What is Failure

Today I experienced a large failure. I have experience failure before in my life but today’s failure was especially critical because of how it occurred and of course when it occurred. I planned and put together an event that I thought would catapult my organization and myself into a place where people would know that we offer quality products and services but instead of that I experience a humbling defeat that left me wondering, what went wrong. So as I drove back home to reorganize and evaluate the defeat, I started to come up with question?

• Was it me, did I assume things that should have been tended to?


• Was it marketing, did I not get the word our effectively


• Was it my target market, was I trying to provide a service or product that they didn’t want or need?


• Was it my business image or name. Did I not have the trust of the people because I am a small business trying to come up?


• Or did I just fail, am I in over my head, should I take my L and go back to what I know instead of trying to step out?

I don’t really know what the exact answer is but let’s break down each of these questions and see where the problem lies.

• Was it me, did I assume things that should have been tended to? I don’t believe that it was myself or an oversight on my part. I prepared for this event and I was on time and ready to take care of business. Even if the event would have started late, I would still have been able to perform my duty effectively. I had all the materials as well as had a firm grasp of the knowledge that I was going to teach…so I think I was prepared.

• Was it marketing, did I not get the word our effectively? I distributed between 1,000 – 2,000 pluggers, an additional 100 - 150 flyers, 5,000 emails about the event, posted on numerous message boards, distributed information at events that were targeted to my target market and contacted numerous corporate sponsors for further partnerships.

• Was it my target market, was I trying to provide a service or product that they didn’t want or need? I really feel that this might be where the issue lies. The market that I was targeting might not feel that what my company is offering is important enough to support or attend. Many times since people are used to getting things free, when you offer a service that helps them and is not free, they feel they can find it elsewhere for free or that they do not need it bad enough to pay. The problem will lie in that if I take my products and services to another market that embraces the knowledge, how will I react then.

• Was it my business image or name. Did I not have the trust of the people because I am a small business trying to come up? This could be an issue as well. Without brand and name recognition, many people in certain markets will not trust new companies until they prove themselves. New companies are forced to either partner with an established name/brand or hope that a media outlet will get wind of what they are doing and make it known to the masses.

• Or did I just fail, am I in over my head, should I take my L and go back to what I know instead of trying to step out? Failure is not an option, I cannot concede failure because even though I am discouraged, I have to bounce back. I cannot even start to blame God because I know that everything will work for His glory but I do know that I would like to understand why things happen the way they happen. According to His word, the Holy Spirit reveals all mysteries and secrets of God as they are told to Jesus. Therefore, I should receive an explanation or get some understanding as to why things have transpired as they have because right now I am confused. I wonder why I shouldn’t just take this as an L and go back to working like I did before…but wouldn’t that be an admission of failure? Lets look at the definition of failure.

Failure

• The condition or fact of not achieving the desired end or ends


• One that fails


• The condition or fact of being insufficient or falling short


• A cessation of proper functioning or performance


• Nonperformance of what is requested or expected; omission


• The act or fact of failing to pass a course, test, or assignment.


• A decline in strength or effectiveness.


• The act or fact of becoming bankrupt or insolvent.

Well according to these definitions, I would have to say that I am a failure but here is what changes that outcome. In the midst of my failing, I decided to take what went wrong and learn from it. I have drawn a plan that includes many enhancements to my current online offering so that I can still offer my services but instead of depending on people or my marketing to make it happen, I will form strategic partnerships that will provide the marketing arm for me. From this experience I have learned that the most successful businesses and people pull the best from others. So since I am good at what I do, I will partner with others to do what I cannot and therefore we will all reach a mutually beneficial goal.

The overall outlook of this situation is that I decided to learn, even though I will have to change my approach, I will still progress towards the goal. If I decided to stop right where I was at because of one mishap then I would have my name added to a long growing list of people that let their dreams, goals and future be dictated by mishaps instead of progress. So even when I fall short, I still progress because I then learn what I did wrong and adjust and keep on keeping on because Success is Inevitable…So Get Ready.