Founders don’t always look like you think they do.

Today I saw a boy, maybe six years old, sitting outside a shopping store in Catanduanes. Ten bags of quail eggs. Head resting on his arms. No pitch. No pleading. Just stillness.

I slipped 100 pesos into his hand. He didn’t even look up.

It could’ve been paper. Trash. Hope. He didn’t flinch either way.

And it wrecked me. Because that’s what showing up often looks like.

You build, you offer, you wait. You don’t know if anyone will notice. You don’t know if it’s going to work. But you sit there anyway, quietly holding what you brought.

Founders know this feeling. It’s pitching into silence. Shipping the product no one’s clapping for yet. Showing up every day with a bag of your best work, hoping someone will say yes. Sometimes no one does. Not that day.

But you keep showing up. You hold the bag. You are the bag.

And sometimes, someone does see you. Slips something into your hand. Believes you’re worth it even if you don’t flinch. Especially if you don’t flinch.

That’s what I saw today.

For the boy with the bag, you are why I showed up today.

Strategy matters.
But trust moves markets.

— Rhea Lynn Mascarinas
GTM Strategist | QuietConversion
© 2025 QuietConversion. All Rights Reserved.