Richard Branson just repeated the dubious old claim that the best business lessons come from failed startups. They don’t.
Think of it in terms of learning curves. With a successful startup your learning curves follows a bumpy ride ever upward. Every day you are forced to learn more about managing a successful company. Learning can’t be avoided. With a failure the learning curve stops abruptly. One moment you’re flying. The next moment you’re a splotch on the sidewalk. Your learning has stopped abruptly and all too soon. Your personal growth is stunted.
If you still don’t believe me, consider this question. Who would you go with if you were either an investor looking for an opportunity to put money in or a large company looking for a new CEO? The entrepreneur who succeeded or the one who failed?
I rest my case, your honor.
2 Responses to Richard Branson Gets It Wrong
Leave a Reply to Timothy Andrew Page Cancel reply
Yeah, you got a point there. It all depends on what was learned. With fails probably not much.
I do not want to put anyone out. Hire someone at an uptic in their career, not at a downtic.
And…
I’d love to save that for another trip, Richard. Don’t tell people to give up on their ideas, Richard. Any idea is a good idea if you frame it properly. There are billion dollar ideas everywhere. Just don’t give up on anything you start. Change your definitions if you feel like you are failing, even for a moment. 😉