#6: Don’t Beat Yourself Up Over Fails

Founders often excel at self-flagellation.

Over the past 18 years, I’ve met two main types of business owners:

1. Those who define themselves as serial entrepreneurs.
   • Some of them have built, scaled, and sold multiple businesses
   • Others have failed at one (or more) businesses, but keep trying to “get it right”
   • And some have simply decided that running a business is not for them, so they return to salaried positions or take a day job to give themselves a cushion
2. The people who truly love having their own businesses but acknowledge that it’s not easy and they keep tinkering and fine-tuning until they stop making the same (or similar) errors and miscalculations.

I probably fall into the second category. I might have returned to corporate life at one point, but by the time I started considering it seriously, I had “aged out” of the business world. (I haven’t heard of many companies hiring 65-year-old women in full-time or even part-time marketing roles in progressive industries these days, but if you hear of something, I’m always listening.)

Of course, those categories are simplistic and many other “flavors” of entrepreneurs, gig workers, and business owners exist. But no matter what type of founder you are…

Learning how to rebound from mistakes is key.

The media loves to focus on people who are “crushing it” and social media would lead us to believe that everyone who starts a business is leading a wildly successful and lucrative life. In fact, I often chuckle when someone makes assumptions about theONswitch based purely on our Insta feed.

Comparing yourself to others is counterproductive. Put that energy and focus into asking yourself:

1. What can I do better?
2. Are there behavior or spending patterns I need to avoid?
3. Am I hiring the right talent to grow my business? (I’ll address more of this in Lesson #7)
4. If I did make a serious error, who can advise me on fixing it and rebounding? (Chances are, other founders have made the same or similar gaffes)
5. What can I learn from this experience?

If you’ve owned a business as long as I have, you are not without your scars. Own them, embrace them, and decide what you’re going to do differently tomorrow!

	Overcoming negative self-talk
	You aren’t alone! These are problems every CEO has. Look to others for help!
	Six deadly business mistakes
	People who failed before succeeding