𝗛𝗲𝘆, 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸… 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗺𝗲?" Instead, be this person: "𝗛𝗲𝘆𝗅 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻—𝗵𝗼𝘄’𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗱?" And here’s the scary part: Most people won’t do this. They’ll wait until they need something. Then they’ll wonder why nobody is picking up the phone. Don’t be that person. Make it a habit to reach out when you don’t need a damn thing because when the time comes? You won’t even have to ask for help. 💬 What’s the best opportunity you’ve gained from a relationship you built early? Tag someone who actually understands the power of real networking.

We’ve improved our conversion rate to subscribers by 89% but while doing so I almost lost trust in the process. “Trust the process” This tends to be my typical answer when startups ask me how we know we’re doing the right thing while we’re navigating a high level of uncertainty. But while confronted with the valley of despair myself, I felt the doubt growing. **What happened?** I was 4 months in an optimization process on a product with MAU in the 8 figures and MRR in the 7 figures and was not getting anywhere. We had a couple of early wins, but nothing steady, and a lot of initiatives on the go. 🧪 20+ A/B tests running. 🔥 We spent a lot of time firefighting, 📈 Data not tracking well, A/B capabilities shaky, tech debt, dependency, and all the other usual contenders… We’ve put a lot of work and effort into it at that stage and I was 2 days away from questioning “the process” when the first positive results came in. It was a good reminder for me that the process takes time. There isn’t a shortcut in product, you can be lean, and you can iterate fast, but you still need to put in the effort to get there, And the truth is this takes time. In product, we say “fail fast, learn fast”, but in reality, it feels closer to “fail fast, win slow”. But the process does work, and by month 6 our conversion rate was up by 89%. I applied the same framework on a startup 1/10 this size and got similar results (+59%MRR) *************** I will be sharing more about what the framework applied looks like, the pitfalls, as well as some examples of the tests and their results, if you’re curious hit follow ⏭️

Sales Isn’t a Pressure Cooker. Neither is Success. In a world obsessed with speed, it’s easy to believe that faster means better. That pushing harder, faster, and louder will get you results. But let this image be a reminder: Success, relationships, trust, and especially SALES—aren’t about shortcuts or pressure. They’re about consistency, patience, and quality effort over time (especially in the world of OT cybersecurity). So if you’re building your pipeline, nurturing leads, or scaling your business—don’t rush the process. The best results often come when we allow things to cook slowly and thoroughly. Trust the process.