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.

Kevin Billings

The most impactful failure I’ve had in my career was with my very first client who fired me after launching my business . At the time, I had this mentality that I needed to take on as many clients as possible and try to make them beyond happy. I was living in a scarcity mindset. And with this first client, I was so scared of doing the “wrong thing” so did what I thought they wanted based off our conversations and aimed for something more “mainstream” instead of designing authentically. This not only caused me to not feel 100% passionate about the work I was doing but caused frustration to the client because I was not delivering what they were looking for. Read more>>

Robert A. Walker

I was pretty excited when I finished the draft of my first novel. I remember that feeling of accomplishment and anticipation, being eager to see it published as soon as possible. But my father had been an editor by trade, so I knew the value of that profession and the importance of seeking related guidance before pursuing publication. The woman I hired to edit that first draft was so competent–not at simply editing my work, but at couching the fact it was an epic failure in a manner that fueled my self-confidence and motivated me to carry on. I scrapped that entire draft and started over, much wiser and a much better writer for having experienced that failure. Read more>>

Devin Greenlee

Once upon a time, there was this thing called covid. It hit us all hard, and while we were clawing at the walls inside our own homes, many of us were looking for ways to escape. Me personally? I craved stories–small mental vacations from reality, whether that be in the form of movies, video games, or books. Somewhere along the line, I ran out of material. I was on my last series of novels (one I shall not name), when I began thinking, “Hmm. I can do this, too.” Read more>>

Jay (spinelli)

In 2015, I made the boldest decision of my life. I quit my comfortable corporate job, cashed out my 401k, and took a one-way flight to the Dominican Republic. My dream was to open a wing restaurant—a spot where locals and tourists could gather, laugh, and enjoy some of the best wings they’d ever tasted. I believed in my vision with every fiber of my being. Read more>>