Fractional CTOs don’t stall because they fail—they stall because they freeze. In this episode, Marissa and Lior reframe “no” as useful signal, not a verdict, and show how high-performing CTOs build momentum by stacking rejections, extracting feedback, and iterating fast. You’ll learn why ten consistent “nos” beat silence, how to track them objectively, and how to swap campaign thinking for true experiments with clear hypotheses, stop conditions, and next steps. Leor shares a client story where pushing past an initial “no” flipped a major contract, plus practical ways to protect your mindset, reduce scope on tough days, and keep your growth system moving. Actionable, candid, and immediately applicable for deal flow and resilience.

You’ll learn:

• How to turn a “no” into data you can act on—message, timing, avatar, or channel—and what to change next.


• The “no stack” method: why collecting consistent rejections proves traction and prevents vacuum guessing.


• How to replace fixed campaigns with experiments that define hypothesis, sample size, and stop rules.


• A simple anti-burnout loop: track outcomes, standardize inputs, and keep scope small (do five reach-outs, not zero).


• Pipeline discipline: read signals at each funnel stage and persist—sometimes the 12th touch turns a contract.

If you’re a Fractional CTO—or any kind of visionary leader—this conversation is a must-listen.

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