FACING THE FEAR OF REJECTION

For years, I dreamed of starting an online store. I’d sketch out ideas, imagine products, and picture what the JSDCo brand could become. But every time I got close to hitting “launch,” fear crept in. What if it’s not good enough? What if people don’t like it? What if I’m told—again—that what I want to do isn’t worth doing? That fear wasn’t new. When I was younger, it stopped me from chasing so many things. I’d hear those voices—sometimes my own, sometimes others’—telling me my ideas didn’t matter. And I listened. Too often, I let it win.

So why now? Why, after all this time, did I finally do it?

Simple: things got slow. Life handed me a pause, and with it came time and intention. I’d spent years building skills, running workshops, and helping others shape their brands—yet I hadn’t fully applied it to myself. One of my favorite designers James Martin likes to say, “You wouldn’t hire an architect to build your house if they lived in a tent.” It was time to stop living in my own metaphorical tent. I put myself through my own process—my Brand Discovery and Foundations exercise—and in two months, I carved out the JSDCo brand I’d always envisioned. It’s not perfect. But that’s the point: it’s the first iteration.

Nothing worth doing is one-and-done. Brands, relationships, education, even our bodies—they’re all iterative. You build, you tweak, you improve. With the website in place, I took it a step further: the JSDCo General Store. An online shop. My online shop. And yeah, it came with a learning curve. Shipping logistics, processing times, payouts—I stumbled through it all. The first few orders? Paid for out of my own pocket. Was it scary? Hell yes.

But was I going to let fear stop me again? Fuck no.

It took three days of deep, focused work to get the store built. Three days of wrestling with details, doubting myself, and pushing through anyway. The result isn’t flawless—it’s not meant to be. It’s a starting line, not a finish line. And it’s a damn sight better than nothing.

Here’s what I’ve learned, and what I hope you’ll take away from this: just start.

Be intentional. Think it through. But don’t let overthinking paralyze you. That’s the worst thing we can do to ourselves. We’ve got to find the courage to fall flat on our faces—and then get back up. Because that’s the process. That’s how we grow. That’s how JSDCo became more than just a dream in my head.

The General Store is live now. It’s real. It’s mine. And it’s for anyone who believes in starting, iterating, and building something worth sharing. So, what’s stopping you? Whatever it is, shove it aside. Start today. Fall if you have to. Then, stand up and keep going. That’s the JSDCo way.