What Is Fai lure?

• Dictionary: Lack Of Success.

• Not accomplishing your goal(s)

• An action or result that disappoints yourself or others

NOTE: These are all based on personal perception, and cannot be determined until after the fact…

Cass Phillipps@webwallflower

So…Set Real ist ic Goals

• Dream big, but work small.

• If you never feel like you’ve succeeded, you’ll burn out.

• Take a moment to celebrate success.

You define your personal success or failure. Don’t be afraid to dream big, but don’t set yourself up for misery.

Cass Phillipps@webwallflower

Be Smal l and Quick

• Measure regularly so you can spot problems immediately.

• Keep changes simple to make it easier to identify problems.

• Small changes are more manageable and actionable.

You should be constantly releasing & iterating. If you aren’t, you are on the road to failure.

Cass Phillipps@webwallflower

Act Fast

• If the metrics show a goal isn’t being reached, do NOT:Ignore the problemWait for more dataBlame others

• Try something new; try lots of somethings! A/B test it all.

• Trust your gut. If something feels wrong; act on it!

Most founders I know say they felt a problem LONG before they acted on it. Be aware of those feelings.

Cass Phillipps@webwallflower

Communicate

• Have trusted mentors, both personal and professional.

• Check-in with your team regularly and get a sense of how they feel.

• Talk with your users. Hear their struggles, and let them know when things are fixed.

You can catch problems long before they escalate if you have more perspectives to see it from.

Cass Phillipps@webwallflower

Get A Li fe

• Nope, not just a elementary school insult…

• Having hobbies, habits, activities, and friends outside of work helps you stay active in difficult work times.

• Having eclectic tastes and tasks helps you approach company problems from a new perspective.

• Staying engaged with an outside community helps you bounce back.

Cass Phillipps@webwallflower

But…

Maybe It’s Just a Failure…

Now What?

Cass Phillipps@webwallflower

Take Responsibi l i ty

• You were the founder and CEO – in the end, this is your fault. Don’t shift the blame to others.

• Apologize to everyone involved.

• If you want to work with someone again, in that apology also explain what went wrong and what you learned.

• Thank everyone who supported you along the way.

Cass Phillipps@webwallflower

Stay Engaged

• Talk with others. Get their feedback and share what you learned.

• While you emotionally & fiscally recover, help others with their projects.

• Re-discover what new innovations and ideas are out there.

• Help create a safe environment for yourself and others; one where all can share & learn.

Cass Phillipps@webwallflower

Why Is This Important?

• You are going to fail; it is inevitable. We need to stop judging one another by our failures and focus on how we got out of them.

• You can’t perfectly replicate a success, ever. It’s a lot of market luck. But you can learn from failure.

• Until you’ve failed, you either take careless risks (feeling invincible), or no risks (out of fear.) Once you fail, you reassure yourself you can handle it.

Cass Phillipps@webwallflower

To Learn More

I love hearing about mistakes made and lessons learned.Or just answering questions and sharing ideas!

Email: Cass@webwallflower.comTwitter: @webwallflower

Cass Phillipps@webwallflower