The Shot Multiplication Effect

There are a lot of founders looking for “their shot”. That big customer intro. That huge VC pitch. That one hire that will change everything. They think they are just ONE shot away from their big break. And then when they think they are getting that shot, they really try to make it happen right then and there…like it’s their ONLY shot. I felt this way about business for a long time as well.

Early Shots In My Business Career

In 2015, I got the opportunity to pitch a local VC in a limo during Phoenix Startup Week. This was the first VC I ever met. Because I finally got access to a VC, years into my career, I really wanted to impress him and get his investment. I saw this as a rare shot I needed to capitalize on. I later found out that he wasn’t planning on investing in anyone at that event; he just was helping out the event organizer. What I perceived as my big opportunity was recreation to him. I was let down . But I kept looking for shots.

I had dozens of shots after that that I tried to capitalize on. I got to pitch Robert Scoble in a Las Vegas hotel room at CES. He passed. I got to pitch a famed Silicon Valley VC, who eventually passed. For that same company, I even got to pitch Jason Calacanis, and successfully got $100K from him and went through his accelerator. Mission accomplished, right? The sad part is that within a year after his investment, that company failed. Even though I made the most out of one “shot”, I still squandered the next one. Over time, i’ve reframed how I think about shots in business.

How I Think About Shots in 2022

Every day I get multiple shots. Every intro to a VC is a shot. Every customer lead is a shot. Every conversation with a current investor is a shot. Every interview I conduct is a shot. Every day I wake up and open up my computer is a shot.

The primary difference between 28 year old Mat vs. 22 year old Mat is the framing of urgency around shots. In 2015, I thought that could be the only investor I get to talk to in my whole life. I thought I needed to nail it. I thought I would never meet another person as famous as Robert Scoble at the time. These days, I have conversations every day with investors and are much more focused on making a good impression by being me, not trying to win the over for some short term gain. I don’t “squander” shots anymore, I simply operate on a day to day basis and do my best. The shots blend together into something called life.

Truth is, all of business is shots. Hell, all of life is shots. And the longer you stay around, the easier the shots come. They may start by getting one in the span of a year or two. But as you continue, the shots will come and will become more consistent. You’ll have four big meetings in a single day vs. one big meeting in a month. And like me, you will squander some shots but it is your job to get back up and go after the next one that presents itself and do your best. And if you do, I bet at some point you’ll look back at your former self and laugh at how silly you were thinking about these shots you got early in your career. This is what we call personal growth.

If you don’t look back at your former self and laugh, you aren’t going after big enough shots. If you’re nailing every one, you’re not going to go anywhere. Want to grow? Get out there and squander your own shots so you can make something out of yourself.