Abundance Resource Scan
Inventory what you have, invest in readiness, and keep opening doors.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 91%
The Abundance Resource Scan begins when an ambitious goal appears unaffordable or inaccessible. Quantify the gap, then refuse to let cash on hand define the full resource set. Inventory knowledge, internet access, relationships, skills, story, credibility, and small amounts of deployable money. Spend selectively on a readiness asset that a future supporter will expect, then repeatedly seek sponsors, introductions, and advice. Each rejection should sharpen the pitch or reveal another route rather than count as empty effort. Because the eventual opening may arrive unexpectedly, keep the proof and explanation ready to share. The mechanism does not assume the universe will deliver a benefactor; it increases the number of informed attempts and improves preparedness, making it more likely that a chance encounter can convert into concrete support.
Origin
O'Brady and Jenna needed roughly $500,000 for the Explorers Grand Slam but had $10,000. They spent it on a credible website, endured about a thousand rejections, and stayed prepared until a chance spin-class meeting led to Nike CEO Mark Parker.
Core principles
- 01A resource gap is a planning input, not an automatic veto.
- 02Available relationships, information, and skills count as resources.
- 03Repeated rejection sharpens readiness for the right opportunity.
- 04Luck becomes useful when preparation already exists.
How to run it
- 1
Quantify the gap
Map the real cost, access, or capability needed and compare it with what you currently control. Make the obstacle specific rather than emotionally enormous.
Pro tip Separate must-have costs from optional production value.
Watch out Do not minimize a genuine funding or logistics requirement.
- 2
Inventory abundance
List cash alongside skills, internet access, contacts, credibility, time, and the ability to ask questions. Search for assets the first scarcity calculation omitted.
Pro tip Ask what can create leverage without requiring ownership.
Watch out Calling something a resource does not mean it has proven market value.
- 3
Build readiness
Create the smallest proof, story, or asset that a serious supporter will need before engaging. Ensure it can be shared immediately when an opening appears.
Pro tip Work backward from the first question a sponsor is likely to ask.
Watch out Do not spend all available cash on polish that has no role in conversion.
- 4
Knock on doors
Tell the story repeatedly and seek sponsorship, introductions, advice, or another path to the goal. Treat every conversation as both an ask and a pitch rehearsal.
Pro tip Track objections and revise the explanation between attempts.
Watch out Persistence without adaptation only repeats the same weak attempt.
- 5
Convert the opening
When an unexpected opportunity appears, communicate the prepared story clearly and follow up with the proof already built. Move quickly while preserving authenticity.
Pro tip Keep the key link and concise pitch ready on your phone.
Watch out Do not mistake a promising contact for secured support until the commitment is real.
In the wild
After months of failed sponsorship pitches, O'Brady reluctantly attended a spin class and briefly described his expedition to another attendee. The man asked whether he had a website and handed over a card identifying him as Nike CEO Mark Parker. Because O'Brady and Jenna had already invested their limited money in a credible site, he could follow up with the requested proof.
→ Preparation allowed a chance introduction to become a serious sponsorship opportunity.
Common mistakes
Letting cash define all capacity
Counting only current money hides relationships, information, skills, and preparation that can help close the gap.
Calling repetition persistence
A thousand identical weak pitches do not create the learning that makes later readiness more valuable.
Depending on luck
A chance meeting is useful only when the project, story, and follow-up asset are already prepared.
Is it for you?
Best for
Entrepreneurs and project leaders with a specific ambitious goal, a large funding or access gap, and room to build support over time.
Not ideal for
Projects with no credible value proposition, no loss limit, or no evidence that persistence is improving the odds.
From the transcript
“Well, what else do I have? What else do I have in my favor?”
“A thousand people said no to us. A thousand people, quite literally.”
“Luck comes to those who are prepared.”
From the episode
Colin O'Brady, Conquer Your Mind and Develop an Unstoppable Mindset