No One Is Above Failure: How We Should See a Business That Stumbles
A founder's setback is no reason to gloat. What my own successful and failed ventures taught me about loss in entrepreneurship.
Recently I've watched several established business owners stumble; some exited, others shut down completely. Sadly, many people reacted with gloating: "How could this happen if you're a marketing expert?", "Weren't you the one talking about business?", "There he goes, like everyone else."
It made me think about something important. Someone who has lost a business is usually going through enough financially and emotionally; they don't need mockery on top of it. Loss is hard, and watching a project you spent years on fail is never easy, however experienced you are. A kind word is charity, and if you can't help, at least don't add to the weight.
Failure is part of the journey
I know many people who went through big losses and problems in their businesses, and some of them, once past the crisis, built far greater success than before. I've founded several ventures myself: some succeeded, thanks to God, and some failed badly. Those experiences taught me lessons I used in the projects that followed, and to me they are a normal part of the business journey.
What anyone entering business should understand
- No one is above loss, and no one is above failure.
- Succeeding ten times doesn't mean the eleventh attempt will succeed too.
- Experience doesn't make you immune to mistakes; real experience is often built from mistakes and losses.
- Business by nature has profit and loss, success and setbacks, decisions that land and decisions that don't.
That's why I always say in my consultations: not everyone is suited to be a business owner, and not everyone can be an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship isn't only knowing how to make money; it's knowing how to handle loss, learn from it, review your decisions, own your choices, and get back up to start again.
Learn instead of gloating
Instead of looking at someone's experience and gloating over their fall, let's learn from it. The person we mock today may later build something much bigger than what they lost, and tomorrow it could be you. Learn from others' experience, offer advice if you can, and give them room to rise again.
In the end, no one is above failure.
