A quick guide for entrepreneurs whose self-esteem and confidence have taken a one-way ticket to the Maldives.

It flopped.

What a failure.

Total disaster.

Everything’s falling apart.

I’ll let you share your favorite expressions for talking about your worst failures. No need to look away — my grandfather would say, “the only people who never make mistakes are the ones who never try.” The good news? If you’ve failed, it means you’ve tried. And that’s already something.

I’m a die-hard Brené Brown fan. Daring Greatly is one of my go-to books (it’s in my “grab in case of fire” pile — and if you don’t have one, I recommend making one). The title comes from this excerpt:

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

— Theodore Roosevelt, Sorbonne speech, April 23, 1910

So today, I wanted to give you some inspiration to hold onto for those days when you feel alone in the arena, face bloodied, mouth full of dust.

Learning to Get Back Up

Far be it from me to preach “hustle culture” — that myth that achievement only comes through suffering. Still, nothing worth having comes for free. So there are three key steps to getting back up:

Step 1. Let yourself feel it

Sometimes you just need to cry it out.

It might sound cliché, but in a world that’s always rushing, when was the last time you actually gave yourself space to sit with sadness, anger, or even joy — at work or in life?

It’s not weakness. It’s not lack of character. On the contrary, it takes real courage to let yourself feel the frustration failure brings. Personally, I’ve learned with my therapist to scream, to punch pillows, to push against walls, to say “enough!” when it really is.

When you bury failure under the rug, it festers. And one day it explodes — at the worst possible time. As entrepreneurs, we can’t afford to let our dream project turn into bitterness or disgust.

Step 2. Take responsibility

Once you’ve cried, screamed, or punched a few pillows, it’s time to face reality. Courage in hand, you need to look at the situation factually.

This is where documenting becomes your best friend. Whether it’s a phone note, a Notion page, a text file, a voice memo, or Post-its in a box — keep records.

Of what didn’t work, of the decisions you made and how you executed them. That way you can pinpoint where things went wrong and what you might do differently next time. Not to judge your past self with today’s knowledge — but to analyze and equip yourself better for the future.

Step 3. Learn and move forward

Once you’ve reflected, it’s time to get back in the saddle.

Spoiler: it’s Swiftie o’clock.

The Netflix documentary Miss Americana opens with Taylor Swift learning her latest album got zero Grammy nominations. She immediately says: “I just need to make a better album.”

I love this example. Even though Reputation is still a fan favorite, Taylor owned the fact that it wasn’t good enough that year. No blame game, no excuses — she took responsibility and started writing her next chapter.

And during her record-breaking Eras Tour, she shared how people mocked the idea of a 3.5-hour show covering her entire discography. Today, it’s smashing every record. Proof that she learned from both wins and losses.

“Never be ashamed of trying. Effortlessness is a myth.”
(Check out 20’50)

Tips for Falling Better

Falling is a skill in itself. Anyone who’s tried a handstand knows: the better you control your fall, the less scary it becomes.

Here are a few ways to soften the impact:

Study others’ failures

Learn from other people’s mistakes. They don’t cost you time, money, or emotional energy. Blogs, podcasts, books, testimonies — all are goldmines. Add them to your own “failure journal” with the lessons you want to keep.

Practice, practice, practice

Repetition builds excellence. Notice I didn’t say perfection.

Perfection doesn’t exist.

I repeat this to myself constantly, and I hammer it into my clients. Too many brilliant women I know set the bar so high they guarantee failure — then call themselves worthless for not reaching it.

But failure, rejection, slammed doors — they’re what build us. They’re what sharpen us, make us resilient, push us to fight harder for what we believe in.

Just like a ballerina practices until her muscles remember every move, entrepreneurs repeat until they can execute that final leap — the launch — with precision.

Effort is always rewarded. Patience often holds the key.

Learn to let go

Here’s the hardest truth: don’t get too attached to an idea.

Believing in yourself doesn’t mean clinging desperately to concepts that don’t serve your business. Too many entrepreneurs fall into sentimentality. But strategy demands discipline.

At the end of the day, your business’s number-one goal is profitability. If money wasn’t part of it, you’d be running a non-profit. So don’t run around like a headless chicken trying to be “nice.” Making money doesn’t make you a bad person. Look at what Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, or Kelly Rowland do with theirs.

If a concept flops, leave it on the side of the road. Know when to pivot.

I’ve made 180° turns several times in my five years of entrepreneurship. Every single time, it was for the better. My boldest one led me to work as a right-hand partner, supporting entrepreneurs with strategy and operations. And it was the best move I ever made.

I hope I’ve helped you make peace with your failures. May they carry you further than you ever dared imagine.