Nickname: dewaans

Review: As a winner of the New Venture Challenge at the Chicago GSB, I have had a unique experience. In most startups, getting customers is the number one problem. In my case, the problem has been getting my own product to work. Too many times, in the excitement of making the first sale, we overlook the actual viability of the technology. I think the best time to sell should be only after you are 70% confident of delivering the technology.

Date reviewed: Dec 13, 2006 10:01 PM

Nickname: Matt

Review: And to those who have failed or fail to try because they fear criticsm, take note of Teddy Roosevelt's words: "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Date reviewed: Aug 18, 2006 10:47 PM

Nickname: Matt

Review: Great article. If the US is to regain its leadership role in the global business world we need to create a culture that recognizes that failure is often a prerequisite for success. I see the fear of "failure" everyday and we all face it. Most people opt not to try, fearing failure, when they fail to realize that by not trying, they have made failure all but certain. As the former CEO of Coca-Cola, Robert Goizueta, said "If you take risks, you may fail. But if you don't take risks, you will surely fail. The greatest risk of all is to do nothing." Author Paulo Coelho says "There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."

Date reviewed: Aug 18, 2006 10:46 PM

Nickname: ED&C

Review: Interesting, but perhaps not surprising that there are no posts so far. The small business people who could contribute are too busy concentrating on their businesses (like I should be right now!) Nevertheless, I think this is a vital topic for new business aspirants. I thought I'd prepared well for starting a business. Read all the right info, blah blah. But I found the most valuable tips about success come from business owners. And that practical experience isn't handed over until people know you are serious about your business. A chicken and egg thing. You don't get honest, open observations about the experiences of others until you are well down the track yourself (and have probably made some big mistakes already). We really need much better access to hard core, no-bull information on what it is to be successful in a business. Not the least of that is how to recover from stuff-ups.

Date reviewed: Aug 16, 2006 12:15 AM

Nickname: Mark

Review: Thought this was interesting. Wrote a post based on it at http://www.vertabase.com/blog/benefit-of-failure/

Date reviewed: Aug 15, 2006 9:44 PM