Hey, impact-driven entrepreneur! 😊 I hope you had a fabulous weekend as we enter sweater weather season. I have just arrived in London, and I’m open to any recommendations you all have about places to visit. Without further ado, let’s jump into people tips and updates!

Overview:

🤨 Not Knowing and Asking Silly Questions: A few key realizations from wise, inquisitive people who reach their goals faster.

🎥 My Daily Jellies: A daily short video about something that I learn related to people or psychology that could help you on your journey!

📅 Reminder: Walk, Talk, and Change the World: Meet Impact-Driven Entrepreneur Friends: A WeStand event in Central Park.

🤝 WeStand People Skills Accelerator: Cohort 2 waitlist!

🤨 Not Knowing and Asking Silly Questions

In school, I learned to fake it when I didn’t know the answer, aiming for partial credit with fluff. My mindset was all about pretending to know something, even when I didn’t.

But conferences flipped that script. I met incredible, highly accomplished people who were upfront about what they didn’t know, asked tons of questions, and let genuine curiosity drive their conversations—not ego. These driven founders had no patience for fluff, and I realized I wanted their mentality.

So, I started being more honest and asking questions, even if they seemed basic. When someone once asked, “Why would you even ask that?” I realized that their reaction was a great filter—I didn’t want to spend time with judgmental people anyway.

An article I read recently, “The Fear of Publicly Not Knowing,” really captures this idea. Here are a couple of standout blurbs and a relatable picture:

“At the time, my approach seemed crafted by good advice: Fake it till you make it. Act like you belong. Be the person you want to be. But was it worth it?

• It was slow. Instead of asking for a simple clarification, how many hours did I spend searching for explanations of the thing I didn’t know?

• It was detaching. How many conversations did I miss when I was derailed by an unknown concept? How many ideas did I not fully engage with?

• It was exhausting. How much energy did I spend thinking about the things I didn’t know? What was the cumulative effect of that anxiety?

When I reflect back at the slow pace of my early work in grad school, I have to wonder if I was sabotaging myself — death by a thousand avoidances.”

“What I quickly came to realize was that publicly not knowing wasn’t an indicator of stupidity, it was an indicator of understanding. And from what I’ve seen, it is one of the clearest indicators of success in people — more than school prestige, more than GPA.”

🎥 My Daily Jellies

Co-founder of Venmo, Iqram Magdon-Ismail, has created Jelly, a platform to record short videos with friends in a FaceTime-style format or just solo vlogs. Iqram is the picture of a service-minded leader and the Jelly team is an incredible group—we’ve had a lot of fun making content together in NYC. I’m creating short clips about something I learn every day in the realms of people skills and psychology for founders. Check out my profile here.

(If you were an OG here at WeStand, you will remember Jelly from our Discord group! It has a new format these days.)

📅 Reminder: Free Event on Sept. 15th—Walk, Talk, and Change the World: Meet Impact-Driven Entrepreneur Friends

Making like-minded friends in NYC can be tricky, so let’s change that! I’m hosting a walk-and-talk event just for impact-driven entrepreneurs like you.

​No sales pitches, no business deals—just real conversations. Share your passions, swap stories, and connect with others who care as much as you do :) We’ll break the ice, dive deep, and get a little exercise while we’re at it!

🤝 People Skills Accelerator:

Cohort 2 of the WeStand People Skills Accelerator will start in October—get on the waitlist for more details!

I’m proud of you and believe in you,
Ginny
Founder, WeStand
LinkedIn 
[email protected] 

P.S. What is WeStand today?

*Messaging updated weekly:

The WeStand People Skills Accelerator helps impact-driven entrepreneurs reduce costly people problems and stress. In cohorts, we'll create second-brain-style systems to navigate four central connections to accelerate your success: two professional (mentors and teammates) and two personal (romantic relationships and friends). The key to juggling all of these relationships is having an organized system as you scale. WeStand together in a supportive, like-minded community to make a positive change in the world. Apply here.

Once our network is big enough, match with mentors, teammates, friends, and even significant others! Everyone in the community will have learned healthy people skills. There's a higher likelihood of these relationships working out!

Why people skills?

• 65% of startups fail due to people problems (HBS), like slacking or toxic teams, mishandling conflicts, and burnout from stretching too thinly. Personal issues like losing friends, isolating yourself from important people, and rocky romantic relationships can also lower the chances of business success. My 170+ interviews confirmed that entrepreneurs with better people skills were more successful and fulfilled.

Why impact-driven entrepreneurs?

• We often have higher rates of burnout, people-pleasing, and obsession with our work, worsening people problems. I’m also sick of people giving up on their missions or turning into soulless task robots along the way.

Am I an impact-driven entrepreneur?

• Are you on a mission to create something bigger than just a profitable business? Something that goes beyond personal interests or money goals and makes the world a better place?

• ​Does your work light up one of these areas? 🌍

  • ​Health

  • ​Environment

  • ​Education

  • ​Social Change

  • Cultural Change