Learning from Mistakes

It’s easy for us to look at a successful entrepreneur and think, “They’ve got it all figured!” or “I bet they’ve never made mistakes!”

But here’s a little-known secret: Every entrepreneur, no matter how successful, makes many, many mistakes along the way. The differentiator is that they choose to learn from those mistakes.

In the spirit of transparency, I’m going to share the three biggest mistakes I’ve made in business—and I don’t regret any of them.

1. Ignoring red flags.

Have you heard the saying, “Be quick to hire and slow to hire”? I know from experience that the saying is true.

When a staff member is waving red flags, you might think it’s a reflection of you, the leader. Maybe you need to be more present with their development. Or, maybe, you need to improve an existing system so they thrive.

But there are many times when you can’t fix a bad fit for your business. I had one particular staff member who had many red flags, and I thought, “I can fix them! This is a leadership opportunity.” I sent that person to courses. I put that person in a role I thought would be a better fit.

Instead of improving the situation, the red flag was raised higher. Then the red turned fluorescent. And then that fluorescent became a burning fire.

We call them red flags for a reason, and we need to take notice of them sooner than later.

2. Choosing to be alone.

I broke up with my business mentor sooner than I should have. My business was slightly profitable, though I had no idea what I was doing, and my mentor asked if I wanted to move to the next phase of my development. I said no.

By choosing solitude, I actually chose loneliness. I had put myself on an island in the ocean with no one around me. I had no one accountable for the things I needed to be doing, and no one with the experiences of what I was going through.

I went three years with no mentorship. I didn’t realize it was a problem until a big event happened within my business. I called my mentor for help, and I’m so glad I did.

Moral of the story: Don’t break up with your mentor until your business and experience are at an equal place to your mentor’s.

3. Living inauthentically.

I lived my most authentic life for my first 30 years on this planet. I was taught to do things a certain way. You get the white picket fence, you follow what the matriarch says, and you live the life that others expect of you.

Here’s what I now know: The world needs the most authentic version of you, not the version that somebody else is trying to make of you.

So, there you have it! The three greatest mistakes I’ve ever made in my life. I wouldn’t trade them for the world because they made me the person I am today. (And I really like that person!)