Fail Your Way to the Top

When we are young our parents encourage us to go out and play and learn new things, play sports or do something competitive whether you are good at or not from the start because failing is good for your character and teaches you resilience and you can make friends from it.  Why is it that as adults we hate failing? Now as parent you find yourself teaching that to your children, but on personal level you will not accept failure at the workplace or in your own startup venture. Why not? Why do we avoid failure?

You have probably heard it by now, failing is good for entrepreneurs, and often get short given explanations by those who are already on top on why failing was important to them. Failing is done while you are at the bottom, when you are on the top there are often so many people involved in your decisions that is harder to make bad decisions, unless you are making them on your own, so let’s talk about failing and how you too can fail your way to the top.

1.       Ideate out loud, this allows you to hear yourself and your ideas but also others can jump in give you their feedback on a very basic first impression of what your thoughts are on that moment, usually happens when the idea just came to you, don’t wait for the IDEA WAVE to happen and waste your time.

2.       Be naïve so that your ideas are simple and non-assuming. Our ideas are usually shared immediately, then after feedback they get shut and put in  a lock but there is something to remember, as special as we all are we are not eternally unique and there is always more people out there who have not only thought of the same idea but are waiting for someone to provide it. If a product already exist at any level, can you improve it? or sell it to a niche market only? If is cheap enough to test, just go ahead and give it a shot.

3.       Don’t prototype, just get going with a presentation, a website, or even a fundraiser. You can also visit free spaces like Gangplank where they provide with 3D modeling and printing of things for free, this will save up even up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, but often times you can now even set up stores and sell ideas where you sell first, build and sent later once enough funding is acquired.

4.       Blitz to launch, this relates to the Lean Startup process that focuses on quick ideation, validation by potential customers, and test launch all quick and on the cheap.  The thing with the Lean Startup is that is mostly theory and it doesn't apply to most first time entrepreneurs who have no resources but have great potential and great ideas, so the approach for that again is failing your way to startup. Do it all quickly, as soon as you ideate begin acquiring the tools to get things done, a domain name, a list of potential contacts for feedback, tools for labor, etc., the goal is here is not to save money but to do things while you are inspired and willing to work and spent your resources whether is time or money or both to get things done, ask for favors; we are often more convincing during those initial hours of spark after that is just becomes laborious and can be harder to make your idea a passion.

5.       Don’t think.. this is simple, don’t think just do.