Failure and Startups

Last evening I was lucky enough to attend a session put on through Henley Business School presented by Rab Memari of Altitude. The session was mostly focused on Silicon Valley's large quantity of startup tech businesses and their marketing practices. As an MSc Marketing student I have always been intrigued by the team aspect of startups and how much is required of the few team members. One thing I was aware of before attending the session was that startups have a very limited amount of resources in the early stages to market their brands and products. Rab wonderfully expressed the importance of building a strong team of individuals that all are willing to be fully invested in the development of the product/service and brand. 

My one greatest take away from the session is represented in the photo above: Fail Fast and Fail Often. Silicon Valley and its inhabitants functions in such a fast paced environment that if you aren't failing, you aren't moving forward at an acceptable rate. I, like many others, have had it drilled into my brain that failure is something that should be avoided at all costs. The negative connotation that has been so closely tied to the word "failure," has caused me to see failure for something different than it is. I am led to believe that my misunderstanding of failure was brought about through my upbringing in American schools, where failure is viewed as the worst thing you can do. Now that I am 25, it has occurred to me that I need to frame the way I see failure differently. 

What I would often just refer to as "trial and error," really is just a type of failure. Individual's fear of failure is really tied to the connotation that's associated with the word. The point that resinated the most since the session is that failing is an apparent means of learning. To fail is to learn and to learn is to grow. If you aren't failing, are you really progressing in the desired direction? The short answer is no. 

The culture of Silicon Valley is different to any that I have personally experienced thus far. It is fast paced and incredibly competitive. Mark Zuckerberg is quoted in an interview saying that they have signs posted in the office that say "Done is Better Than Perfect." I myself need that poster above my desk. 

I intend to take the words of Rab Memari on with me through my continual schooling and career. In order for me to continue my individual growth, I plan to fail fast, fail often, and most importantly use those failures as the stepping stones to development that they truly are. 

Below is the link to a portion of the session:

https://www.facebook.com/MscMarketingHenley/videos/1619765038321063/

Photo above does not belong to me and can be used to click through to a website that sells the poster.