There have been many great men and women before you that have faced failure only to rise again. Henry Ford failed with his first two companies before succeeding with the Ford Motor Company. Ford is quoted as saying, “failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” J.K. Rowling was a single mum living off welfare when she began writing her first Harry Potter novel. She is now the United Kingdom’s best-selling author since records begun. She is quoted as saying, “rock bottom became the solid foundation upon which I rebuilt my life”.
While you are faced with interim failure, it’s important that you don’t let it crush you. It’s also important that you are truthful (even at the expense, with hindsight, of being embarrassed about your predicament)with those you engage to assist with recovery. We who are in business have all at some stage been in a position similar to yours. There is nothing new that you will tell us to make us feel less about you as a person, but the TRUTH is important for us to move forward based on a correct assessment of the facts as they are, or we could move forward based on an incorrect view, which inevitably will only waste valuable time, resources and your money.
It’s important to put any current failure you may feel in its proper place.Now is the time to bury shame and to see failure for what it is; an opportunity to practice your technique and improve your performance; a learning experience and feedback saying, I need to change the course of my direction.
There are many, many other examples we could quote relating to successful business owners who have experienced failure along the way. Walt Disney suffered through many setbacks and failed attempts at business; he also became a bankrupt. From hard times came important lessons which would serve him, providing a platform for his phenomenal success. Walt is quoted as saying, “when you go to bat as many times as I have, you’re bound to get a good average”. One final example is Rowland Hussey Macy who opened four retail stores during his early career, they all failed. He never gave up and as of January 2014, Macy’s operate from 793 locations in the United States.
In the end, your success is not always defined by opportunity, but by persistence in defeat. Henry Ford, he is quoted as saying, “don’t find fault, find a remedy”.CRA is your partner working alongside you with real answers and solutions from years of practical experience, we think creatively, we see all the possibilities. We can help you.