Issue #96: There is a lesson in every "No."

Where I've been, a transparent look into what I'm up to, and how you can help!

Back in February, I had surgery to repair my broken wrist that had unknowingly been broken since the past October.

While I spent a lot of that recovery time healing, napping, and being catered to, I also spent that time knee deep in a project that I have been sitting on for months. Also back in October, God gave me a huge idea to launch an app for Doing Everyday Well. A wellness accountability app and community that helped women entrepreneurs to measure their capacity and make time for rest every single day.

This idea felt huge, but not impossible. But as I started digging deeper and more details were revealed, I learned that creating, launching, and maintaining an app would cost a lot of money. Like, A LOT! But I didn’t let this one inconvenience stop me from pursuing this God shaped dream.

So while I was down and recovering from surgery, I poured my focus into applying for a local grant that would help me to fund the beginning process of the app. (Which I also mentioned here.)

I combed through every piece of that app and research all of the big business questions that I had no clue how to answer. The application within itself took several weeks to complete and stretched me in a way that I didn’t expect. On top of completing the app, I also had to include a video with an explanation and walk-through of a basic app mockup.

Did I mention that I have never built an app before? Thankfully with the help of AI and a TON of Youtube videos, I was able to create a very basic mockup that showcased the intended features.

Honestly, I was very proud of myself for what I had created. And if you asked me, the application/video combo deserved way more than the $10,000 grant that was on the line.

I hit submit and waited impatiently for weeks to hear back.

And on March 27th as I’m navigating through the school book fair with my five year old, I received the email with the decision –

I didn’t get the grant.

In that moment, standing in the middle of a hot school library, I wanted to melt away. All of that hard work spent on something that I felt so strongly was given to me from God all felt to slip away. How could I not get this grant if this is the idea that God gave to me? Why would he even play in my face like that?

I took a couple of days to feel all of the feelings and then I went back to the feedback that was provided from the judges. And as much as I hate to admit it…points were made.

1. My company is still very new. Too new to compete in a very saturated market like the wellness app industry. At least right now.

2. In order to overcome the first point I needed to get clearer about the problem the app would solve and do some more market research.

Hearing “No.” was not the result that I desired but the lesson in that “No.” was loud and clear. There was still so much work that I needed to do before investing tens of thousands of dollars into an app idea.

God definitely protected me through rejection. And that “No.” was simply a “Not yet.”

Since then, I have been doing a lot more research on the wellness app industry, getting feedback from my audience, and working with God on how I can start small and grow from there.

In the past I’ve always moved FAST on an idea. While I admire my ability to not let fear or the unknown get in my way, the launches were not always the best and in a lot of cases I ended up wasting money.

I don’t want that for this idea and I don’t want that for Doing Everyday Well as a company. So I am choosing in this season to intentionally move slow and pray for guidance through every step.

I am also doing something that makes me wildly uncomfortable but I’ve been feeling a nudge to do. And that’s ask for help.

---

Here’s how you can help to build this next phase of Doing Everyday Well:

1. Complete this survey! Your feedback will not only help me to refine the DEW app idea but also help me to shape the future of the company.

2. Become a paid subscriber to this newsletter or make a one-time donation. Every dime made through this Substack or donations will go towards launching the BETA version of the DEW app and eventually the full app.

3. Leave a few words of encouragement in the comments. Entrepreneurship can be mentally draining. I’d love to have some kind words that I can reflect back on frequently as I navigate through this journey.

---

I fully believe that God is about to do something incredible through Doing Everyday Well. For too long women, especially women entrepreneurs, have been expected to fully show up but are rarely told to take better care of themselves.

I’m here to change that.

Cheers to a restful week!

– Alisha Robertson, Founder of Doing Everyday Well

ICYMI

This week I was a guest on the Goal Digger Podcast with Jenna Kutcher! We chatted about why rest is your most profitable business strategy and how entrepreneurs can begin to easily implement rest into their day.

---

DON’T FORGET TO BREATHE