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.

Andrea Rodriguez

Reflecting on my journey, I recognize a pivotal moment that some might label as a failure, but I see it as a profound turning point. I left a company I admired to pursue a Master’s degree in Typography Design in Reading, UK – a dream come true. However, life’s unforeseen challenges led me to Paris without a clear plan. Despite the difficulties, I embarked on a Master’s degree in Art Direction, which was challenging. Read more>>

Paul Rossi

I’m almost 20 years sober, and at one point in my life I lost everything I had. I was arrested in a bar fight and sent to a level 3 prison for putting 3 men in the hospital. I lost my job as Managing Investigator of a private investigations company. I lost my luxury townhouse, and had to start over from scratch. Read more>>

Chontaé Cuellar

Nursing is a profession I became most passionate about at the age of 12. I became a Certified Nursing Assistant and Home Health Aide at 16 years old, and a Licensed Vocational Nurse by the age of 21. Caring for people was my passion, and I perceived I would navigate on this career path until early retirement by the age of 50. Once I relocated from the west coast to the south, my perception became a devastating reality! Read more>>

Gina Morales

My entrepreneurial journey began with a STEM-focused preschool in Austin, TX. Over five years, we passionately nurtured young minds, immersing them in the wonders of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. However, a significant mental health crisis led me to a hospital stay, prompting my dedicated team to make the difficult decision to halt operations until my recovery temporarily. Read more>>

Kimberly Hamilton

As a life-long overachiever and perfectionist, failure was not something that I had considered when I started to pursue my initial career choice of teaching special education at an elementary school level. I had known for most of my life that I wanted to be a teacher. What could go wrong? Read more>>

Carolina Vergara

Many people view failure as a crushing defeat, a roadblock that hinders progress towards their goals. However, I see failure as a valuable learning experience. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a mentor, and in the absence of one, failure becomes the greatest teacher. With age, I’ve come to appreciate failure more deeply, recognizing that it has made me stronger and better equipped to guide those who look up to me. Read more>>

Karen Ollis

Early on in my career I had a significant wake up call. It was October in Cleveland when I was contacted by an advertising agency to do a week’s long lifestyle photo session for a health insurance company. This particular year the weather was turning cold and unpredictable so we made plans to do the photography in Miami. Read more>>

GIZETTE KNIGHT

During the Black Lives Matter movement I co-organizing two marches in downtown phoenix. However, I wanted to do more. I saw people painting Black Lives Matter murals in the street and I wanted to bring that to Phoenix. I spoke with several Phoenix Council members and received support from them. When it came time to deliver votes in favor of the mural, the same council members were persuaded to recant their support. Read more>>