Failing Your Way to Success

Don’t let a failed startup kill your entrepreneurial dreams. Get back in the saddle again with these encouraging words of wisdom.

Is it necessary to fail in order to succeed? We’ve all heard the statistics–one out of every "X" restaurants/new businesses/retailers fail. The numbers are staggering. What happens when your startup tanks? Do you quit? Run away? Hide? No! You’re an entrepreneur, so you get back in the saddle and you try again with the additional wisdom and insight you gained from the previous experience. Easier said than done, I know–but that’s what makes people like Thomas Edison entrepreneurs. Edison once said, "I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work." What a great attitude!

I’ll admit I’m a positive person who always sees the glass half full; I’ve been that way my whole life. I’ve come to realize through my own experiences as well as my clients’ and colleagues’ that you can’t learn anything important if you aren’t willing to make some mistakes along the way. Teddy Roosevelt said, "The person who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything!"

By Paige Arnof-Fenn

Full Story: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,324547,00.html