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Were often told to stand up for ourselves, have boundaries, “do you,” and often in the process, frequently encouraged to say “no.” In recent times, weve seen entire books and productivity philosophies built around the art of refusal. Saying “no” works well for establishing healthy workplace boundaries and for self-preservation, and many see it as the stamp of a mature professional. The ability to say “no” creates a respectful and safe workplace, helps avoid burnout, and importantly, elevates and empowers individuals. But there is such a thing as saying “no” too often. And as a result, you might miss out on promotions, learning opportunities, and being part of important projects. In the process, your career could stagnate. Identifying boundaries or barriers One of the ways we justify the “no” is by positioning it as a boundary. But not every “no” is a boundary. These false boundaries are obstructive barriers. Instead of protection, they can actually act as an obstruction to growth, quietly and assuredly dismantling opportunities from coming your way. Statements like “I dont have time” or “Im too busy,” without an offer of a solution, are hard stops. Using statements habitually can be problematic because it has the potential to send the wrong message to your boss and team. They stop being a reason and start becoming a reputation. We tend to decline specific projects when they appear too challenging or unfamiliar, or when they potentially expose weaknesses. Yet, research supports the idea that discomfort can be a catalyst for growth. Boundaries need to evolve with context. Static boundaries may provide short-term clarity, but dynamic boundariesthose that respond to workload, team goals, and personal valuecreate sustainability. How saying ‘no’ can impact growth and learning Saying “no” out of fear rather than necessity can cause you to miss out on developing skills, exploring new networks, and having experiences that test your resilience. Studies in developmental and organizational psychology show that growth occurs on the edge of competence, not in the comfort zone. When we say “no” to tasks that feel uncertain or emotionally risky, we shield ourselves from the very friction that sharpens our skills. Neuroscientific studies suggest that novelty and challenge stimulate learning centers in the brain. Research shows that exposure to novel environments can enhance memory consolidation and recall. Additional studies demonstrate that novelty tends to activate the dopamine system, which plays a central role in learning. That stretch project you’re tempted to decline? It may offer more return on investment for your brain than any formal training. Being aware of relational consequences The workplace is a social ecosystem with collaboration and trust built over time. Say “no” too often and you can weaken precious relationships. This can hamper teamwork and connection. To build psychological safety, which is foundational to high-performing teams, you need shared risk and shared effort. When you constantly say “no” without context or care, you inadvertently signal disengagement, which corrodes the very trust high-performing teams rely on. When you display frequent signals of detachment and resistance to take on stretch projects, you run the risk of them seeing you as a “non-participant.” When that happens, others might start to exclude you from influence, advancement, and trust-building. And when colleagues cant rely on your participation, they inevitably stop including you in pivotal conversations. Saying “yes” is a social cue that communicates engagement, cooperation, and a willingness to be part of the ensemble. The importance of saying ‘yes’ when you dont want to Sometimes and often in life, we have to do the things we dont want to do. And at work, its no different. Every job has unpalatable aspects. Even the most glamorous of positions. Its the ying that balances the jobs yang. Accepting that we sometimes have to do things we dont want to do is part of being a productive member of the workforce and your team. Helpingeven when its inconvenientsignals credibility and fosters influence across teams. Additionally, reaching long-term goals often means doing things we dont feel like doing. Too many refusals over time, and others may interpret your “no’s” as disengagement or entitlement. If youre in a leadership or management role, dont delegate parts of your job because you dont like them. You might have the authority to do that, but your team will see through it. Over time, it can erode trust and credibility, two things no leader can afford to lose. Say “yes” if you dont want to, but only if youll benefit from the learning, networking, and development. Say “yes” if it assists a team member, and if it is a critical team and business value. Dont forget that you might need the favor one day, too. The more people who see your actions, the more influence you have. When should you say ‘no’? Of course, there are times when “no” is the appropriate answer. Saying “no” when saying “yes” would compromise your values, ethics, or professional integrity. Just ensure your claim on values is genuine and not a cosmetic excuse. Otherwise, it risks becoming another false boundary. Say “no” when the cost is too high, when it leads to too much stress and burnout. If you feel burdened and overwhelmed, saying “no” can be a legitimate and smart decision. However, you still need to say it the right way. Knowing when and how to say “no” is a skill. Your “no” should never be a limitation. Saying “no” at workthe right way and for the right reasonshould empower, not restrict. Refusal isn’t inherently bad. Quite the opposite, its essential. But discernment is key. When you do say “no,” maintain goodwill. It can be a redirection rather than a rejection. You can achieve this by offering an alternate solution. This may mean a change of date, deadline, or part of the task. Follow up to make sure all went well. A well-placed “no” isnt about shutting things down, its about knowing when, where, and how to create the most value.
Category:
E-Commerce
On April 2, in an event he called “Liberation Day,” President Donald Trump stood in the White House Rose Garden and announced a long list of reciprocal tariffs his administration planned to impose on trading partners around the world. It would be remembered, he said, as “the day American industry was reborn, the day America’s destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to make America wealthy again.” Some small American businesses saw the tariffs much differently. Vestaboard, a five-year-old California startup that makes customizable split-flap displays, looked at the tariffs and decided it had to radically change its business plans. Production of its flagship device, which is manufactured in China and retails for $3,500, was paused, and the company put an indefinite halt on a major R&D effort for a lower-cost product it was banking on to diversify its market. Instead of pursuing an ambitious project, Vestaboard’s CEO and founder Dorrian Porter found his 25-person company scrambling to figure out whether it would have to find another countryand a whole new chain of suppliers and factorieswhere it could get its products built. “My main thought was, how do I eliminate every risk that’s within our control as a business,” Porter says. “We knew we had to change manufacturers. I couldn’t really eliminate that if we wanted to keep making Vestaboard.” [Photo: Vestaboard] But abandoning the R&D efforta project that aimed to turn Vestaboard’s train station-inspired fixed width display boards into a modular system of magnetic “bits”still stung. After Trump’s Liberation Day pomp, Porter began to think about how he could still keep his company growing. Vestaboard had just come off its biggest quarter ever, with $3.3 million in sales, but the chaotic rollout of Trump’s tariffs made Q2 and beyond almost impossible to predict. For a startup like Vestaboard, which is backed by $15 million from about 200 customers-turned-investors, bracing for an economic storm could only last so long. “That kick-started a process for us to say, well, what can we do with what we have?” says Porter. “What if we didn’t have to change our whole marketing approach to go mass market? If we didn’t have to change our whole software to launch something, what could we do?” In about four weeks, the company came up with a workaround product that hits closer to the lower price point the company had been working toward, while also hewing to its already established supply chain and manufacturing process. The new product is the Vestaboard Note, which is essentially a smaller version of the company’s flagship display, having a grid of 45 characters to the Vestaboard’s 132. Prices start at $899. Porter calls it the “Tariff Edition of a Vestaboard.” Though he acknowledges that making a smaller version of the company’s main product is not exactly a groundbreaking innovation, given the circumstances it does qualify as a creative pivot. It’s also an example of the stifling impact Trump’s tariffs have had on small businesses. Creating a new product during a time of such uncertainty meant that Vestaboard had to work around significant limitations. The Vestaboard Note was a feasible concept because it could be produced in almost the same way as the company’s main product. “Our supply chain stays substantially the same, our manufacturing process stays substantially the same, our software stays substantially the same,” says Porter. “[It was] a period of great creativity, trying to live within the constraints of this massive new risk we face as a business.” [Photo: Vestaboard] Much remains unclear about the tariffs for small businesses like Vestaboard, which currently rely on China as a manufacturing partner. Trump’s proposed revival of American industry is a pipe dream for companies that actually need to get things manufactured. “The reality is electronics are not buildable in the U.S. at any kind of cost that the consumers are willing to accept,” Porter says. “The supply chain for electronics has been completely built out in China over the last 25 years. You’re now seeing some assembly start to occur in places like Vietnam and other countries, but even in those cases a lot of your electronic components are still going to come from China . . . they are the best in the world at producing things like this.” So, for the time being, Vestaboard will continue to be produced in China. Porter says the company plans to restart production this summer, with both the original Vestaboard and the Vestaboard Note coming from its usual suppliers and manufacturers. The tariff-inspired research the company did into new production options is still in its back pocket, though, with a viable alternative in Southeast Asia. Porter says the company will be watching the evolving state of tariffs to see whether it will need to pull out of China and go with Plan B or a murkier Plan C. “We are still evaluating alternatives that might bring it closer to home, but even in those circumstances, it would most likely not be the United States,” Porter says.
Category:
E-Commerce
When Sky Kurtz set out to grow produce in the desert via vertical farming in 2016, laying the groundwork for what became Dubai-based ag-tech startup Pure Harvest Smart Farms, People thought we were crazy,” he says. I was fearful, I would never get off the ground. But Kurtz’s came at a time when the UAE was beginning to take the idea seriously and companies like Pure Harvest began cropping up. Over the past nine years, though, Pure Harvest Farms has become one of the sector’s biggest players. It has raised more than $450 million in funding, according to market analysis company PitchBook, and grows an array of crops that includes tomatoes, green vegetables, and berries in temperature-controlled facilities. With farms strategically located throughout the UAE, the company boasts the capacity to produce over 12 million kilograms of crops annually. Despite the competition, Pure Harvest has distinguished itself as the dominant player in the countrys indoor farming sector. Unlike other ag-tech companies which were designed for temperate climates, Pure Harvest developed technologies specifically built to withstand the harsh climates of the Middle East. Unlike other ag-tech companies that focus on niche produce and cater to premium markets, Pure Harvest sells a wide range of produce and supplies to major supermarket chains across the country. The UAE has rapidly become a global hub for ag-tech innovation, attracting diverse companies from around the world: U.S.-based Plenty plans to open a vertical farm in Abu Dhabi by 2026 whereas AeroFarms launched the worlds largest indoor vertical farm in Abu Dhabi in 2023. As companies from abroad come to the UAE, Pure Harvest is expanding its vision. It’s currently in the midst of raising at least $100 million to expand operations into Singapore, Morocco, and Kuwait, and an initial public offering is possible in the coming years. I think the world has woken up that the problem that Pure Harvest Smart Farms is solving is acute and it is here now,” Kurtz says. Adapting to the regions weather Global demand for efficient indoor food production globally is surging, given climate change disrupting traditional agriculture as water sources dry up and temperatures rise. In the United States the Colorado Riverresponsible for irrigating 15% of the nations farmlandis drying up rapidly. Meanwhile, across the Horn of Africa, prolonged droughts are responsible for more than 23 million people experiencing severe hunger. The Middle East, particularly the UAE, experiences brutal heatwaves, with less than 1% of the land suitable for agriculture. This makes the country heavily dependent on food imports, with over 80% of its food coming from abroad. Producing locally not only reduces the costs and carbon emissions associated with transportation but also makes the UAE less reliant on imports. The UAE is making huge strides to advance agri-tech in the country with an ambitious aim to improve hydroponic farming and source 70% of produce from local farms by 2025. This push toward local food production gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely disrupted global food importsand what ultimately accelerated Pure Harvests success. When COVID stopped travel, places that relied on the bellies of airplanes to move food around suddenly woke up to the fragility of their food supply chains, says Kurtz, adding the pandemic prompted governments and markets into supporting agri-tech companies that produce efficiently and locally. Agri-tech companies like Pure Harvest Farms benefit from a unique geographical advantage in the UAE: Around 80% of the worlds population lives within an eight-hour flight of Dubai. This ideal location places them at the heart of a vast consumer base. You know that expression: skate to where the puck is heading. We are building a company where the world’s population is growing . . . so we sit in a wonderful market position where there’s huge tailwinds, says Kurtz. Beyond its strategic location, one key reason Kurtz chose Abu Dhabi as the base for Pure Harvest Smart Farms was his conviction that if the company could succeed in producing food in the harshest environments in the world, where temperatures can soar to 125° Fahrenheit, it would prove the credibility and capability of his company to produce food anywhere in the world. With ambitions for worldwide expansion, Kurtz aimed to first prove that the technology could thrive in such extreme conditions. “If you think of the problem of climate affecting food, resource scarcity, water scarcity, whats worse than the Middle East? Kurtz says. I mean, this is literally ground zero.” Another factor making UAE an attractive hub for Pure Harvest was the countrys funding for startups trying to solve the region’s pressing issues. When I first came out trying to pitch people on, you know, I had a PowerPoint, a pile of dirt and the promise of what we were going to build, says Kurtz, recalling that initial support came from the Mohammed bin Rashid Innovation Fund, which provided a $1.5 million loan. The Abu Dhabi Investment Office has played a pivotal role by offering significant financial support through grants. Indoor farmings growing scope Pure Harvest is no longer the only player in indoor farming. It has spearheaded a growing sector that now includes companies like Below Farms, which leverages temperature controlled indoor environments to produce over 120 tonnes of premium mushrooms annually. Below Farms leverages controlled-farming environments in the UAE to grow premium mushrooms in the desert, with a capacity of 120 tonnes annually. Beyond efficiency, Bronte Weir, founder of Below Farms, emphasizes that indoor farming can produce food of superior quality compared to traditional methods. He notes that vegetables start losing their nutrients at an increasing rate after harvest, and when they are exported and consumed days later, they “are not going to be as good as when it’s harvested 100 or 50 kilometers down the road.” Below Farms mushrooms are currently purchased by severl fine dining restaurants across the UAE such as Emirates Palace and Atlantis. Mushrooms, in particular, have a short shelf life and are extremely perishable due to their high-water contentwhich Bronte says makes local production especially advantageous. We’re harvesting pretty much straight into the kitchen,” he says. At Pure Harvest, the company has has begun getting creative about how to expand its offerings. It has launched a line of all-natural strawberry preserves and tomato sauces, made from surplus seasonal produce, an effort to turn potential food waste into premium products. Kurtz says the company’s growing ambitionand goal of becoming a household brand in the next 50 yearsgoes hand in hand with responding to the world’s growing need to get creative about farming. It’s becoming a global dialogue about how are we going to secure the future of food in a world that will have nine and a half billion people,” he says, “that is not making more land, and where water security is now becoming a crisis.”
Category:
E-Commerce
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