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.

Andy Hann

I had enjoyed a prosperous 40 year career in advertising in the television and film industries. Doing all national work, winning numerous awards, with clients like HBO, CBS, ABC, National Geographic, ESPN, Sony Studios, blah blah blah… Read More>>

Elsa Arend

I once led a large team and was the only woman sitting on leadership table – all the while having recently given birth to my first child and experiencing burnout was very challenging. I felt immense pressure all the time, at work and at home. I started to notice strange physical symptoms as the burnout progressed but I continued to push forward. Read More>>

321 Dance

One time I failed was when I fell for a Roblox scam. I saw an ad that looked real, and I clicked on it. I ended up losing something I really wanted and I cried because of it. At the time I felt really dumb and upset. Later, I realized it taught me a lesson. Now I’m more careful with what I click on, and I don’t trust everything I see online. Even though it hurt, it helped me learn to be more careful. Read More>>

Tiona

My greatest failure was one I never saw coming: I lost a baby I desperately wanted.

At the same time, my favorite uncle passed away. Grief was already heavy. Every day, I cried out with my husband, hoping, praying—but the pregnancy would not be viable. Read More>>