I used to think there was such a thing as wasted time.

The lead magnet that barely scraped ten downloads. The webinar where three people showed up, two of them friends. The networking breakfast with fluorescent lights and lukewarm coffee where I handed out cards that never went anywhere.

On paper, those moments looked like failure. Proof that I wasn’t “leveraging” my opportunities the way a smart business owner should.

But here’s the part I missed for years: none of it was actually wasted.

Even the things that flopped left me with something worth keeping. A new connection who introduced me to someone else. A DM that turned into a coffee chat. A colleague who stayed in my corner long after the project fizzled.

The ROI wasn’t what I’d planned. But it wasn’t zero.

This month, I’m in the Growth Universe Social Challenge, posting daily on Substack. What I’m realizing is that Substack isn’t just a newsletter tool. It feels like a blog with subscriptions, a social feed with replies, and a discovery engine that occasionally surprises you by going viral.

It’s helping me grow faster than a traditional blog ever could. But even if no post blows up, I still win. Because I’m showing up in a space I own. I’m building a muscle. I’m leaving behind a trail of work that compounds.

That feels like leverage, but not in the way I once defined it.

There’s a myth I hear often: every contact is a lead. Every LinkedIn acceptance and every new subscriber, automatically part of your pipeline.

I don’t believe that.

A lead is not just a name on a list. A lead is someone who takes initiative, raises a hand, or signals interest. Until then, what you really have is a community.

And that isn't nothing.

Because if you can’t control when someone becomes a lead, you can still control how you show up inside the relationship.

Earlier this year, I joined the Unignorable Challenge. I didn’t even complete it. Life interrupted with a family loss that kicked me into eldest daughter mode. By the old definition, I failed.

But from that “failure” came some of the strongest connections I’ve made. A pod of colleagues who cheer me on. A friend in Korea, I now talk to every month. People whose names still pop up in my DMs, whose work I still support, long after the challenge ended.

Was it leveraged perfectly? No. Was it wasted? Not for a second.

So maybe the better question isn’t, “How do I leverage communities and partners without wasting time?”

Maybe the question is, “What does success look like if I measure it in relationships, not conversions?”

Because some people will become clients. Some will become collaborators. Some will simply stay in your orbit, quietly supporting. And that mix is what keeps your work alive.

To me, that is leverage. That is momentum. That is what makes none of it wasted.

The Links

• Are we connected on Substack yet?
• I'll be hosting my first LinkedIn Live this Wednesday the 24th. Come join us!
• If speaking is on your radar, you’ve got to check out this workshop I did with Speaking Your Brand. It's happening again on October 30th here in Orlando.

Like my work? Please leave me a review or send me a tip.

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