The Third Door
Imagine this:
You pitch a big idea to the executive team… and they reject it.
You bring an innovative plan to investors… and they pass.
You present a bold new strategy to your team… and they shoot it down.
Or maybe you’re trying to close a deal, and your offer gets rejected.
What do you do?
Do you accept the rejection and move on?
Do you try a second option or even a third option.
I just started listening to The Third Door by Alex Banayan, and it’s one of those “Zag” books that immediately shifts how you think. Banayan’s metaphor is about getting into a night club:
The First Door – the main entrance, where everyone waits in line, following the traditional path.
The Second Door – the VIP entrance, reserved for the privileged few.
The Third Door – the unorthodox route: sneaking in through the kitchen, hopping a fence, finding a side entrance — doing whatever it takes to get in.
For me, this isn’t about getting a new job — although if you’re in the market, there’s plenty to learn here.
It’s about one thing: expanding my network and my connections.
What if someone offered you a large cash prize if you could get a meeting with Elon Musk. Could you pull it off? What about a meeting with a topic executive in your industry. Well no one is offering me a crazy prize just for booking a call or meeting top executives. I believe expanding my network and connections will result in more revenue opportunities. So I have given myself the challenge to book those meetings an make those connections on my own.
Just last week, I had Alex O’Brien - the CEO of Cardinal Group - on my podcast for the second time. My connection to him didn’t start with Door #1 or #2 with a mutual contact or a warm introduction. It started with the third door aka a cold email.
This book is helping me rethink how I approach introductions, collaborations, and opportunities. I’m already experimenting with strategies to open and create new doors — ones that wouldn’t exist if I stuck to the normal line or waited for an intro.
The Zag mindset is all about this: when the first two doors are closed, you don’t walk away. You find the third or create it.
Your turn:
What’s the “big idea,” the relationship, or the deal you’ve been told “no” on?
Don’t stop at the first door. Don’t stop at the second.
Spend your energy finding — or building — your Third Door.
Stay Curious,
Moshe