Let’s Talk About Failure
Look, I’ve been around the block a few times. Started my first company in ’98, back when dial-up was still a thing. Lost my ass. Then again in ’05. And ’12. And… well, you get the picture. Point is, I’ve seen a lot of startups crash and burn. And honestly? Most of them deserved to.
But here’s the thing nobody wants to hear: failure isn’t always a badge of honor. Sometimes, it’s just the result of being an idiot.
Last Tuesday, I was at a conference in Austin—yeah, one of those where everyone’s wearing hoodies and sipping oat milk lattes—when I heard some kid on stage say, “Failure is just feedback.” I almost threw up in my mouth.
“Failure is feedback” is the kind of bullshit people say when they want to sound wise but have no actual wisdom. Feedback? Really? Let’s call it what it is: failure is failure. It’s money down the drain. It’s broken dreams. It’s telling your mom, “No, I’m not gonna pay you back that $20k just yet.”
So What’s the Secret?
I’ll tell you what it’s not: it’s not some magic formula, or a secret handshake, or a fancy app. It’s not about “pivoting” or “disrupting” or any of that other tech bro nonsense.
It’s about committment. It’s about showing up every day, even when you don’t wanna. It’s about not being a flake. (Which, honestly, is a problem I’ve had. Ask my ex-wife, Laura. She’ll tell you I “completley” dropped the ball on alot of things.)
But here’s the kicker: even if you’re committmented (see what I did there?), you’re still gonna fail. A lot. And that’s okay. But you gotta learn from it. Not in some touchy-feely way, but in a “I’m gonna track down every single person who didn’t buy my product and ask them why” way.
Talk to Your Customers, You Idiot
Speaking of, let me tell you about Marcus. Let’s call him Marcus because his real name is Dave and I don’t wanna get sued. So Dave—sorry, Marcus—he’s this guy I know who started a SaaS company. Classic story: raised a bunch of money, built something nobody wanted, then wondered why he couldn’t find customers.
I sat him down over coffee at the place on 5th—you know the one, with the terrible WiFi and the barista who thinks she’s a poet—and I said, “Marcus, when’s the last time you talked to a real live customer?”
He looked at me like I’d asked him to solve a Rubik’s cube blindfolded. “Uh, we have analytics,” he said.
“Analytics?” I said. “Marcus, analytics are like reading tea leaves. You wanna know what customers think? Talk to them. Pick up the phone. Go to their offices. Buy them a damn coffee. Just talk to them.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough. But here’s the thing: most founders are too chicken to do that. They’d rather hide behind their laptops and pretend they’re “scaling.”
And Another Thing…
Look, I could go on and on about this stuff. But honestly, I’m getting tired just thinking about it. So let me leave you with this:
If you’re gonna start a company, be ready to suck at it. Be ready to fail. Be ready to have people laugh at you. But for the love of god, be ready to talk to your customers. Because if you’re not, you’re gonna be another statistic.
And nobody wants that. Except maybe your mom, who’s still waiting for that $20k.
Oh, and if you’re gonna travel while you’re figuring all this out, check out this cultural travel experiences guide. It’s actually pretty good. I found it while procrastinating on writing this article. Thanks, future me.
About the Author: Sarah “Salty” Jenkins has been a startup founder, investor, and recovering optimist for over 20 years. She currently writes for Business Briefer and occasionally sleeps. You can find her on Twitter @saltyjenkins, where she rants about bad design and mediocre coffee.
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