Investor | CEO & Co-Founder AVA (Agency Ventures) | Co-Founder at FOUNDRY (Ecommerce Aggregator) | Founder Atlantic Coast Brands ($1B+ Revenue) | Strategic Advisor |
𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐔𝐬. It’s time we take back and redefine failure in entrepreneurship! In VC centric communities like Silicon Valley and high-tech Tel Aviv, failure isn’t just accepted—it’s almost a badge of honor. Venture capitalists know that true innovation often comes from bold risks, and bold risks sometimes lead to failure. Entrepreneurs wear their setbacks like medals because they’ve learned, adapted, and come back stronger. But in many parts of America, failure carries a stigma. Entrepreneurs who face setbacks are riddled with shame, as if failing is a sign of incompetence rather than a natural part of the process. And this mentality is toxic to innovation. And for a long time, I carried that shame myself. I merged my business into a larger, better-funded company, thinking it would be the breakthrough we needed. Instead, it led to the closure of my brand and a less-than-ideal outcome for my investors. The vision of creating the $100 million iconic, decade durable brand was dead. The weight of that failure hit me hard. I felt like I had let everyone down. The shame was overwhelming. So, I retreated. Instead of pursuing my dreams, I spent the next two years working as a consultant, avoiding the risk of failing again. Two whole years gone—years I can’t get back. In hindsight, I could have done almost anything. Two years of pursuing someone else’s dreams instead of my own—all because my perception of this being a failure. What I’ve learned is that shame grows in silence. The more I tried to hide my failures, the more it controlled me. But when I finally opened up and shared my story, that shame lost its power. It wasn’t a weakness anymore—it became part of my strength. Looking back, I realize I didn’t truly fail. I took a bold risk. I went all in and gave it everything I could. I learned. And I came out stronger. This experience became the foundation for my next business that exceeded mine and my partners initial vision. The problem wasn’t the failure, it never is—it was the shame I allowed myself to feel. Most successful serial entrepreneurs had businesses that didn’t succeed. Failure is part of the process. To foster the same culture of breakthrough innovation seen in Silicon Valley, we need to embrace failure as part of the journey. Failure doesn’t define you—it’s what you do. I say stop hiding, stop feeling ashamed, stop second guessing thosedecisions, and stop letting your perception of failure hold you back. Entrepreneurs, we must stop fearing failure and being ashamed our mistakes. We must just learn from them. Use them as fuel for what comes next. I promise decades from now, the comebacks are what you will be most proud of with a perspective of the failures that could never define you. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬—𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. #Entrepreneurship
Christel Bordoni
1mo
Turning failure into fuel is the key to growth. Share your story, learn from the setbacks, and let those lessons drive your next success. Failure isn’t a full stop; it’s a comma.
Andrew Surwilo
1mo
The fact that you’ve barely aged in the last 25 years isn’t fair to the rest of us, Tom Shipley - cut it out!
Bruce Kimmel
1mo
Hey. I remember that guy! And that magazine. Glad to see one of them is still making headlines.
Wait…is that a “print” asset?!? 😲
Chen Mor
1mo
Legend! Leading by example
VP of Operations @ Whitestone | Operations & Strategy | Technology & Automation | Continuous Process Improvement
1moTom Shipley I loved reading this post! Reflecting on my time at T. Shipley brings back such great memories. Though it was brief, working for you around the age of 20 was a pivotal experience for me. I did anything you needed, from research to packing boxes, and you even let me sit in on board meetings and witness the entrepreneurial spirit up close. I still smile thinking about getting completely lost trying to find your house one night to pick something up, and quietly chatting with you and Pam after your daughters went to bed. While I was only there for a few months before heading off to Israel post-graduate, your influence stayed with me. You inspired me to try launching my own “mail-order” business when I returned, though it ended in failure—it's something I now wear with pride because of the lessons I took from it. Those lessons have shaped the trajectory of my career and helped lead me to the success I enjoy today. Tom, I hope you know how many paths your leadership and "failures" have influenced. Keep crushing it—I'm always rooting for you and following your entrepreneurial journey!