Fake It Till You Make It

Most of the time entrepreneurs never think about what would happen if they failed, because it is not really an option that they choose to consider.

They’d rather think “What if it doesn’t work out with product A or product B? What else can I be doing?” For aspiring entrepreneurs, the idea of failing can be scary. When in reality, it’s never about failing, it is always about standing up again and doing it again. We all fail on a daily basis, whether it is a “NO” from a person you know, or on a project you were planning, or from a customer, colleague, friend or family. We all need to learn to deal with a “NO” or objections to our ideas, thoughts, or actions.

They key is not letting the rejections and feeling down — we all do it every day. The key is learning how to put rejections aside, stand up, learn from it and understand what happened. The questions are: What went right? What went wrong? What should you do more of and what should you do less of the next time?

This is why we’re calling this blog post “Fake it till you Make it.” Whether you make it or you drop, it’s never about that end of it — it’s about the evolution of getting up and doing it again, because entrepreneurship sometimes is a process and a way of thinking rather than the results that you get from doing A or B.

As we begin 2019, we ask all entrepreneurs, existing or aspiring, to focus on your plans to keep moving your ideas forward. What can do to do a better job of listening to your customers, stakeholders, and employees, in order to make the product and services achieve the goals you desire?

BEFORE YOU GO:

We see our blogs as opportunities for dialogue. Please share your thoughts as comments.

1. What have you done to create a plan A, B, or C to keep your business moving forward?

2. What have you learned from others about plans A, B, or C to keep moving forward?

3. What experience can you share with economic developers around the world about business failing?

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Faris Alami is Founder and CEO of International Strategic Management, Inc. (ISM). He works internationally, presenting Exploring Entrepreneurship Workshops and other entrepreneurial ecosystem — related ventures.