Experiencing Failure – Why Failure is the Key to Success

Published by Jenn Neal on

failure is the key to success

Failure is the key to success! Removing the negative association with the word ‘failure’ helps you become more resilient, and consistent.

Quick Links:


TIP: Reasons why failure is the key to success!

Time needed: 7 minutes

TIP: 6 Ways To Transform Failure Into The Key To Your Success from Martha Chopko

  1. Record

    Immediately after a launch, venture, promotion, etc. write out your thoughts on the matter. What worked, what didn’t. What you would do differently next time. Where you felt out of your element, who helped and what help you wish you had.

  2. Forgive

    Realize that failure is part of life and part of growing. Focus on what you learned. Identify positive things that came from the failure.

  3. Learn

    Call out some way the failure made you grow as a person. Have you learned something that will push you in a new direction?

  4. Share

    Own your mistakes. And own what you learned. Take new action and move on.

  5. Mentor

    Your journey through a failure and what you learned is valuable. Share that with others around you. Who knows, it may even be your next business move!

  6. Risk

    Keep taking risks and look forward to the next opportunity. Never be afraid to fail!

6 ways to transform failure into the key to your success
6 ways to transform failure into the key to your success

What’s In This Episode

When it comes to entrepreneurship, Martha is known as one of the best. Martha is a successful salon owner who has struggled to start her business but is now one of the most successful women in the industry.

During our interview with her, we found out that Martha follows several principles when managing a business — we should focus on a niche that allows us to have fun, and we should never hesitate to ask other people for help during hard times. 

Jenn Neal on why failure is the key to success

Jenn Neal on Why Failure is the Key to Success!

Failure is the key to success because our failure will drive us to look for better and newer solutions to recurring problems.

– Jenn Neal

Perfect Peaks. Little dots of crystalized sugar. Perfectly yellow custard that grabs the fork and a perfectly flaky crust. 

Yes. I’m talking about pie. 

Lemon merengue pie, to be specific. 

I can make a pefectly amazing lemon merengue pie completely from scratch. In fact, it’s so amazing that it’s all I get asked to make and bring to holidays and gatherings. Even people who aren’t fans of lemon request it!

BUT

It wasn’t always that way. 

See, the recipe I have is actually from my husband’s grandmother. She was known for her pie – but never shared the recipe with anyone, including my mother in law. 😉 

One time when we were visiting her before she passed away, my husband’s grandma got out the recipe box and let us take a picture of her lemon pie recipe. 

It was epic. The magnitude of her sharing that recipe was so incredible and I really wanted to do her right!

Failure is the key to success because our failure will drive us to look for better and newer solutions to recurring problems.
Failure is the key to success because our failure will drive us to look for better and newer solutions to recurring problems.

Except – this was one of those recipes that was passed down and passed down. So it was like a pinch of this and a dash of that. 

I can’t even tell you how many of those first pies went right straight into the trash. Or some would taste great, but be a bit… melty. 

It took a lot of experimenting. And failing. Each time we would record what worked and what didn’t. And finally, we had created a recipe and process that consistently worked – based on the original recipe but techniques and amounts completely changed. 

What is my point and why am I sharing a story about failing at pie making? 

Well – my guest on this episode talks a lot about not being afraid to fail. And how really failure is the key to success.

Martha Chopko shares her experience as a salon owner – how she got there, mistakes she made, and how she’s grown from those and getting ready to launch a new business as a result. 

Enjoy!

-Jenn “master of the lemon pie” Neal

Martha Chopko on why failure is the key to success

Meet Martha Chopko

Martha is the Owner – Operator of Radiate Beauty, previously known as Lash Envy Boise.
She opened her studio in 2016, after graduating from Oliver Finley Academy.
Growing up, she didn’t even know what an esthetician was, or what they did. It’s funny how life has a way to lead us right to where we are supposed to be.
She didn’t plan on becoming a lash artist, or operating a lash studio, but was addicted to the artistry and the smiles on her clients’ faces when they saw themselves in the mirror.
Now, she is starting a coaching business to help other estheticians navigate the world of running the business side of things and avoiding mistakes so they can continue helping and serving their own clients.


https://www.radiatebeautyco.com/

How a salon owner expanded her beauty business and learned that failure is the key to success!
Built a salon, now what? How a salon owner expanded her beauty business and learned that failure is the key to success!

5 Reasons Why Failure is the Key to Success for Your Business

Failing and then learning from that experience is what inculcates resilience and persistence when it comes to entrepreneurship. Failure is a form of pain, which allows you to quickly understand how to prevent a similar situation in the future.

An example from a human’s childhood years can perfectly illustrate how failure is the key to success. When a child picks up something sharp, drops an object on their foot, or bumps into something hard, they rapidly learn not to repeat the actions that led to the pain.

In professional life, failure is often looked down upon. Whenever you introduce a new service for your beauty business or launch a new product, you automatically start tracking the growth and sales and profits in order to measure its success.

How to Transform Failure into Success

Even if you do not succeed initially, keep trying until you do. People and businesses are not infallible, and are unlikely to find success without any hiccups. Here are the main reasons why failure is the key to success:

1.    Resilience

Failure instills in you the drive to perform better. Only when you fail, you understand your shortcomings and figure out how to not make the same mistakes again.

Being persistent in your despite experiencing failure will help you achieve the results you have been aiming for. Think about every failed attempt as an opportunity to fine-tune your entrepreneurshipefforts.

A good tip to realize how failure is the key to success is to pen down your thoughts about a difficult situation. List down what worked and what didn’t. This exercise will help you organize your thoughts and formulate a better strategy for the future.

“Focus on a business that makes you happy.”
Martha encourages us to focus on a business niche that gives us joy as this will give us the motivation to continue operating it in the long run. Starting a business that makes us happy will also inspire us to become better in the long run.

2.    Character Building

Failing and then trying to succeed goes a long way in building your character. Missed opportunities help you develop motivation, courage and perseverance to pursue your goals.

Being strong-willed is what enables you to create value. While success can certainly give you a forward push, failure can mold your personality and career in a whole new way.

Don’t let failure make you give up your mission. Adopt motivation and courage to pick yourself up, analyze your mistakes, and continue to propel yourself forward.

Consistence action always leads to consistent results in entrepreneurship. Even if you initially fail, remember that consistent efforts are bound to one day help you succeed.

“When the first plan fails, don’t be afraid to try something else.”
Martha has failed in the past but never gave up on her dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. We should do the same and never lose the drive to try something new whenever our first plan fails. Besides, we can also use the experience we had in our failed attempts to make better decisions in the future.
How about you — will you give up when your first plan fails?

3.    Consistency

Whenever you fall, get up, dust yourself off, and move ahead. Repeat this exercise until you find yourself where you want to be.

Strength does not arise from what you are able to do, but comes from getting the hang of new things which you earlier did not think you were capable of doing. Remember that daily efforts bear more fruit than something you only do once in a while.

4.    Improved Focus

Failure is the key to success as it helps you eliminate yet another method which does not work. Take it as an opportunity to draft a new strategy for your startup.

No business can satisfy every single client of theirs. As a beauty business owner, you are likely to have both good and bad days. There would probably be times when your customer would frown instead of smile when they look in the mirror to check out their haircut.

When it comes to entrepreneurship, do not fall into the trap of feeling sorry for yourself when you fail. Instead, overcome failure by adopting a different method and focus.

“Always reach out to other people for help.”
Even with the success of her business, Martha emphasizes that entrepreneurship shouldn’t be done alone. On the contrary, we should always reach out to other people in times when we need their help.
Are you comfortable in asking people for help when needs arise?

5.    Useful Feedback

A dissatisfied client can really dampen your spirits. When it comes to your beauty business, make sure you stop yourself from reacting emotionally to negative feedback.

The trick is to not take criticism personally and use their feedback to improve your work. For instance, if a customer is not happy with the makeup they got done from your salon, start by asking them precisely what they do not like. If the job cannot be undone, take note of it in order to improve your beauty business by ensuring that future clients do not face the same issue.

It is important to listen carefully to feedback, collect information, and then analyze everything you know about your failure to avoid making the same errors in the future.

Final Thoughts

Have you always been fascinated by how makeup can do magic to a person’s face, or how a fabulous haircut can add so much personality to a person? If your answer is in the affirmative, a career in the beauty business might just be the right path for you.

For successful entrepreneurship, you need to know that your startup is bound to go through ups and downs. Train yourself to think that failure is the key to success by ramping up your efforts and improving your performance.

Don’t be so afraid of failure that you stop yourself from taking risks. Going for calculated risks is a key entrepreneurial trait that pushes you towards success. So the next time you feel a bold lip would go well with your client’s outfit, go for it!

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Why Failure is the Key to your Future Success

Telling Your Brand Story the Right Way

Now that you understand the importance of experiencing failure, how are you planning to use failure as your motivation in running your business?