Lesson: Waiting in silence after a great meeting is its own mental game.

There have been plenty of times when a meeting goes great, the energy’s high, and they’re all in. “Let’s move forward.” “Excited to partner up.” You follow up. You send the next steps. And then… silence. That gap between excitement and execution, between what they said and what (doesn’t) happen, is one of the strangest places to be as a founder. At first, I took it personally. Then, I saw it as a test of patience.

Now, I see it as part of the game and a reminder that I’m not always their top priority. They’ve got their own timelines, their own fires. It’s rarely about me, and that realization has helped me stop overthinking. During that silence, I tend to go inward, checking what I can refine, optimize, or prep for what might come next. It’s how I stay sharp and ready. But when things are already as dialed-in as they can be, I catch myself hovering over old decks, rewriting slides, and tweaking materials, not because they need it, but because I’m bored, restless, or anxious to feel busy. That’s the trap. The waiting can mess with your head, and suddenly, overthinking starts to feel like productivity. But if you’re not careful, it leads to changes made for the wrong reasons, and that can do more harm than good. That’s when I know it’s time to shift outward, looking at consumer trends, market research, and how other founders are building. It sharpens me as a founder without forcing unnecessary changes onto the company. And when I do start thinking about outside collaborators, whether it’s a partner, advisor, or vendor, I’ve learned to filter for real alignment early. I went deeper on that in last week’s drop, if you missed it.

So, instead of forcing momentum, I’ve been learning to channel the pause into things that actually move us forward:

• Checking for accuracy — not chasing perfection

• Reworking internal systems — not rebuilding from scratch

• Revisiting our story — without reinventing it

• Reflecting — without spiraling

The quiet doesn’t mean it’s a no. It usually just means it’s not on your timeline. Your email might just be lost in the noise, another tab in a sea of open ones.

Closing Thought 

One of the hardest things I’ve had to accept as a founder is that not everything moves just because a meeting went well. People get busy. Priorities shift. And especially when both sides are still in the prospect phase, with no contract signed and no real commitment, even strong momentum can fade into silence. But that doesn’t mean I freeze. It just means I find other ways to move forward. The silence isn’t a signal to overreact; it’s a window to strengthen what’s mine to own. And I’ve learned that how I carry myself in that quiet says more about me as a founder than how I operate when things are loud and moving. So I don’t wait passively. I focus deliberately. And I keep building, even when the next step isn’t clear yet.

Stick around. I’m just warming up.

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