The Founder’s Paradox: How to Say No When Big Customers Say Yes

It is harder to say “no” than it is to say “yes.” This is not just my opinion. There is significant research devoted to this concept. Acquiescence bias, social desirability, whatever you want to call it — we all feel a primal urge to say yes. This is a fundamental human trait. It makes us feel good to make other people happy.

If you are a company founder, you naturally want to share what you have built with as many people as you can. You will want to say yes, often — especially to really big...