“SUCCESS ISN’T FINAL; FAILURE ISN’T FATAL; IT’S COURAGE THAT COUNTS.”
WINSTON CHURCHILL
ventures that we had been through (one huge success, and one complete disaster) and use the exercise as a ‘healing process’. Yes, we had made some really stupid, embarrassing mistakes, but we were still alive. We were driven to make something of our experiences, create something that we could teach others about, make it fun and (not least of all) enable us to pay back our remaining liabilities to the bank and creditors.
When we eventually saw our ‘silver lining’ opportunity, our excitement was like wildfire – our spirits were raised just by brainstorming how we could make it happen for all who needed this product suite. This is a business simulation game to teach people (from school kids through to experienced business people) how to start and / or run their own ‘business’ (be it a start-up or even a team); experience- based courses on Sales, Finance and Governance; a Loyalty Club to provide people with an opportunity to participate, ask and learn. The target market? Literally the world, with every person who had an idea to start a business. We had begun our new journey!
9. Failure is only a word. A lot of different viewpoints here... My take on it is: In business, there are no failures. Yes, we lost our business and our wealth, but that was only the material side of our lives. We still had our brains, we had learnt some really hard lessons and we had sufficient energy to try again. I knew I hadn’t finished with trying – nine business ventures to date, one huge success and one massive financial disaster, and our new business venture built primarily on these two experiences. I read the following quotes daily:
“Success isn’t final; Failure isn’t fatal; courage that counts.” (Winston Churchill)
“Never a failure, always a lesson.” (Rihanna) 46 Management Today | September 2012
It’s
10. Value your ‘friends’. I guess I did not have much choice, but it is amazing how little you need to get by on to survive. No car, no assets, a few credit cards maxed out, my family and the few real friends I had. So how did we do it? I asked for help from everybody! You soon realise that the people who count in your life are really supportive and help you get going really fast: - my auditor, a life-long supplier of mine, called his legal friends in to help us with the judgement situation while he assisted us with negotiating a deal with the bank;
- my IT friends found a contracting job for me in Pretoria, which I used to start again and get my financial situation improved and stable; - my family lent me money (yes, you need to use all available resources and realise that pride is only a term when you are down and almost out).
The real lessons for me here were as follows: - The people who helped me with my journey back to reality have all been repaid, and we will include them all in our new venture’s success; - True friends will always help. Do whatever you can to remind yourself who helped you to get going again;
- Repay every last cent as a matter of priority to these people. Do not default on them and communicate with them constantly; - Refer them to your networks – nothing works better for business than a referral. You will be amazed at how many people actually need help, and you talking about your experience with these special people will always have the potential for business.
It has been almost ten years since we lost everything – we are back on our feet, have a new business that is flourishing, with great opportunity. With the right frame of mind, friends and support, we are living proof that anything is possible!
The Innovation Journal
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