17 Feb 2021
In a world that often demands perfection, it is very hard to let go of the idea that, in order to be successful in our lives, we need to get everything right the first time round. However, more often than not, the key to success is to do the exact opposite – to fail.
The idea of failing can be really daunting. Can you remember a time when you’ve worked hard to achieve a good exam result, ace a presentation or kick-start a new business idea, and things just haven’t gone as you’d planned? We’ve all been there and the feeling of failure can often leave us upset, unmotivated and dejected.
But what if we started to look at failure in a different way? If everyone got everything right all of the time, we wouldn’t learn. The constructive criticism we are given by teachers, sports coaches or business mentors for example, can be hard to hear but can also be the most valuable feedback to receive.
By getting things wrong, we learn what to do differently next time, allowing us to move forward and develop. Failure isn’t a setback; it is a chance to grow, try new things and ultimately succeed.
“One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received is: ‘It’s better to try and fail than fail to try’. A start-up is really just a series of experiments, to test and learn, seeing what works.” – Harish Malhi, Founder, Diaspo
We are currently living, studying and working through one the world’s largest global health crises and a time of extreme uncertainty. However, could the Covid-19 pandemic also present an opportunity for young entrepreneurs? As Adele Aitchison, Co-founder and Director of Grandnanny, says,
“Covid-19 presents a reset moment. People are questioning the way we live and the things we value. It might be the right moment to support new and different ideas coming from the next generation of entrepreneurs.”
Don’t let Covid-19 stop you from being creative and pursuing your ideas and dreams. But do remember that this situation is not normal for anyone; don’t be hard on yourself for not achieving all that you might have wanted to.
Something we really like to encourage on the Amazon Longitude Explorer programme is good teamwork. It’s even one of our six judging criteria!
Great teamwork is one of the best recipes for success. With it comes diversity of thought, open communication and trust. Don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t know everything and ask for help and advice from your team. Ad Geudens, Founder and Managing Director of Parlangi, reminds us of the value of learning from others:
“Everyone is an expert in something. It just takes a listening ear to learn from them. Everything I know I have learned from someone who inspired me. My advice: I hope you can experience a similar journey and that you keep on learning by connecting with others with an open mind.”
Anyone can be an entrepreneur, it doesn’t matter what age you are! When we asked the Smart Ageing Prize winners for advice that they would give to younger and older entrepreneurs, their collective answer was a resounding “go for it!”. If you have an idea to make the world a better place, don’t doubt yourself – shout about it, test it and learn!
“A female executive in a business I used to work for told me that success in business requires a combination of grit, grace and graft. Grit because it won’t always be easy and you’ll have to develop resilience. Grace because you’ll need to accept challenges as they arrive and not let them distract you or overly burden you. Graft because as long as you’re focusing on your objectives, you get out what you put in.” – Adele Aitchison, Co-founder and Director, Grandnanny
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