I was thinking the other day about how many decisions get made because someone isn’t in the room.

The empty chair at the conference table.

The empty chair at the city council meeting.

The empty chair at the bank.

The empty chair at the investor presentation.

The empty chair where your competitor should have been sitting but wasn’t.

Most opportunities don’t go to the smartest person. They go to the person who showed up.

I’ve watched people spend months researching, planning, debating, and waiting for certainty. Meanwhile, someone else made a call, got in the car, attended the meeting, shook a few hands, and walked away with the opportunity.

Not because they knew more.

Because they were present.

The reality is that business is still a contact sport.

Deals happen because conversations happen.

Partnerships happen because relationships happen.

Capital moves because trust exists.

And trust is hard to build from behind a screen.

A lot of people are waiting for the perfect moment. The perfect market. The perfect deal. The perfect plan.

Meanwhile, opportunities keep getting handed to the people who simply occupied the chair.

The person willing to show up before they had all the answers.

The person willing to have the conversation.

The person willing to raise their hand.

The person willing to be seen.

Every time you choose not to attend, not to call, not to ask, not to introduce yourself, someone else is sitting in that chair.

And eventually those small moments become very large outcomes.

Something worth thinking about.

Who is sitting in the chairs you’re leaving empty?