The Beauty of Rejection

Rejection sounds negative, but it can play a positive role in choices we make. It can force us to pivot in a new direction and help us develop skills to adapt and succeed. By changing our focus to something we hadn’t planned, rejection can lead us to a better outcome than if we’d simply been handed the thing we wanted.

In pursuit of happiness?

Last fall I learned of a great job with one of my local design clients. They were looking for a communications director who could write, work well with others, and organize the department. Plus it was a bonus if they had design and social media skills. I’d had my business for a long time and, thinking I might be an ideal candidate, I vigorously pursued it.

Five months of meetings and interviews led me to become one of two finalists. The search culminated when I had a 9-hour successive interview with about 40 people. After ruminating three weeks, they emailed to say neither of us were chosen, and they were going to start the search anew. What a drag!

During the course of the search, the client found itself in a controversial situation. It caused their focus to shift from finding a communications director to needing someone with crisis management experience. Suddenly, what appeared to be a great fit was beyond my range of experience.

Meanwhile, on another channel…

Around the same time, my husband, former ad creative David Horsfall, started a successful online store, "Alki Surf Shop. Based on the site’s success, he felt the next logical move was to open a brick and mortar retail store on Alki Beach in West Seattle. I was apprehensive, but after looking at a number of possibilities to buy or rent, he found the perfect location. So, in the spring of 2014 we put the wheels in motion.

Just as my client needed to change directions because of their crisis, I shifted gears to concentrate on our new endeavor. And as with all projects I take on, I poured my heart into it. Skills I’d acquired from running a successful design practice were used to establish our retail store. I knew how to organize the pieces into a manageable framework including sourcing products, working with vendors, negotiating terms, procuring estimates, tracking inventory and ensuring quality along every point.

David is a creative visionary and happens to have terrific abilities in all things related to building rehab. (We've restored five houses including our house on AirBNB.) Our combined expertise encompassed top-notch graphic design, writing, advertising, social media and marketing skills. This meant we were able to redesign and rebuild the space, deploying design, advertising and other marketing essentials that ordinary businesses have to hire out. Our skills saved us many tens of thousands of dollars in start-up costs.

Overcoming obstacles teaches us to be nimble.

Thanks to the opportunity created by losing out on the job, I was able to work with David and my family to build a viable and enchanting new business. In July of 2014, we opened Alki Surf's Shop. “flagship” store.

Launching into the unknown can be daunting as well as exhilarating. That's the beauty of rejection.

Sometimes, it provides you with the push you need to move forward.

Alki Surf Shop is located on Seattle's best beach. 2622 Alki Avenue SW, Seattle, 98116 Phone: 206.403.1901 Photo by Patryk Sobczak