Optimal Work Daily - Career, Productivity and Entrepreneurship 1803: Consider the Costs (and Benefits) of Entrepreneurial Failure by Isaac Morehouse on How to Embrace Discomfort
Sep 7, 2025
Explore how courage, rather than credentials, fuels a fulfilling life. Discover the value in embracing entrepreneurial failure as a opportunity for growth. Learn to reframe failure from a setback into a stepping stone. Reflect on the importance of taking risks and the discomfort it often brings. Be inspired to act without waiting for permission, and realize that living fully requires facing uncertainty head-on.
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Failure Rates Don’t Equal Personal Ruin
- Most new ventures fail at high rates, but that statistic doesn't tell the whole human story.
- Failure of a startup is not equivalent to personal failure for the founders.
A First Business That Taught Confidence
- Isaac and his brother started a cable-installation business at 19 that lasted less than a year.
- He learned skills, confidence, and made a decent living despite the company's failure.
Startup Costs And Risks Have Fallen
- Today startup costs are much lower thanks to technology and crowdfunding.
- Financial and reputational risks from failure are rarer than they once were.