Over the years, after talking with tens of thousands of entrepreneurs, artists and creatives, almost every success story we’ve heard has been filled with stories of failure. Unfortunately, in our view the media rarely covers these parts of the story – instead we often read summaries that make it seem like success happened “overnight.” However, what we’ve learned in our conversations with so many successful folks is that failure is core ingredient in the recipe for future success. Below, we’ve shared some fascinating stories of failure from folks who have ultimately found great success.

Dani Thao

Absolutely! I’m more than happy to share my personal story of a significant failure. One of the most profound setbacks in my life occurred when I entered medical school. It was a dream I had carried with me for as long as I could remember. I had always been deeply passionate about helping others, and I was driven by a deep desire to make a difference in the world of healthcare. I was excited, motivated, and ready to embrace the challenge. Read more>>

Yolanda Jenkins

When I first pivoted my business into the self-care and well-being space, I planned 3 monthly events that were designed to give momma’s space to pause and take time for themselves. The first event went well, but I went into the red to hold it. For the second event, I had to pivot from in-person to virtual and I lost half of my event space deposit. The third event sold out, but I didn’t factor in certain aspects of the event into the ticket price so I made like $30. On paper, the events were a failure. Financially, they were definitely a failure. However, I knew that I needed to look at that failure as data and use it to evaluate. I invited friends, I didn’t promote the events a lot (even though it felt like I did), I held events that I thought would be good instead of understanding what my target market wanted. Read more>>

Rene Troy

I wouldn’t necessarily call this a failure more or a motivation to not give up. If you don’t learn from failures you will not learn the lessons behind them. Getting told ‘No’ and having the door slammed in you face several times. Can either make or break you. It molded me to have yoigj skin and keep fighting for my goals and succeeding in grabbing my dreams. Read more>>

Karen Novak

When my novels came out, I felt much anticipation for the glories that must follow. I’d done the magic trick. I’d published. In fact, my situation felt dusted with fairy tale magic from the beginning. Up was the only direction I could go–until it wasn’t. My books didn’t catch the thermals. Their wings didn’t work. Sales disappointed everyone. My publisher gave me four tries. How much faith and generosity that signified. But I couldn’t see that then. The only information registering told me I’d let people down. I had failed. Read more>>

Andrei Tone

Title: A Wedding Photographer’s Tale: Turning Failure into Triumph In the world of wedding videography, one thing is absolutely crucial – punctuality. Every moment, every smile, and every tear must be captured flawlessly, and any delay can be unforgivable. But what happens when a seasoned professional makes a shocking error that threatens to overshadow a couple’s most special day? Read more>>