The kind of certainty that limits you
A flopped national promotion left us with a warehouse full of unsold sheets. It became our number one product line.
Most of the founders and leaders I work with are looking for certainty.
They want more data. More validation.
I understand that. Certainty feels like solid ground.
But here is what I have learned after years of working with people who build things: the ones who wait for certainty are still waiting. Not because they are weak or fearful, but because the sign they are looking for does not exist.
In year two of Gotcha Covered, the international wholesale linens company my partner and I built and exited, Tempur-Pedic came to us needing sheets for a national promotion. There was one problem. At that time, we only made pillowcases specifically for their memory foam pillows.
My partner and I freaked out a bit, and said yes anyway.
We both knew we could not grow a company selling pillowcases exclusively. This was our chance.
We committed to producing sheets for the first time.
No guarantee of the outcome. No roadmap for how to do it.
The promotion flopped. We were left with a warehouse full of unsold sheets.
And then something shifted. Instead of a liability we saw an asset. Those sheets became the foundation of an entirely new product line, one that eventually became our number one seller.
A failed promotion handed us our next chapter.
That experience is where I started to understand that not all certainty is the same.
What looks like certainty when you are starting out is something else entirely.
It is really clarity. Knowing what you want and being willing to move before you are ready.
Not certainty about the how or the outcome. Just a yes.
Success doesn't just bring confidence. It often replaces curiosity with conviction.
What feels like certainty after years of success is something different. It is the moment you stop questioning what you already know, and start assuming that what worked before will work again.
Adam Grant calls this out in Think Again. The more successful people become, the more they rely on what has already worked rather than questioning whether it still applies.
Success does not just bring confidence. It often replaces curiosity with conviction.
And most people do not notice it happening.
What I have learned, from building something from nothing and watching others do the same, is that the yes has to come before the how.
That has never felt comfortable. It has always been worth it.
Which kind of certainty is running you right now?
The kind that is pulling you toward something new, uncomfortable, uncharted, open?
Or the kind that is keeping you exactly where you are, protected by everything you already know?
Both feel like solid ground. Only one of them is moving forward.
Until next time,
Margalit
Curiosity and deep listening are my superpowers, gifts I inherited from my mother, an entrepreneur and Holocaust survivor who taught me that anything is possible when we challenge our limiting beliefs.
I believe our state of mind is an invisible line on our P&L statement, directly impacting our decision making, leadership, and bottom line results.
As an entrepreneur who grew and sold a seven figure wholesale linen business, I understand firsthand the challenges of building a company and changing course.
Today, I partner with founders, CEOs, and senior executives who are ready to raise their level of leadership while scaling their businesses. I serve as your trusted advisor and thought partner. Together, we will challenge limiting beliefs, improve resilience under pressure, and build the mental agility needed to lead with confidence, clarity, and purpose.