Is failure an option

ByBecky McCray

“Failure is always an option.” –Adam Savage, Mythbusters

“Options are optional – failure is a failure to see options – food for thought” –Geo Geller, @geogeller on Twitter

If you are in business, you face the possibility of failure. If you have the typical attitude toward failure, then you fear it, try to hide it, or find excuses when it happens.

How can you make a better attitude? Realize that failure usually means a learning opportunity. Chose to accept that bad things can and will happen. Recognize that you might be better off after you fail than you were before, even if you can’t see it right away.

New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Get our updates.

  • About the Author
  • Latest by this Author
Becky McCray wearing long braids and a professional outfit smiles as she stands on a rural downtown street with twinkling lights in the background.

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.

www.beckymccray.com
Published: April 9, 2009

4 Comments

  2. Failure is not only an option, among smart small firms it’s a requirement. The trick is to learn from it quickly and move on — what some of our Top Small Workplaces (recognized in partnership with The Wall Street Journal) call “fast failure.”

    More on this here: http://tinyurl.com/6rcqhz (see Barclay Water Management and Restek at the bottom).

  3. Thank you, Alberto.

    Mark, love the new look of the Winning Workplaces blog! (maybe it’s not that new, but it’s terrific!) And of course, I think the “fast failure” phrase is a wonderful way to put it!

  4. Thank you Becky and Mark,

    We have been customers of Restek for years and they are certainly tops in service and product quality when it comes to analytical laboratory supplies. The ‘Plus One’ concept is interwoven through the company, front to back.

    Not surprisingly, the core set of values illustrated in the linked article have been instrumental to the success of each venture I’ve been involved with that succeeded – and have been missing from those that did not.

    I’m going to share this with everyone who I think will benefit from it. Thanks again!

Comments are closed.

Wondering what is and is not allowed in the comments?
Or how to get a nifty photo beside your name?
Check our commenting policy.
Use your real name, not a business name.

Don’t see the comment form?
Comments are automatically closed on older posts, but you can send me your comment via this contact form and I’ll add it manually for you. Thanks!