So, I’ve noticed a trend lately regarding “how to say no” or “why you should decline work” and other similar headlines on blog posts or advice columns.

And I’m sorry, but…

What?!!

What kind of business advice guru encourages you to decline work or networking opportunities??

A shitty one - that’s for sure.

That being said, I’m sure this post is going to ruffle a few feathers and get some negative feedback since saying yes is no longer the trendy thing to do for your business.

Luckily, I’m 100% okay with that!

But before you automatically close out of this post, I only ask that you hear me out.

Deal?

Okay, good. Here we go…

So, first of all, we know that the main part of having a successful business is making money.

We can all agree on that one, yeah?

I don’t want to hear the, “I only do projects that I’m passionate about” bullshit. If you’re still in the early stages, and let’s face it, if you’re reading this, it’s doubtful that you’re a huge success yet.

How do I know? Well...

If you were, you wouldn’t have time to be reading about why you should be saying yes because you fucking already are.

According to the 10X Rule, successful people say yes 99% of the time when given an opportunity that will benefit them in some way whether it be financial gain, exposure, or whatever else that may align with their personal vision of success.

But here’s the kicker - they say yes even when they have no knowledge of what they’re agreeing to.

Why? Because, in the great words of Marie Forleo, “everything is figureoutable.” However, I feel the need to add “within reason.”

My copyeditor is a good example. I reached out to her knowing she had the know-how to be an amazing copyeditor. However, she was pretty much clueless when it came to using her skills to be a freelancer and build her own online business. She had enough computer knowledge, college-level education on graphic design and English, and experience in retail management that despite her cluelessness, she said yes. She knew she could figure it out as she went along because it was within reason of what she already knew.

If the request had involved her needing to figure out quantum mechanics in a few months, that may be the wrong time to say “yes.”

So, everything is figureoutable within reason.*

Therefore, when you’re presented with an opportunity that is at least figureoutable within reason, always freaking say yes.

*- Also commonly referred to as, “faking it ‘til you make it.”

Saying “Fuck You” to Fear

Guess what the number one reason is that people say no?

FEAR.

When you’re building a business, letting the fear take over will lead you down a fast track to failure.

Chances are, if you’re afraid, then you’re doing something right. It’s natural to experience fear when taking risks.

The trick is to push through and come out better on the other side.

Why let this invisible thing hold you back in your business?

It sounds insane, right?

Fear can’t physically hurt you, yet it can hold so much power over you.

Fear is something that can control your life and your success by not actually doing anything at all.

Fear brings nothing to the table.

The good news is that fear doesn’t point a gun to your head or lock all the doors in a room; it doesn’t use force by any means.

Essentially, you are free to walk right past fear and tell it to kiss your successful ass.

However, most people don’t, and that is ultimately why they never succeed.

So Many Excuses

When fear takes over, it often is covered up with another fan favorite - excuses.

Some of the excuses that come out of people’s mouths, because they’re uncomfortable doing something, are insane.

The most commonly used excuse is, “I don’t have the time.”

This is an umbrella excuse that can be used for almost anything in any situation.

I know this because I, myself, have used it as a fallback way too many times just to find myself binging on a show on Netflix.

Guess who had the time, but just couldn’t take action? Me.

We all know that we have 168 hours in a week. This applies to everyone whether you make 20k/year or 2 mil/year.

Everyone has the same amount of time.

What’s important is knowing where you are spending your time.

Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should spend every bit of your time working, but if you find yourself bitching about how good things never happen to you, step back and take a look at what you were doing when the opportunities passed you by.

If you aren’t willing and prepared to accept an opportunity, it’s going to move on to someone who is.

I know some of you may think that sounds a little woo-woo, and maybe it is.

But tell me I’m wrong.

Family is another common excuse people use when they don’t want to say yes. They’ll say they can’t do something that requires action because of their family.

Here again, I’m sorry, but…

What?!!

Call me crazy, but shouldn’t everything you do be for your family?

Wouldn’t taking an opportunity to increase your household income help your family? Extra cash can do anything from putting food on the table to covering expenses for a much-needed family vacation.

Your family should be a BIG reason to always say YES.

I have found myself using the excuse that I have little kids so many times, but then I realized something…

They aren’t attached to me all day, every day.

I am a stay-at-home parent. I don’t have a nanny and I don’t send them to daycare, but yet, I can still squeeze in time to work.

They have tons of toys and big imaginations which means they’ve learned the fine art of entertaining themselves.

Not only does this help give me time blocks to work, but it’s also a valuable asset that will help them in countless scenarios later on in life.

It’s not necessary to play with your children 16+ hours a day. Doing everything with or for your children can actually hinder their ability to become functioning adults.

Learning to figure things out and do things on their own is a quality that they will thank you for later in life. Showing them how to rely on themselves is notbeing neglectful; it’s being helpful.

Never apologize for raising a successful problem solver, regardless of how it looks to anyone else.

The Worst Business Advice

I’m not completely sure when it became trending business advice to “learn to say no,” blanketed with a generic excuse, but it’s definitely the worst business advice going around, in my opinion.

I do, in fact, believe in learning to say no when it comes to taking on more than you can handle or legitimately not having enough time in your schedule.

I actually think this good business advice has been taken too far when I see folks say they don’t want to work with a client because it’s not their “ideal customer.”

Here’s an idea for that situation: take the client and outsource major parts of the project (yes, that’s an option). You can even take on clients and hire people to help you all the time.

You don’t see Elon Musk meeting every potential customer and making a custom-built Tesla for each one, do you?

Nope.

In fact, he hires everything out, but he doesn’t turn down customers because they aren’t the right “fit” to drive one of his cars.

You’ll never be successful if you’re constantly saying no to potential clients.

If this is your way of thinking, I would suggest re-evaluating your mindset. Not only are you being counter-productive, but you’re damaging your success, your reputation, and your business.

Say no only when you have to and offer alternative suggestions.

Sometimes, we have to say no for one reason or another. In these instances, offer the potential client alternatives for what they’re needing - maybe you know another fabulous freelancer that you can recommend or you have more availability next month if they want to book in advance.

But, saying no to clients because they aren’t your “ideal customer” isn’t the way to run a successful business.

My advice is to ignore this trendy “saying no” business advice. Instead, say “yes” and...

Take the Opportunity

Every opportunity that lands in front of you should be a good enough reason to say yes.

Say yes, work the opportunity to your advantage, and deposit a check into the bank.

This is the key to becoming successful.

Saying yes is difficult.

Saying yes takes you out of your comfort zone.

Saying yes makes you have to take action, but...

Your actions lead to results, and your results lead to success.

Stop saying no.

Stop holding yourself back.

Stop living in fear.

Stop using excuses.

Stop taking bullshit advice.

Today, start saying yes and start taking action. Propel yourself forward and start taking the opportunities presented to you.

The rest is always figureoutable within reason.