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[quote]I’m never going to wear this failure as a badge of honor, but I’ve begun to see that this isn’t as devastating as it felt last week.[/quote] Why not? Th

by exelius 13y ago

[quote]I’m never going to wear this failure as a badge of honor, but I’ve begun to see that this isn’t as devastating as it felt last week.[/quote] Why not? The fact that you tried and failed means that you learned something -- which makes you a better founder than someone who has neither tried nor failed. This experience will make you a better founder next time you try.

TDL 13y ago
We don't need to revel & celebrate failure, we just need to learn from it and not stigmatize it.
- wpietri 13y ago
  I think celebrating it is the natural counter to the prevalent stigma. At least for myself, I'm not really celebrating the failure, I'm celebrating the bravery that led to them trying, the strength that it took to persist, and the honesty it took to admit and own the failure. But failure sucks, so I think it's worth being unsubtle and countering the feeling of failure with something that feels pretty positive.
- exelius 13y ago
  Right, but with startups failure is the norm, and every founder knows it going in; at least subconsciously. By failing, you lose the fear of failure. "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."
mikeleeorg 13y ago
Another way to look at it is: You just earned an MBA. This MBA, like any MBA from a top university, is expensive. Except yours is much better. It is based on real-world learnings, learnings that you could have never gotten from a classroom. Arguably, a traditional MBA would have never given you the right background for creating a startup too. So your experience is even better. Very few get to go through an accelerator, and the fact that you went through a well-known one means your education is even more precious. So congrats on a fantastic, though tough, learning experience!

by exelius 13y ago

TDL 13y ago

We don't need to revel & celebrate failure, we just need to learn from it and not stigmatize it.

wpietri 13y ago
I think celebrating it is the natural counter to the prevalent stigma. At least for myself, I'm not really celebrating the failure, I'm celebrating the bravery that led to them trying, the strength that it took to persist, and the honesty it took to admit and own the failure. But failure sucks, so I think it's worth being unsubtle and countering the feeling of failure with something that feels pretty positive.
exelius 13y ago
Right, but with startups failure is the norm, and every founder knows it going in; at least subconsciously. By failing, you lose the fear of failure. "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."

mikeleeorg 13y ago

Another way to look at it is: You just earned an MBA. This MBA, like any MBA from a top university, is expensive. Except yours is much better. It is based on real-world learnings, learnings that you could have never gotten from a classroom. Arguably, a traditional MBA would have never given you the right background for creating a startup too. So your experience is even better. Very few get to go through an accelerator, and the fact that you went through a well-known one means your education is even more precious. So congrats on a fantastic, though tough, learning experience!