What's your strategy for overcoming startup failure and rejection?

Nothing happens overnight. U have a vision and u got to keep going. Trust your instincts. No one knows ur vision better than you do. Learn from your failures. Keep fixed costs low and hire hustlers, people who can go above and beyond. Avoid having top heavy departments and focus on doers who are ambitious to grow with the company. And finally, trust yourself. The more unique your vision, the more difficult the path to success will be. So keep going and don’t lose your FIRE!

Top VCs are likely to see 1000 pitches for the 2-4 that they fund. While you are awesome, keep in mind that your chance of success on any given pitch is not going to be 100%. View the pitch as a chance to gain feedback from the VC. It is like you have a free hour of consulting with a top expert. Incorporate the feedback, to the extent it makes any sense to you or your team, in your next pitches.

In fighting rejection, I adopted a mantra: "The worst thing you can hear is a 'no'." This mindset outlined the limits of the downside while highlighting the substantial potential for success. Rejecting rejection itself became an integral part of my process, not the final destination. This perspective forged a path to resilience and ultimately paved the way for growth and achievement. Moreover, it’s crucial to acknowledge that if entrepreneurship were a walk in the park, if success came effortlessly, everyone would be in the game. This underscores the importance of recognizing that true success in entrepreneurship is the product of unwavering perseverance. Their tenacity sets them apart in this challenging but rewarding endeavor.

By understanding who you are as a founder and identifying what drives you (hint: the core issue you keep coming back to solve) you gain resilience, despite failures along the way. Learn to fail fast. That requires understanding which elements of what you launch are features and benefits and which are part of your brand’s DNA. Stay curious and receptive to feedback. And most importantly, remember periods of rest and reflection are vital to your growth. Build in new ways, with new people and express your gratitude often. Communicate your observations, your needs and your perspective to invite people in to your journey and you’ll build an incredible network of support. That’s success.

People are not afraid of failure. They are afraid of what failure makes them look like in the eyes of other people. If you are afraid of failure, it means you care too much about what people think about you. Great news: nobody cares. While you are thinking about what they think of you, they are thinking about what you think of them. You are not the center of the world. Nobody really cares of what you are doing to be honest. Once you realize that you simply focus on what's need to be done to reach your goals and become 10x faster.

I’ve interviewed 5,000 candidates. ~50% were women and ~2/3 (1,600 women) didn’t negotiate. Why? Fear. Of. Rejection. While rejection feels like 💩, there is value in it, as nothing of impact was ever created without it. So... embrace rejection as it's the currency of your dreams. It's the cream filling of the Oreo of success.

Entrepreneurship is defined as the pursuit of opportunity beyond the resources currently controlled. So, perusing any Business Opportunity comes with its share of “Risks”. But without risk there is “No Reward” so we need to Manage or Minimise Risk. The most important thing is to stay in the game without running out of Cash and loosing the trust of the Investors. Hence, this is a journey like a Marathon which has various 100 M Dashes in it and each 100 M Dash is a state where you have a business hypothesis, you test it and then measure the result and then repeat till you crack the “Minimum Value Proposition”. So one has to be persistent !! Elon Musk did not get Tesla Right the first time but he eventually did !!

I fail most weeks. Fail to complete, fail to communicate, fail to inspire, fail to empathize, fail to achieve. However, I my 27 year old start up, one thing I have never failed at, is learning from failure.... And taking one more, just one more, step forward. Maybe that's after two steps backwards, but we deal with failure , deal with success and try to treat those imposters just the same. And finally, we reinforce that we are One Team, whatever happens.

Over years I have had a number of businesses and each one you take a chunk of knowledge, a sprinkle of courage, and a dollop of fuck you attitude into the next to make you ever more resilient. Through the whole process you become better at understanding why this start up/ biz would be the better than the last, you gain greater insight into what motivates you, whilst surrounding yourself generally with an increased number of capable, more educated people that want to help you along your journey. Most importantly you start to define key characteristics of who is your audience and what is your marketplace. Don’t be afraid, be smart resilience does not just lead itself to biz, make sure through the process you are also looking after number one.

Let's get real about failure in the startup scene. It's not just a bump in the road; it's where the real learning happens. Here's the lowdown: Talk about the tough times. Success isn't a straight line. Sharing the struggles helps everyone. Find your tribe. A group where it's cool to talk about failures can change the game. Pass on what you learn. Those facepalm moments? They're full of insights. Share them. Embrace the risk. Making mistakes means you're pushing boundaries. That's where growth happens. Quick recovery is key. Stumbled? Learn, adapt, and dive back in. Bottom line: It's totally fine to mess up. What counts is how you bounce back, ready for the next round.

A lot of success in business is simply persistence. Being resilient and persevering will keep you in the game long enough so that you will be around when the right deal is presented. "Energy and persistence conquer all things."--Benjamin Franklin

Starting with why is always a way to be authentic and genuine. Of course, survival is key, but even more so is purpose. For a founder, having deep purpose and passion is inspiring. It helps them recruit people to the team to build the product and push through hard problems. It is what helps you on those days when you get a no.

Sometimes back I wrote a research paper on Earliest Validated Learning. Usually people validate the solution of problem which is commonly known as MVP. However the very first step should be to validate the problem itself. It will help to understand following 1. Is it a real problem? 2. Is it a problem for which people are looking for solutions? 3. How much people are willing to pay comfortably for the solution? 4. What is the target set of customers. Answers of above will help to understand if 1. should you resolve given problem 2. Your solution costs you lesser than the customer willingness to pay 3. Would you be able to scale it up. It will also help to vouch for vc funding pitch as you have data. In brief VALIDATE VALIDATE

Facing tough times? Learn to bounce back with resilience and keep going with perseverance. Resilience isn't just about toughing it out; it's finding joy in small victories, setting achievable goals, and leaning on those who get your struggles. Perseverance? It's your dedication to pushing through, even when things get crazy. Connect with your passion, remember why you started, and picture the impact you want to make. Together, resilience and perseverance are your dynamic duo, turning setbacks into steps toward your dreams. So, when life throws curveballs, use these skills to not just survive but thrive. You got this!

This is one of the biggest philosophical topics in the startup world. Perseverance needs to be based on evidence, not on ego. Clichés like "I'm not a quitter" are plain naive and stupid; starting a company requires efficiency, humility, and fast decision-making. I think the most recurrent attitude in successful founders is ignoring (emotionally) the no's and becoming nurtured by the very few yes. A no is an opportunity to gain understanding and evolve, but is not a goal, and shouldn't be romanticized. Use these questions: Based on what do I determine my own value? From the startup point of view, why should we keep doing it? Is it me not understanding the world or the world not understanding me?

I can't stress this enough: perseverance helps you win. Nothing happens overnight in the startup world. It's a long and sometimes boring journey, but those who stick with it end up winning.

Understand that all rejections are part of a funnel. It doesn't matter if it is a sales funnel, a fundraising funnel, a partnerships funnel. You are always going to face rejection because the future you're envisioning is not there yet for the rest of the people, and your company is the vehicle to bring them there. That's why until everyone gets there, you'll face rejection. It's part of the process. In my experience, I've faced more than a 100 rejections from investors before I raised a successful funding round, and this is in line with the standard markets, where only 1% of founders raise capital from VCs.

I don't think you ever get over rejection and failure, I certainly haven't but you can reframe it. I realise that most of the things I do will not succeed (in the way I invison success in a short time horizon) but longer term I also know if I stick at it and learn and evolve my chances for success increase exponentially.

When you are driven by the purpose to serve something greater than yourself then you will succeed. Share the joy of what you are doing, invest in the human first, invest in your community and all will turn out how it should. My advice to get through all the ups and downs of a start-up is: have a clear non self-serving reason for why you’re doing it; have a strong internal/intrinsic foundation; surround yourself with people who have your back as a human; have a great way to disconnect (FUN hobby) from it all because it is not your whole life.

AIRBNB is a great example of how customer feedback on an MVP creates success. Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia moved to San Francisco where they shared a three-room-apartment. When a design conference came to town in 2007, they saw an opportunity to earn some extra money by renting out their floor space, and called it Airbed and Breakfast. After two years of experimenting and failing, they focussed on New York as a popular tourist destination and had meetings with their New York-based users: —both hosts and guests. These meetings were crucial in making solid offerings with that included professional pictures of good-looking spaces. The basis of success of AIRBNB, was laid fifteen years ago, when the founders connected to their users.

When you're starting a business, it's important to stay flexible and open to changes. Don't get too attached to your initial idea because that might make it hard to adapt. Learn from feedback and mistakes, and be ready to make changes when needed. Keep refining and improving as you go along.

I have had teammates joke that I will have "what problem are we trying to solve" inscribed on my tombstone. It is the fundamental question, as if you don't drive value and solve a clear problem, you have no business. Iterating means listening to customers to confirm you are either adding clear value or not. If you aren't solving the problem quickly and clearly, then "iterate or pivot" becomes a much-needed next step.

Pivoting can also mean that instead of building your own marketing & sales force, you early on identify potential partners who will benefit from adding your offering to their present offering. Do not underestimate the capital needed to build your own marketing and sales force / many times a much higher investment than in the cost for research and product development!

Paraphrasing from Annie Duke, whether it's about a product, feature, strategy or the business itself, it's beneficial to distinguish between quitting and folding. Quitting is giving up on "too many obstacles" or "too much adversity". Folding is living to fight another day. Only you will know the difference, and that's everyone who matters.

Overcoming Startup failure and rejection requires pragmatic actions:view failure and rejection as learning opportunities rather than setbacks. Analyzing what went wrong,collecting feedback and identifying areas for improvement are essential steps.

When things aren't working out, think about changing things up—it's like giving your strategy a makeover. Pivoting means taking a big leap, maybe shifting who you're aiming for or tweaking how you solve a problem, all based on what people are telling you. And then there's iterating, which is like fine-tuning your product bit by bit using the info you've gathered. Both need you to be flexible, try new stuff, and be okay with not having all the answers. It's like life—it's messy, but the most exciting wins often come from being open to change and learning as you go.

Pivoting is a combination of science and art. It involves maintaining a consistent overview of the startup’s business model, identifying where it’s lacking, and simulating improvements through predictive models and well-designed experiments. However, being 100% practical, the approach to pivoting depends on the startup’s stage. At the idea stage, radical pivots are acceptable. Post-revenue, it’s advisable to challenge one component at a time, typically focusing on the value proposition or customer segments.

In the startup game, change isn’t your enemy- it is your ally. If you're deeply attached to your product, iterating can feel like a challenge- almost like a breakup! But fall in love with the problem, and innovation becomes a natural rhythm. When tweaking your product, shift the perspective. Instead of seeing it as altering your perfect creation, reflect on why you built it – to solve a problem. The problem is what motivated you to build your product. This mindset shift makes adapting strategies or iterating products more seamless and exciting.

Growth mindset requires humility, a curiosity to learn and self confidence. - Humility to accept that one can be wrong - Curiosity to look for better ways of doing things and - Self confidence to try new things and not be afraid of failing.

Imagine your mindset as a superhero cape – a growth mindset is the one that lets you believe you can get better at anything. It's about embracing challenges, learning from mistakes, and staying strong when things get tough. Unlike the fixed mindset that makes you think you're stuck with whatever talents or luck you were born with, a growth mindset says, "Hey, I can improve through effort and feedback!" So, when life throws curveballs, remember your superhero cape, welcome the lessons, and keep going. It's not about being perfect; it's about growing, learning, and becoming the hero of your own story.

Think of developing a growth mindset like gearing up for an adventure. It's about embracing every twist and turn with enthusiasm, knowing each step, whether forward or backward, is part of the journey to greatness. Just like explorers who relish uncharted territories, in the startup landscape, each challenge is a chance to map out new skills and perspectives. Consider the stories of giants like Tesla or SpaceX – their growth is a series of learning from what didn't work and then daring to dream even bigger. So, when you hit a bump, don't see it as a setback; see it as a chance to grow, innovate, and edge closer to your grand vision. That's the spirit of a true growth mindset – always hungry for the next adventure and ever-ready to rise.

Self-reflection is a significant component of a growth mindset for me. If you can't properly reflect on why certain things succeeded or failed, you won't be able to establish habits and a culture that is consistently geared towards growth.

A growth mindset requires a hunger for positive role models. Pride is the stumbling block to growth. If you are coachable and pick good coaches, you will go far.

For the big, hairy audacious goals (BHAGs), a growth mindset is only the starting point. What you need for BHAGs is a mindset transformation that occurs in 3 stages - Stage 1 - it is possible for someone else (not me) Stage 2 - it is possible for me, but how do I get it done? Stage 3 - it is inevitable for me, now let's get it done! For example, if one of your BHAGs is running a marathon... you may start by thinking it is (nearly) impossible(Stage 1)...but then you look at other people like you that have done it and entertain the possibility that you could do it but need to figure out the How (Stage 2) and then when you start giving it a shot, trying out a few things... you get to the final stage - Stage 3!

Have you ever taught a dog to play catch? You see, while the idea of catching the ball is fairly straight forward to train, the excitement of the catch has sometimes stoped my dog from learning the next critical step in the game - to let go of the ball so they are ready for the next ball that comes along. Indeed, he was so focused on milking every ounce of enjoyment from the ball he catch, he often ended up destroying the relationship with that ball (he ate it). During the start up phase of business we sometime act like my dog. We are so thrilled by a new customer, we often ignore the risk of not looking beyond “now” to “what’s next”. Business sustainability can come from looking early at growing your client base or service offering.

A growth mindset always is an entrepreneurial mindset put into hyper mode of progress. That is a mindset that looks, learns, leans and lifts his or her mind and body to great opportunities in life. If you really want to chase heaven sometimes you need to walk from the doors of hell to taste the sweet bliss. Growth mindset teaches you that perseverance to excel, hustle and build resilience and wisdom to blossom.

As Frank Zappa once said “the mind is like a parachute, it can only work if you open it”. Growth is not a linear process or a well-calculated journey. More than the objectives we set to ourselves, it is the process of getting there. The hardest thing in fostering an open mindset is acknowledging that it is a slow and demanding process. Growth will be the outcome, not the everyday feeling.

Some great perspectives here that I don't want to just echo. I also believe that a Growth Mindset involves a certain ethos - a fundamental belief in yourself and the idea you're working on. When I started at LinkedIn we were a 40 person startup that many in the valley were predicting was going to fail and get crushed by Facebook. We dig deep as a team and said "Why can't our idea be massive? Why wouldn't people want a network in which they can be professional and present their best selves?" Paradoxically, a growth mindset can sometimes mean sticking to your guns and trusting your gut.

As a leader, stive to align institutional goals with personal triumphs. Extend that to yourself. Then the whole team will be pulling together and successes will be celebrated.

While a lot of people compare founding or working at a startup as a rollercoaster, I like to think of it as being on a boat subject to the tides. Riding a rollercoaster, you have no agency -- all you can do is passively sit there and wait for the ride to end. But sailing a boat, you have to learn how to navigate dangerous waters and make use of the tides. When the tide is high, such as when you closed some large deals or secured a round of funding, it will hide a ton of the dangers that lurk below the surface. It's OK to celebrate achievements, but don't get too carried away -- know that there will be an inevitable low tide. Likewise, don't fall into despair if a key customer cancels or a key employee leaves. The tide will rise again.

You need to celebrate even those tiny victories, as it helps you maintaining motivation and a positive outlook, when the new challenges appear. Take time to acknowledge your milestones, regardless of their size. Not only does this boost your morale, but it also helps you reinforce a sense of accomplishment and progress in your entrepreneurial journey. Celebrate with your team, as it creates a sense of unity and inspires collective motivation. Celebrations can serve as a reminder of the impact of your hard work, driving you to push even harder toward future goals. Moreover, celebrating achievements is a great way to maintain work-life balance, offering a break from the intense startup grind.

Hey, don't forget to give yourself a high-five! Celebrating your wins, no matter how small, is like a power-up button. It's not just about the end goal but appreciating the journey and how much you've grown. Treat yourself, share the good news, or just take a moment to soak it in. These celebrations aren't just about the victories; they're like little anchors helping you ride out the startup rollercoaster. So, when things get tough, remember those moments. They're not just pats on the back; they're reminders of your value and all the awesome potential you've got. You're crushing it! 🎉

Human life journey is full of challenges - one strives with hope at each stage. Recognition brings fruition to the hope and joy of success. We must be kind hearted to recognize and celebrate success of fellow workers and be proud of ones own success. Great leaders are the one who help fellow being progress and emerge successful in life.

It is truly important to pat yourself on the back and tell yourself well done in times of success. We often forget to do this, but a win is a win, no matter the size. As well as providing an example of achieving something, the positive celebration can simply provide an energy boost too.

If you want to be amazing, always celebrate your wins in ways that drive you forward, and bless those around you. Thank those in your life that helped you get there, take a moment and reflect on the milestones along the way, and give yourself some mental space to process next steps. This new platform isn't a place to take a bow. It is a place to launch.

Are you really All-in? This is probably the first question that you need to ask yourself before you decide to spend your time in a startup venture. Make sure the below are not the reasons for you to start the venture: FOMO: Joining the startup game just because it's trendy is a risky move. Your motivation needs depth. Financial Gain: If money is your sole aim, disappointment likely awaits. Peer Pressure: Seeking applause from others won't sustain you through the entrepreneurial rollercoaster. Boredom: Your startup isn't a hobby; Ego: Being your own boss sounds great, but running a startup means answering to investors, customers, and your team. Impulse: Just A "cool idea" is a no-go!.

Andrew Huberman actually recommends that you DON'T celebrate every achievement and success. Just as you don't want to get too "low" you also don't want to get too "high". These peaks and troughs in emotions can impact motivation, focus levels and more. It's best to celebrate sometimes but focus on remaining level-headed. Startups are a marathon, not a sprint.

Flashback: you're just a kid who's just hopped off your first rollercoaster ride. Your heart's racing, eyes wide with excitement, ready to go again. That's the kind of buzz we should aim for in startups when celebrating our wins. Every achievement, no matter the size, is like that first rollercoaster triumph – it's thrilling, it's a bit scary, but mostly, it's exhilarating. In this startup journey, every success is a badge of honor, a testament to our courage and hard work. So let's cheer for these victories, big and small. It keeps the team's spirits high and fuels us for the next big challenge. It's about savoring these moments, just like a kid who can't wait to tell their friends about their rollercoaster adventure.

I often used the 4Bs Model as follows: 1. Believe: Believe in what you are doing, and sell your belief to your team, investors and customers 2. Behave: Behave and Believe must be interconnected and consistent 3. Belong: If you can make people believe what you are doing based on your consistent behaviors, they will support you no matter 4. Be a Brand Ambassador: be yourself of what you believe

Failure Analysis without Retribution. Speed is the defining trait of startups and perseverance and resilience are essential DNA. Keep moving forward, try many ways, solve an easier problem, sell before you build because failure is cheap, ... But most importantly be on the same page with your team about what needs to change after failure. Brainstorm with them. Get their buy in.

Failure should be reframed as a critical building block to success. Since it's impossible to succeed without failing at some point, we should actively seek it out. Failing fast and failing forward are good philosophies; lets fail quickly, learn from it, and reach the success that lies on the other side.

I had 259 failures last year. Keeping track of my failures gamifies the experience and allows me to embrace discomfort. My goal for this year is 1,000 🥅 More failures = more successes 🙌

Failure is a necessary part of innovation. And it can be the greatest teacher in the world! But as with any teacher, you have to listen. Failing and then repeating the same thing over and over isn't smart. After each failure, you need to do an HONEST post mortem: * Why didn't this work? * What was the point of failure? * Is it something that I can adjust as needed? * Is what I am trying to do viable? * Do I need new/different resources to succeed? There are more questions, but you can start with these. And each time you fail, make sure that you change SOMETHING when you try again. Always Be Learning!!

It’s real simple. Offer something people want and need. Make them aware. Smother customers with love. Be the best. And keep going.

There are two ways of doing things wrong: mistakes and failures Mistakes could be characterized as not following rules and obtaining results that could have been avoided if the processes had been complied with. Failure on the other hand, is the result of experimenting. At an initial stage, startups are like labs and entrepreneurs should embrace - in Adam’s Grants words - the scientific mind and not be afraid of failure. The purpose of these experiments is to learn (or as Adam Grant would say, to « rethink »). Whether you achieve the result that you expected, or not, you should embrace this opportunity to obtain data and learn how and why things went right (or not(

Get the "No" when talking to customers, but quickly. Nothing is worse than a prolonged "No", it drains resources and adds fatigue. People often forget that the "Quick No" is a blessing, it allows you to move on and reiterate the persona, the messaging, and the problem. If there's constructive feedback attached to it, from a person that has authority in the space or is your potential customer, then amazing. Act on it as fast as you can and go speak to the next one!

You need to know from the outset that it may fail. That the odds are stacked against you. It's not meant to be easy or everyone in your co-working space would be millionaires. Rejection is something you face regularly as a startup. You've got to be able to take the emotion out of it, work out whether there are things to be learned (or not) and move on. Pivots, growth, etc., never happened through everyone agreeing with you. It's like someone telling you your favourite thing is ugly/crap, so it will hurt. The real growth comes when someone tells you why they think that way.

- Take it as an opportunity to build your track record as serial founder Startup failures and rejection are part of any entrepreneurial journey. It is a valuable part in building your credential as a seasoned founder. Serial founders raised around 2.5 times more in angel and seed rounds than first-time founders. That increases to 3.4 times for early and late-stage rounds (source: Pitchbook).