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 Kahn

In 2018, my husband Evan Vega and I embarked on a remarkable journey by founding a multimedia design company. Fueled by our passion for creativity and innovation, we envisioned a venture that would blend technology and artistry to craft meaningful and impactful digital experiences. However, unforeseen challenges arose, and we eventually found ourselves facing the unwelcome intrusion of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world grappled with the global crisis, our multimedia design endeavor was regrettably compelled to close its doors. Undeterred by adversity, my husband and I faced a crossroads with unwavering determination. In a remarkable twist of fate, we transitioned into a business that had an intimately familiar place in our family: coffee roasting. In the heart of Apache Junction, a small yet spirited community, we boldly embarked on a new chapter by opening a small cafe and roastery named ‘HG COFFEE.’ Read more>>

Gabriel Ponton

Three years ago (right before covid), I was working on my artist visa in Europe. I went to film school in Madrid and Barcelona and I was ready to start working as a fashion photographer there. I spent so much time and money on my visa process just for it to be denied after getting all the recommendation letters, forms and requisites; Covid was definitely a part of the reason, but now I understand it was simply not the right time and place for me. Read more>>

LaQuisha Scott

Honestly, I don’t know if I can call this a failure or a redirection. In 2020, I signed the lease to my first brick and mortar location and went in with a partner, on a journey to open the top hair and skin clinic in the DFW area. Fast forward to 2022, my partner decided she wanted to shift her entrepreneurial focus AND my landlord decided they wanted to sell my commercial building (that I was in the middle of a 5 year lease on). All of these happenings came tumbling down brick by brick and so quick. Within 30 days, I had to make the tough decision to close my location that I had put so much blood, sweat, MONEY, and tears into. I closed my location with no backup plan, no where to operate out of, and no idea where I was going next. Read more>>

Jaleccia Ates

At the beginning of my career, I really didn’t know what I was doing. I kind of just jumped in first and asked questions later. I had googled “photography contracts”, thinking some basic template would suffice for a whole business. Boy, was I wrong! I ended up losing some images from a wedding that I booked and ended up paying back more than what I should have. The whole situation made me feel defeated and like I was a failure because I couldn’t and didn’t stand up for myself or my business. I ended quitting for like 3 months with the mindset of never returning again. But after a few months of regrouping, and seeking wisdom from other seasoned photographers, I received the boost that I needed and discovered the many lessons that were within that failure. Read more>>

Zach Goldstein

I don’t know if I’d categorize it as a failure, more so a learning opportunity. In the earlier days of starting Public Rec, finding the right fulfillment partner was incredibly challenging. While I knew some of the better known fulfillment centers for our industry, they wouldn’t take my call since we didn’t have funding and were below their minimums. The alternative was working with partners who didn’t have the right system or labor in place to support direct to consumer apparel fulfillment. Orders would go out late. Inventory would get lost. Returns would be improperly processed. There is a lot of nuance involved in direct to consumer apparel fulfillment that can easily go missed without the right partner. Read more>>

San Martin Rodriguez

Hey there! So, you know how in some sports events such as boxing, you might face some tough challenges before you can level up? Well, my life has been a bit like that too. Imagine this: I’ve had a bunch of relationships and a marriage that didn’t work out, kind of like when you try to build the coolest LEGO tower, but it keeps falling down. It’s like I was trying to solve a tricky puzzle, but some pieces just didn’t fit right. Read more>>

Jeena Earthiva

In my head the word ‘failure’ calls for celebration. My life experience taught me again and again that, when failure is not just a building block for success, but also a thing to be truly joyful about. The emotion we feel towards failure can dramatically impact to what extent we can learn from it. I was at the peak of my singing career when I lost my voice in 2013. I could speak but my voice sounded horrible. The doctors could not figure out how to solve the problem even though they could see the physical problem of my vocal cords not closing properly enough to make proper sounds. Read more>>

L.M. Archer

Rather than failure, perhaps a better word might be “mistake.” Well over a decade ago, I took a leap of faith from the grey, corporate world into the bright, colorful world of wine writing, As a business professional, I immediately realized the importance of achieving designations to establish credibility. Additionally, I realized that in order to write about wine, I needed to understand the ‘business’ of wine. Consequently, I determined to work in tasting rooms at four different winery tiers: family, boutique, corporate, and luxury. Read more>>