This is the question that almost caused me not to post because I'm not sure how to answer it. There are people out there who manage to draw people to them, no matter what the circumstance. I am not one of those people, and it is affecting my ability to get things done (part of it is being overwhelmed by needing to make a project interesting enough to capture customer attention; part of it is a sense of loneliness when things inevitably get challenging).

What I can't seem to do is connect with people at the level that brings about trust that something can be accomplished. I attend start-up events and am held back by my own...I don't know...fear of rejection, lack of belief in myself, leftover trauma from being the fat kid in elementary school? It's hard to psychoanalyze myself.

I knew it was a ghost of a chance because I don't even know what I'm really getting at, beyond what does it take for you to feel confident somebody is, well, competent and his/her idea is worth listening to.

Honestly, I feel like I'm missing something in this interaction because I have technical skill (15+ years), I have business skill (5+ years), I have management skill (5+ years), and I have product management skill (3+ years). I know how to get shit built, but I can't figure out how to get people interested in building it, much less on board.