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.

Heather Munro

As a freelance writer, I have worked for just about every kind of business, from big corporations to solopreneurs. I’ve been freelancing for more than 15 years and experienced nonpayment from a client for the first time two years ago. Read more>>

Nick Rucker

8 years ago I was a very bad alcoholic. I spent most of my time drinking in the evenings and dealing with depression post active duty military. I was a musician at the time and playing just to keep enough money in my pocket to get hammered during shows. Read more>>

Kachina Leigh

Although my studio is now located at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, it took a few tries to get there. Many times, I lacked the confidence to actually hit “enter” and complete the application. Read more>>

Joanna Sherrow

One significant failure that stands out in my career involved a project where, despite my rigorous checks, the branded font turned out to be incorrect when delivered to the client. It was a moment of surprise and disappointment, realizing that I had missed a crucial detail. Read more>>