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From rejection to success, Stuart Lombard Founder & CEO at Ecobee - The Startup CEO Show

10 Dec 2024 · 0 min

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Stuart Lombard (founder & CEO of Ecobee) recounts a personal anecdote: standing outside First Canadian Place on a freezing February day after multiple rejections, feeling extreme stress and briefly considering quitting, but ultimately resolving not to quit and to persevere. The clip illustrates themes of rejection, stress, resilience, and commitment in an entrepreneurial context.

I remember being, you know, outside of First Canadian Place. It was February. It was freezing cold. And then, you know, I'd just been rejected for I don't know how many, umpteenth time. And I got that message about, fail fast. Life is short. You know, do something useful with your life. And standing outside, I, you know, the building, I bummed a cigarette off somebody on the street corner. Not that I smoked, but I was like, that's how stressed I was. And I was like, like, wait, should I quit? Should I quit? I said, like, you know what? Forget it. I'm not quitting. Like, you know, when. If I die, I die. But, you know, I'm not quitting.