Is Failure an Option - Yes or No?

Recently I receive an email from a member of this network who sought out my advise with regards to why her online business was not working out as expected. This person went on to say they had done their due diligence, not to mention invested heavily into marketing this business. Bottom line the business was not turning a profit. It was becoming a "Money Pit".

This person was a very dedicated participant, and not one to give up easily. She asked me what can be done to at least break even. She just hated the thought of walking away after all the time and investment she had already made.

After a couple of days of exchanging emails and discussing her situation. My advise to her was, "try not to look at this case as sticking with it till you recover your losses. It may never happen (as the saying goes, you can't squeeze blood from a turnip). Add to that, when you find yourself in a hole (or money pit) stop digging! Before you're too deep and can't crawl out."

"The way to recover your losses from a case like this is to "REALIZE" when something is not working, and then stop, rebuild, and move on (that is priceless). With your new knowledge your chances with your next venture will be more likely to succeed."

She wrote back and bravely told me she made the decision to cut her losses, close shop and rebuild a new. But ended with this closing statement.

"I just hated saying I failed at the online store."

My response to her was...

"One of the biggest rejections humans dread and perceive as a failure... is the 2 letter word NO! Here is a tip salesmen use to reach their goals. There was a study done that showed, for every 5 NO's there was 1 YES. So salesman as you have probably experienced ask allot of questions to get to that YES! The lesson to be learned? The more questions you ask, and experiences you experience, good or bad, gets you closer to the ideal situation. That's not FAILURE, that's PROGRESS!"

So my question is: Is Failure an Option - Yes or No?

Continued Success,
Robert Mesa - Profile Page
Website: SiliconPost.Com

Tags: business, failure, management, marketing, options, tips

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Lynn Clifton on February 9, 2009 at 1:42pm: Wow! Great article and thread. I'm learning so much.

Failure is a matter of perception, isn't it? Since we all view matters individually, that two letter word "no" can actually be for our own good.

But if I had to answer yes or no to whether failure is an option, my vote would be "no."

Lynn
www.lynnslink.com; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ted Duboise on February 9, 2009 at 2:02pm: NO!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Lori Denny on February 9, 2009 at 3:50pm: Hello everyone. My husband and I are marking our 12 year anniversary of being in business with our computer repair and maintenance company. We have seen our business go up and down over the years, and for most years have been profitable. Right now, we are struggling - computers are necessary tools that allow us to run our personal and business lives, but they do tend to be low on the priority list when it comes to regular maintenance, upgrades or improvements when money is tight. Those upgrades and new purchases are made with excitement and anticipation (somewhat like getting a new toy) when times are good and money is available. When money gets tight, computers are just kept up and running as long as possible. This decrease in work motivates us to do more marketing, investigate a possible new niche or enhance a current niche, and most importantly, be willing to change what has been done in the past because it is not working now. Times are tough - no amount of positive thinking can change that. The defining moment is what you do about it that makes the difference - while respecting our core values, we look to enhance the service to our customers; we offer free computer advice to those who need it; we work to invest in the technology tools that allow us to provide new and improved services to our customers rather than just stay with how we've always done it. In times of change, we all must open our eyes and ears to new possibilities, new opportunities, and new paths to success. Failure is NOT an option!

Lori Denny
http://www.sta.rtup.biz/profile/LoriDenny; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Robert Mesa on February 9, 2009 at 4:36pm: Hi Cynthia,

Thank you for reading my article, and sharing your comments. If I may here is how I would respond to your concerns with regards to "throwing out the money with bath water".

If you don't learn from what doesn't work, stop and move on to something else repeating the same things. Then Yes, I would agree, you are just throwing out the money with the bath water.

Lessons learned are priceless, and bring us closer to the ideal situations. Would you not agree?

Continued Success,
Robert Mesa
SiliconPost.Com; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tony Humphrey on February 9, 2009 at 4:44pm: Failure is not an option if it turns into an 'experience' that leads on to something else...success is out there but may not be achievable without help....seek advice...seek partners...learn from experiences.
Tony, www.thetoptravelclub.com; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Robert Mesa on February 9, 2009 at 4:52pm: Hi Lori,

Thank you for reading my article, and sharing your experience with us. Your story is a great example of being aware and adapting to the economic changes we all face. This should be a first step for any business, we should learn to recognize and understand the variables. Then try adapting to the current environments before closing shop.

Great points, thanks again for sharing.

Continued Success,
Robert Mesa
SiliconPost.Com; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Natalie Boecker on February 9, 2009 at 5:20pm: Failure is not an option. With that being said, there is a big difference in realizing you may be in the wrong business, and simply giving up when the going gets tough. Anyone who is a "success" has experienced A LOT of failure on the way there!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Robert Mesa on February 9, 2009 at 5:41pm: Everyone, thank you for reading my article and posting your comments.

The question Is Failure and Option - Yes or No? was sort of a trick questions to get readers to challenge their thinking about this concept, with particular focus on the word Failure. To often words and their perceived meanings put up road blocks, there lies the challenge.

After reading all the comments posted thus far in this article I noticed a general consensus that suggests... "lessons learned, move on". The majority of the respondents did not dwell over the meanings of the words, rather they focused on how to overcome them. In my humble opinion, those who are fortunate enough to have this perception are more likely to succeed. Would you not agree?

Please keep the discussion going.

Continued Success,
Robert Mesa
SiliconPost.Com; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by sylvia mccormick on February 10, 2009 at 8:57pm: I love that reply Natalie, because it's absolutely true. We look at others who have made alot of money and you
say to yourself, that he is lucky. but he is not showing you or telling you about his failures. He is not telling you how many times that he had to pick himself up and start over again. Thanks

Sylvia McCormick; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Stanislav-Stan: KrTil on February 11, 2009 at 12:40am: Failure as such does not exist.
It may however become a product of your own assesment of reality.
The same applies for fear of failure. As fear being False Evidence Appearing Real
and as such does only exist with our support.

Stan
www.Health-Wealth-and-Happiness.net; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Peter Christian on February 11, 2009 at 9:55pm: Great posts. I have had many setbacks. Each time I look for the positive lesson within. I've been taught that it's not where you are, but where you see yourself going. Yes it can be very tough at times. You can get dejected when things are not going the way you planned. I'm not saying that a person has to quit, but it may mean looking at going in another direction. One thing is for sure. You'll arrive at your destination if you keep moving forward. You may just have to travel some side roads to get there.; ▶ Reply to This