You Failed As An Entrepreneur? You Wish!
You know what I say to people who call themselves failures? You wish! To fail is to have tried… to have given it your all and come up empty handed.
Most people aren’t failures, instead most folks give up too early or never even try. These folks are the “should haves”. They should have done this – They should have done that – These people “should” all over themselves.
People who talk and talk…and talk about starting a business, but never do so much as to conduct a basic Google search on their ideas are not failures. Those who go to every seminar, read every book (albeit, there is one REALLY good one) , and sign up for every coaching system under the sun but still haven’t committed to a business idea are not failures either. They are simply more “should haves.”
And the people who claim to have a business, but really just have a few business cards and a nonfunctioning website are not failures either. They’re all talk and no action, just dreamers who never get off their butts. How can you be a failure if you haven’t tried or are just half assing it?
Alongside every person who spends all their time wishing and hoping, you are bound to find another person who actually starts a business but gives up way too soon. They choke; they let competition and cash flow challenges spook them right out of achieving their dream. For whatever reason, many would-be entrepreneurs jump ship at the first sign of trouble.
Some people have preconceived notions about entrepreneurialism that are a load of crap. Most believe starting their own business will free them from the grind of work and help them get rich in seconds flat. So it’s no surprise those people throw in the towel early on when they realize nothing could be farther from the truth. But they’re not failures. Not even close. They’re quitters.
Failure happens. Sometimes you miss the mark, and sometimes circumstances are beyond your control. Remember, the best baseball players have a batting average of around .300, which means they fail more than half of the time. What they don’t do is sit on the bench and think about playing baseball, or give up on the first strike. They keep swinging the bat.
You think you are a failure? You’re not. You’ve got to earn that title, man.
By Mike Michalowicz, Author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tags: business failure, Entrepreneur, entrepreneur failure, failure, i am a failure
January 19th, 2009
Thanks to WOCM 98.1, just did an interview on Bulldog’s Rude Awakening Show… clearly you are not a failed entrepreneur until you have tried…. so get out there and try.
- Mike
January 19th, 2009
Mike,
Great post!
I get soo tired of “wanna bes” who keep talking about when, when, when. True entrepreneurs practice ready…FIRE…aim.
I have a somewhat “ranty” post where I identify the top “Wanna be’s” on my blog. http://dougmcisaac.com/2009/01/19/wanna-bes/
When it all comes down to it entrepreneurs will take action and make adjustments to get themselves closer to their goals.
— Doug
January 19th, 2009
Love this post! I deal with so many highly conscious and spiritual people all day long who give me one excuse after another why they can’t possibly turn their passion and Soul purpose into a working business. What it all boils down to is that they’re not willing to get all third-dimensional and take ACTION.
Blessings,
Andrea
January 19th, 2009
Thanks for this post, Mike. I’m pushing as hard as possible and I’m still on track for my resolution to start my business this March – but some days it is easy to blame different variables on why I shouldn’t go on.
There’s still no stopping me, but I’ll definitely be printing this post out and reading it on the days that I’m not so peppy. It’s a nice lil kick in the ass!
Mayumi
January 19th, 2009
Definitely a good post. Every time I have thought that I failed, I took the time to list the successes that I could find and I was ALWAYS able to find some.
“Temporary setback” or “learning experience” is a better description for the entrepreneurs who keep trying rather than quitting. Even those who quit tend to have some successes in there somewhere.
January 19th, 2009
Great post Mike.
It is hard for me to understand that by not trying and giving it your all, you will end up learning something. I have perceived that business is so simple, when it is becoming more and more clear to me its not.
I have personally jumped from ship to ship and still haven’t achieved a level of success I want.
January 19th, 2009
Persistence is the key. Just keep going until the final bell.
You’re not a failure till we say you’re a failure.
January 19th, 2009
The glory is not in the falling but in the getting back up! If you haven’t felt the taste of failure, you’ll never truly value the satisfaction of victory! Great post here Mike!!
January 20th, 2009
When I was a kid they had a saying “If you try and don’t succeed, try, try again”. This has been the motto of my life. I’m glad to see you think the same way. Thanks for a great post.
January 20th, 2009
Very inspirational. I needed that. Good job!
January 20th, 2009
great post mike .. truly liked it..
you always speak to the point , no “hooky- pooky” attracting lines, but on the bulls eye ..
January 20th, 2009
Great post Mike. I will own up to my past and admit that I had given up before I even got started in business at least twice before. I eventually came to the realization that I had good ideas, just lousy execution and no patience at all. Some people get lucky and see huge profits right from the start, but for the rest of us, it may take years to achieve sustainable profitability. Not giving up is more than half the battle.
January 20th, 2009
[...] of blood, sweat and tears. So, it was very cool to read on Mike’s blog yesterday about the power of failure for entreprenuers. Mostly because of personal experience. I failed. [...]
January 20th, 2009
Great post. I love it. To try and succeed and to try and fail both require the same effort.
January 21st, 2009
Great post. I especially like the point about giving up early at the first sign of trouble. Entrepreneurship is about planning, executing, falling every now and then and getting back up.
February 6th, 2009
Failure should fuel your hunger, not quench it. Failure should piss you off, point blank. The rocky movies were awesome because it was all about how many punches the Rock could take and keep getting back up.
When you have given everything inside you, and you fail, it hurts. Your a person, you have to allow yourself to feel the hurt. But don’t stay there. Feel the emotion and move forward. You will become stronger.
If you have never failed, then you have never tried. I would rather be a glorious failure, than a wimpy wish I had.
my two cents,
D
February 6th, 2009
I always say as long as you keep pressing forward there is no such thing as failure…only delayed gratification.
March 1st, 2009
In response to the post by Damien Tackett – “I would rather be a glorious failure, than a wimpy wish I had.” I’m not sure what a glorious failure means – other than to say that Damiens definition of a glorious failure is close up shop and run off with about 10 thousand dollars of payroll, disconnect his numbers and leave all of his dedicated employees high and dry – thats not Glorious that MY FRIEND is exactly something an entrepreneur would not do. You really have no business postin on a site such as this where REAL people with dedication, ambition and drive are looking for some support, advice from you will take them down a road of immoral, unethical and illegal behavior.
January 29th, 2010
Greate post! thanks for sharing. my idea when there is hard times you have to get some extra cash i find out how you can make money taking surveys, this way i have make me cash to get me a new computer. especially through free paid surveys