Why nobody believes in you (yet)

The awkward phase every creator knows but won't talk about

Author

Stephen Stanberry
August 17th, 2025

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Hey friend!

Last week I'm scrolling through social media and see this post from my friend Dwayne.

"Congrats to everyone getting promoted at their corporate jobs while I'm still figuring out this business thing."

The comments section turned into a brutal reality check.
Friends telling him to "get serious" and "think about your future." His own cousin asking when he's giving up the "side hustle fantasy."

I felt that punch in the gut. Because I’ve been there exactly.

That awkward phase where people you care about treat your business like an expensive hobby that's dragged on way too long.

Friends stop asking about work because they assume you're failing.
Family drops hints about "backup plans." Everyone's just waiting for you to snap out of it and rejoin the "real world."

Here's what hit me during my own season of sideways glances and concerned conversations:

Early doubt isn't a signal you're wrong. It's a signal you're ahead.

People closest to you see the old version.
They remember you complaining about your boss, struggling with bills, talking big dreams but not taking action.
They love you, but they're frozen in time, seeing who you were instead of who you're becoming.

The market doesn't care about your past. It only cares about your solution.

You don't convince skeptics with explanations.
You convince them with results.

Keep building.
Keep shipping.
Keep proving the doubters wrong with action, not arguments.

That same friend who posted about "figuring out this business thing"? He landed his first client two months later for $3000. Suddenly everyone wanted to know his "secret."

You earn belief by outlasting skepticism. The world catches up to your vision if you don't quit first.

Trust the process,
Stephen

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