Do you believe that failure is a necessary stepping stone to startup success?

Mehul Fanawala
12 replies

Replies

Relja Denic
Nop, some people get everything from the first try
Jawad Tijani
I don't think we should normalise failure. When one entrepreneur is well-informed and well-prepared enough, there is a good chance he gets the job done the first time. However, failure is a valuable lesson if one accepts to learn from it.
Kim Curtis
I think we need to identify the level of failure first. Tiny failures happen on a weekly or even daily basis and are absolutely necessary for growth... like learning the cost of missing an opportunity because you didn't act fast enough. Or even like pushing your body to its limits to become stronger. This type of failure is absolutely necessary or your product would be perfect on the first go around and would need no changes at all. We'd all be product superheroes. But catastrophic failure, that's another thing. And I don't think that's necessary IF you learn to fail small and frequently and use those small failures as the backbone to grow from.
Žiga Kerec
No, but failure helps you not to make the same mistake twice :)
Ilyes Ouhadj
It's usually the first step! if you think you can succeed in business development without failing at least once, I gotta tell you that startup building isn't for you my friend! I would suggest getting a job and settling down!
Sean Ward
1000%. It is impossible to live an entire lifetime or build an entire business without failure (or failures) at some point. The way I see it, I'd reather learn through the school of hard knocks early on with failures that dont actually have any serious ramifications. Then once you're in the big leagues (building an *actual* business), you've already learned the lessons on a smaller scale.
Daniel Zaitzow
@weansard I also think we experience failure on a daily basis and that all "failure" doesn't need to be from monumental loss or missteps. Oftentimes failure can be leaving in the potatoes too long or letting the pasta turn to mush.
Sean Ward
@dzaitzow And in today's world there are people that encounter extreme anxiety and stress from leaving the potatoes in for too long lol. Stacking failures (even the small ones) is crucial to both build skills and mental resilience.
maryam yousefi
It unlocks the full potential of those who bounce back from loss.
Yavuz Tunc Emran
It's not necessary at all... However, embracing it as a learning opportunity can contribute to long-term success.
Frank Johnson
Absolutely! Failure is a crucial part of the entrepreneurial journey, offering invaluable lessons and resilience. It's not about avoiding failure but learning and adapting to ultimately achieve startup success.