Failure is not the opposite of success.
It is a necessary step toward it.
In skill-based activities like skiing or horseback riding, we accept that falling is part of learning. In business, however, failure often feels personal and threatening.
But in entrepreneurship, failure is data. And data drives improvement.
The faster you test and learn, the faster you grow.
Why We Accept Failure on the Mountain
This week I’m in the mountains with my 9-year-old twins. Winter break. Skis. Cold cheeks. Hot chocolate.
The first day, right after lunch, my daughter fell.
Hard.
And without thinking I shouted:
“Yayyyy! Well done!”
She looked at me like I had completely lost it.
“Why are you saying that? I didn’t do good. I fell. I failed.”
And I told her:
“For every fall you make, you learn something. And you get closer to becoming a better skier.”
She nodded. Got up. Tried again.
And here’s what fascinates me.
When it comes to skiing, we understand it instantly.
Of course you’ll fall.
Of course it’s part of it.
Of course that’s how you improve.
Or horseback riding - where we literally say, “You have to fall off 100 times before you’re a good rider.”
We accept the process.
Why We Fear Failure in Business
But in business?
We tense up. We panic.
We overthink.
We hide mistakes.
We delay launching.
We polish instead of test.
We avoid trying because we might “look bad.”
Why is falling on a mountain expected…
but falling in business feels shameful?
What “Fail Fast” Actually Means
This is where the Lean Startup mindset becomes powerful.
In the startup world, you are not smart because you avoid failure.
You are smart because you test.
You don’t have unlimited time.
You don’t have unlimited capital.
You don’t have the luxury of becoming perfect before you move.
So you form a hypothesis.
You test it.
If it works - you double down. You scale it.
If it doesn’t - no drama. You adjust.
That’s what “fail fast” really means in The Lean Startup by Eric Ries.
Build. Measure. Learn.
You create a Minimum Viable Product.
You put it into the real world.
You gather data.
You decide: pivot or persevere.
Instead of spending months perfecting something in isolation, you validate it in reality.
The faster you discover what doesn’t work,
the faster you move toward what does.
Failure isn’t weakness.
It’s filtration.
Dragging out a bad idea is expensive.
Iterating quickly is intelligent.
Failure Is Filtration
Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, has shared that her father used to ask her and her brother every week:
“What did you fail at this week?”
If they didn’t have an answer, he would be disappointed.
Failure wasn’t shameful.
It was proof they were trying.
She credits that mindset as one of the biggest reasons for her success.
As children, we’re encouraged to try.
To fall.
To get back up.
But somewhere along the way, as adults, we forget.
As adults - especially in business - we suddenly expect ourselves to get it right immediately.
Entrepreneurship is like Skiing.
If you’re building something new, you will fall.
You will test things that don’t work.
You will send emails that flop.
You will pitch ideas that don’t land.
Good.
That means you’re in motion.
The only real failure is standing still because you’re afraid to look stupid.
So maybe the question isn’t:
“How do I avoid failing?”
Maybe it’s:
“How fast can I learn from this fall?”
Because staying still feels safe.
But it’s far more dangerous than falling.
This week, I’m cheering every fall on the mountain.
And maybe, just maybe, we should start cheering our business experiments the same way.
Because getting up again - with new information - is how real growth happens.
That's all for this week.
Hope you enjoyed it! And feel free to share it with anyone that need the extra push to dare to fail.