You’ve probably heard the phrase before. It’s gritty. It’s blunt. Gatekeepers ain’t supposed to open gates. While it sounds like a line pulled straight from a rap lyric or a backroom business deal, it actually touches on a fundamental truth about how power, industry, and social capital work in the real world.
Think about it.
If every gatekeeper just swung the doors wide for everyone who knocked, the "gate" wouldn't really exist, would it? The value of what’s inside would plummet. This isn't just about being "mean" or exclusive for the sake of it. It’s about the structural function of vetting. We live in an era where everyone wants a shortcut, but the reality of high-level industries—whether it’s the music business, venture capital, or elite academia—is that the gatekeeper’s job is literally to keep people out.
The Brutal Reality: Gatekeepers Ain't Supposed to Open Gates
Most people approach a gatekeeper with the mindset of a seeker. They want permission. They want a "yes." But if you look at the history of industries like traditional publishing or Hollywood, the gatekeeper acts as a filter for quality and risk.
In the 1990s, if you wanted to get a record deal, you had to get past an A&R executive. That person’s entire career depended on not signing 99% of the people who walked through the door. If they opened the gate for every talented singer, the label would go bankrupt within a year. They weren't there to be your friend. They were there to protect the investment.
Honestly, the phrase "gatekeepers ain't supposed to open gates" serves as a wake-up call for creators and entrepreneurs. It shifts the perspective from "Why won't they let me in?" to "Why should I even care about their gate?"
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The Friction of Selection
Markets need friction. Without friction, you get saturation. Look at what happened to the self-publishing market on Amazon or the sheer volume of tracks uploaded to Spotify daily—over 100,000 new songs every single day. When the gatekeepers stopped holding the line, the noise became deafening.
The gatekeeper’s refusal is often the only thing maintaining the prestige of the inner circle. If a Michelin-starred restaurant let everyone in without a reservation, it wouldn't be a Michelin-starred restaurant for long. It would just be a crowded cafeteria.
The Digital Disruption and the New Guard
Technology was supposed to kill the gatekeeper. That was the promise of the early 2000s internet. "Democratization," they called it. And to a degree, it happened. You don't need a TV network to have a show; you have YouTube. You don't need a newspaper to have an audience; you have Substack.
But here’s the kicker: we just traded old gatekeepers for new ones.
Instead of a guy in a suit named Morty deciding if your screenplay is good, we have an algorithm. The algorithm is the ultimate gatekeeper. And guess what? The algorithm definitely ain't supposed to open gates for everyone. It’s designed to reward retention, engagement, and specific metadata patterns. It is colder and more calculated than any human executive ever was.
Why the Gate Still Matters
We often complain about gatekeeping, but we subconsciously seek it out. We look for the "Blue Checkmark" (back when it meant something) or the "Editor’s Choice" badge. We want someone we trust to have done the work of filtering through the garbage so we don't have to.
How to Navigate a World Where the Gates are Locked
So, if gatekeepers ain't supposed to open gates, how do you actually get through?
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You stop trying to pick the lock.
The most successful people in modern business don't spend their energy pleading with gatekeepers. They build their own house so large that the gatekeepers eventually come over and knock on their door. This is the "Platform First" strategy.
- Build a Proof of Concept: In the tech world, this is your MVP (Minimum Viable Product). Don't tell a VC what you can do. Show them what you already did with zero dollars.
- Leverage Social Proof: If you can't get through the front gate, find the people who are already inside. Internal referrals are the "backdoor" that bypasses the formal gatekeeping process entirely.
- Create Your Own Infrastructure: This is the Chance the Rapper model. He famously stayed independent, winning Grammys without a major label gatekeeper. He didn't wait for the gate to open; he ignored the fence.
The Psychological Toll of the "No"
It’s hard.
Rejection feels personal. When we say gatekeepers ain't supposed to open gates, it sounds cynical. It sounds like we're defending the "old boys' club." And in some cases, gatekeeping is used to uphold systemic biases and keep diverse voices out. That’s the dark side of the coin.
However, distinguishing between "exclusionary bias" and "rigorous standards" is key. A gatekeeper who blocks someone because of their background is a problem. A gatekeeper who blocks someone because their work isn't ready yet is actually doing them a favor.
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Getting a "no" early in your career can be the fuel you need to refine your craft. It forces you to get so good that you become undeniable. As Steve Martin famously said, "Be so good they can't ignore you." That is the only real way to deal with a closed gate.
Actionable Steps for the Gate-Blocked
Stop asking for permission. It’s a waste of time. Instead, focus on these three things to change the dynamic.
1. Focus on the 'Side-Door' Strategy
Stop emailing the CEO. Email the manager. Or better yet, talk to the customers. In the business world, the most effective way to bypass a gatekeeper is to create a groundswell of demand that the gatekeeper can no longer ignore. If the "people" want you, the "gate" becomes irrelevant.
2. Audit Your "Value-Add"
Why should the gate open for you? Seriously. If you're a writer, is your prose actually better than what's already on the shelf? If you're a coder, is your logic cleaner? Most people scream at the gatekeeper before they've even polished their own product. Ensure your quality is at a level where the gatekeeper would look like a fool for saying no.
3. Build a Distribution Channel You Control
Whether it’s an email list, a Discord server, or a specialized LinkedIn following, own your distribution. When you own the connection to your audience, you realize the gate was mostly an illusion anyway.
The truth is simple: the gatekeeper is a protector of a specific ecosystem. They are paid to say no. Once you accept that gatekeepers ain't supposed to open gates, you stop being a victim of the "no" and start becoming the architect of your own "yes." Reframing the struggle this way isn't just helpful—it’s necessary for survival in any competitive field.
Stop waiting for the key. Start building the ladder.