LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 10: Thai Randolph onstage during the 2023 ESSENCE Hollywood House at … More Goya Studios on March 10, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
Getty Images for ESSENCE
Have you ever had a great business idea that you were so excited to share, only to be met with a wave of reasons why it wouldn鈥檛 work? The budget鈥檚 too tight. You鈥檙e too green. The market isn鈥檛 ready. The subtext is often louder than the critique.
Every successful person has once been underestimated. At first, it may seem like a liability, but in reality, it鈥檚 a valuable leverage in the right situations. Yet the harshest critic is often the one in the mirror.
A Workera study revealed that more than half of its users (56%) tend to undervalue their own abilities, while 32% rate themselves higher than their actual skill level. Only 11% accurately gauged their standing. Even with a wider margin for error, underestimation remains the dominant bias.
Once you can manage your own thoughts, it鈥檚 easier to deal with people who consider you an underdog.
Thai Randolph understands this all too well. As a seasoned media executive and multi-hyphenate, well known for her involvement in building and scaling Kevin Hart鈥檚 media company, she鈥檚 walked into rooms where her goals were too steep and her confidence too bold. But instead of shrinking to fit expectations, she stayed the course.
For Randolph, rejection didn鈥檛 end the story; it rewrote the rules as she leaned in.
Rejection Isn鈥檛 the End. It鈥檚 The Starting Line
Early in her career, Randolph sought advice from a respected family friend she admired, someone who could open doors. But instead of encouragement, she was met with tempered expectations. The message was clear: be more realistic, tone it down and wait your turn.
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鈥淚 was crushed,鈥 Randolph recalled. 鈥淏ut simultaneously, it ignited something pretty powerful within me.鈥
Randolph reassessed how she was telling her story. She walked away from three 鈥減erfectly good鈥 job offers that didn鈥檛 align with her goal. She stuck to her vision and eventually landed one that exceeded even her own expectations.
Her philosophy centers on what she calls F.U.E.L: feel it, use it, execute it and let the results do the talking.
Turning doubt into drive鈥攖ransforming negative energy into the fuel for breakthrough moments.
Turn Underdog Energy Into Firepower
As the former CEO of Hartbeat, she led the merger of Hartbeat Productions and Laugh Out Loud into a $650 million global entertainment powerhouse. She secured $100 million in growth capital鈥攎arking one of the largest raises by a Black woman.
She didn鈥檛 rise the ranks by letting the underdog persona stop her. She used the negativity as a source of raw energy to channel it into something productive.
鈥淭hat same negative energy can be transformed into that fire inside you that burns you,鈥 Randolph comments. 鈥淚f you look at any modern hero of art and business, they often have these moments where it was, 鈥業 was rejected X number of times鈥 or 鈥業 had this shocking betrayal; a shocking disappointment鈥 鈥業 lost it all to gain it back.鈥 That conversion mechanism, when you can say, 鈥楲ook, I鈥檓 going to take this, use it as energy; I鈥檓 going to use it as fuel to power. What鈥檚 next?鈥欌
Build With Purpose And A Bigger Why
Randolph grounds her ambition in something larger than personal gain: economic justice. She sees women and communities of color not just as underserved but as underleveraged powerhouses.
鈥淲omen control trillions in consumer spending, yet capital and representation haven鈥檛 caught up,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a huge motivator.鈥
For women, especially women of color, the road to leadership often comes with more detours and more criticism. Feedback is constant, but not all of it is useful. As Randolph puts it, 鈥淭ake what sharpens your strategy and leave the rest.鈥 The ability to discern which advice helps you move forward and which reflects someone else鈥檚 limitations is key to staying aligned with your own goals.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 06: Thai Randolph, CEO, Hartbeat speaks onstage at “The Cross Platform … More Storytelling and Engagement Universe” during the Variety Entertainment Summit at CES at the Aria Resort & Casino on January 06, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Variety via Getty Images)
Variety via Getty Images
Too often, well-meaning mentors project limitations. Randolph suggests a better approach by speaking first to a person鈥檚 potential and then offering guidance.
鈥淓very person, at any moment, possesses unlimited capacity,鈥 she concludes. 鈥淛ust because a path worked for you doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 the playbook for someone else.鈥
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